Glossary of Daoist Studies Terms

Below is a glossary of common terms in Daoist studies, in both pinyin and Wade-Giles
romanization systems. To see the Chinese characters you need to use Microsoft Internet
Explorer on Microsoft Windows with a standard Unicode Chinese font.

Pinyin Wade- Chinese English

Giles
bagua pa-kua The eight trigrams; the basis of divination scheme in the
Book of Changes
beidou pei-tou Lit. northern bushel; the constellation of the Big Dipper
or Great Bear
bianhua pien-hua Transformation; the underlying principle of change
within the world
bigu pi-ku Abstention from grains; a Daoist longevity practice based
on the notion that immortals live off the air and "soak up
the dew"
bugang pu-kang Pacing the net; a Daoist ritual whose choreography is
based on the Big Dipper
chujia ch'u-chia Literally "leave home"; the process of becoming a Daoist
monk
dan tan Cinnabar; a mineral formed of Mercury Sulphide used in
alchemy
dantian tan-t'ien Cinnabar field; one of three locations in the body used in
the practice of inner alchemy
dao tao Lit. "way or speak"; the ultimate cosmic principle in
Daoism
daojia tao-chia Lit. "Dao-school"; a bibliographical classification used
for proto-Daoist texts
daojiao tao-chiao Lit. "Dao-tradition"; the Daoist religion
daoshu tao-shu Daoist arts; energy practices that may bear only a tenuous
connection with Daoist religion
daotan tao-t'an Daoist altar; often erected temporarily to perform a ritual
and then disassembled
daozang tao-tsang Lit "Daoist treasury"; the Daoist Canon compiled in 1445
de te Lit. "power, virtue"; what one obtains by attaining the
Dao
dong tung Cave, grotto
dongtian tung-t'ien Grotto-heavens; the network of caves connecting China's
sacred mountains
falun fa-lun Lit. "Dharma-wheel skill"; the form of Qi cultivation
gong kung practiced by Falu Dafa, banned in China
fangshi fang-shih "Magico-technicians"; Han dynasty practioners of
alchemy and immortality whose methods influenced the
 later flourishing of Daoism
fuguang fu-kuang Absorb the light; a Daoist energy practice
fuqi fu-ch'i Absorb qi; a Daoist energy practice
hun hun Heavenly soul; the soul that ascends to heaven and is
venerated in the form of ancestral tablets
hundun hun-tun Chaos; the state of pregnant non-being from which
everything arises, and to which Daoists aim to return
jiao chiao Daoist ritual of renewal; the main ritual performed by
Daoist priests today
jiazi chia-tzu The first year of the 60-year cycle
jing ching Essence; a form of qi manifested in sexual fluids
jing ching Scripture; warp of a piece of fabric
Laozi Lao-tzu Old Master or Old Child; the traditional author of the
Daode jing
li li Ceremony, ritual
lingbao ling-pao Numinous Treasure or Numinous Jewel; a classical
Daoist religious movement
lu lu Register; a listing of the names of spirits possessed by
those initiated into the Way of the Celestial Masters
ming ming Fate, destiny, life; the physiological element of one's
person in Complete Reality cultivation
neidan nei-dan Inner alchemy
niwan ni-wan Mud-pill; the cinnabar field in the head
po p'o Earthly soul; the yin soul that descends into the earth
when the body is properly buried.
qi ch'i Breath, vital energy, pneuma; life-force
qigong ch'i-kung Qi-skill; an energy practice that became popular in the
19th century
qingjing ch'ing- Purity and stillness; the aims of meditation in the Way of
ching Compete Perfection
quanzhen ch'an- Complete Perfection; Total Reality; the monastic Daoist
chen movement founded by Wang Zhe
shangqing shang- Highest Clarity, Supreme Purity; the classical Daoist
ch'ing movement
shen shen Spirit; spirits; divine; the most refined form of qi
taiji t'ai-chi Supreme Ridgepole; the centre of the heavens; Supreme
Ultimate the foundational metaphysical principle
taiji quan t'ai-chi Supreme Ultimate Fist; Tai Chi
ch'an
taiqing t'ai-ching Great Clarity; a Daoist alchemical movement
tianming t'ien- Mandate of Heaven, conferred upon the Emperor, giving
ming him authority to rule
tianshi t'ien-shih Celestial Master, Heavenly Teacher; a title bestowed
upon Zhang Daoling and his descendants; the first Daoist
religious community
tianxia t'ien-hsia All under Heaven; the empire
tong t'ung Communicate; go through; used as a synonym for dong
tui t'uei Extend; the process of bringing things into correlation
with each other
waidan wai-tan Lit. "outer alchemy"; laboratory or operative alchemy
wang wang King; the one who unifies the three realms of heaven,
earth and humankind
wuwei wu-wei Lit. "non-action"; actionless-action; non-assertive action;
action as though non-action
xianren hsien-jen Immortal, transcendent being; sometimes translated in
popular literature as "fairy" or "wizard"
xin hsin Heart, mind; the seat of the personality and the object of
Confucian self-cultivation
xing hsing Inner nature; the psychological element of one's person in
Complete Perfection cultivation
yang yang Sunny; the complement of yin
yin yin Shady; the complement of yang
zhai chai Ritual of purification; a retreat or fast that was the main
Numinous Treasure ritual, and became incorporated into
the present-day jiao ritual
zhengyi cheng-i Orthodox Unity; the branch of Daoism founded by the
Celestial Master; one of two branches officially
recognised in China today
zhenren chen-jen Perfected person; a Daoist sage
zhonghe chung-ho Central harmony; the ideal state attained in the Way of
Great peace
zhongmin chung- Seed-people; the name given to those who would survive
min the impending apocalypse foretold in the southern
Celestial Masters tradition
ziran tzu-jan Self-so, spontaneous, natural; the basic principle that the
Dao follows in its evolution; and the core value of
Daoism