Essays and Reference Works

A Short Introduction to Chinese Alchemy
In China as elsewhere, alchemy is a doctrine aiming to afford an understanding of the principles underlying the formation and functioning of the cosmos. This essay introduces the background, doctrines, and history of the arts of the elixir in China, and includes a selected bibliography.

The Scripture of the Nine Elixirs and its Commentary
The Scripture of the Nine Elixirs is the main early text of waidan, or "external alchemy." It provides the most complete available account of all stages of the alchemical process, from the ceremony of transmission to the ingestion of the elixir. This essay examines the divine origins, the extant text, and the methods described in the the Scripture. The last two sections are concerned with the contents, date, and sources of the nineteen-chapter commentary.

The Early History of the Zhouyi cantong qi
Written in a poetical style and in a densely metaphoric and allusive language, the Zhouyi cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three According to the Book of Changes) does not fully describe any method, and only occasionally refers to actual practices related to "external" or "inner" alchemy. Nevertheless, this has been the only scripture cherished within both traditions, and the influence it has exerted on their history from the Tang period onward is not matched by any other work.

Commentaries to the Zhouyi cantong qi in the Taoist Canon
About thirty commentaries to the Zhouyi cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three According to the Book of Changes) are extant. Eight of them are found in the Taoist Canon: an anonymous waidan commentary, an anonymous neidan commentary, a commentary attributed to the immortal Yin Changsheng, and the commentaries by Peng Xiao, Zhu Xi, Chu Yong, Chen Xianwei, and Yu Yan.

Tao Hongjing
A short note on Tao Hongjing (456-536), alchemist, pharmacologist, and Taoist master.

Sun Simo
A short note on Sun Simo (seventh century), eminent physician and alchemist.

Chinese Alchemy: An Annotated Bibliography
This bibliography, first published in the journal Monumenta Serica in 1996, list about 200 books and articles, classified by subject and briefly annotated.

Glossaire de l'alchimie chinoise
A Chinese-French glossary of Chinese alchemy. Contains about 250 terms of waidan ("external alchemy") chosen among the most common names of substances, instruments, operations and other basic terminology.