Original Breath (yuanqi)

The Original Breath 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).