Original Breath (Yuanqi)

 

Original Breath

 

The Original Breath (yuanqi) issued from the Dao.
Source: Xuanlan renniao shan jingtu (Scripture and Illustration for the Mysterious Contemplation of the Mountain of the Bird-Men; CT 434).
For a detailed explanation, see John Lagerwey, Taoist Ritual in Chinese Society and History, 161-67 (New York: Macmillan, 1987).