The earliest existing literature on the Six Character Formula can be found in the “Record of Nurturing Life and Extending Life” written by Tao Hongjing during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Tao Hongjing was one of the representatives of the Maoshan sect of Taoism and a renowned physician. In the “Record of Nurturing Life – The Section on Breathing Therapy for Illness”, it is recorded: “There is one inhalation and six exhalations. The one inhalation refers to ‘breathing in’; the six exhalations refer to ‘blowing, calling, sighing, exhaling, whispering, and laughing’, all of which are exhalations… These methods treat diseases. Blowing expels heat, calling expels wind, sighing relieves anxiety, exhaling lowers qi, whispering disperses cold, and laughing resolves extremes.” It also points out: “For heart disease, there are hot and cold sensations in the body, use blowing and calling to expel them; for lung disease, if there is fullness in the chest, use whispering to expel it; for spleen disease, if there is a draft causing itching and pain, use sighing to expel it; for liver disease, if there is eye pain and feelings of worry and unhappiness, use exhaling to expel it.” These records are the origins of what later generations called the ‘Six Character Formula’ or ‘Six Character Breathing Method’.
After Tao Hongjing, there have been records of the Six Character Formula throughout the ages, especially in the development and supplementation of its theoretical methods and applications. Notable representatives include: the Buddhist monk Zhi from the Sui Dynasty, who applied the Six Character Formula in the Zen meditation method in his work “The Stop and Observe for the Young”; the famous physician Sun Simiao from the Tang Dynasty, who elaborated on Tao’s breathing method in his “Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold” by stating, “Combine big exhalations with small exhalations”; and the Taoist scholar Hu Yun from the Tang Dynasty, who altered the combinations of the Six Characters with the five organs in his “Diagram of the Five Organs and Six Bowels in the Yellow Court”, changing the lung’s ‘whisper’ to ‘laugh’, the heart’s ‘call’ to ‘exhale’, the liver’s ‘exhale’ to ‘whisper’, the spleen’s ‘sigh’ to ‘call’, and the kidney’s ‘laugh’ to ‘blow’, while also adding the method of ‘laughing’ for the gallbladder.
In the Song Dynasty, Zou Pu’an’s “The Supreme Jade Axis Six Character Breathing Method” provided the most detailed discussion on the theory and methods of the Six Character Formula in history, specifying requirements for breathing and pronunciation: “When reciting, the ears must not hear the sound… After reciting, lower the head and close the mouth, and slowly inhale the clear qi of heaven and earth through the nose… When inhaling, the ears must also not hear the sound.” Additionally, it introduced preparatory practices such as tooth tapping, stirring the sea, and swallowing saliva.
In the “Song of the Four Seasons to Prevent Illness” from the “Annotations of the Eight Notes of Life”, it is recorded: “In spring, whisper to brighten the eyes and support the liver; in summer, exhale to relax the heart fire; in autumn, call to collect the metal and moisten the lungs; in winter, blow to ensure peace in the kidney; the three burners laugh to eliminate heat; throughout the four seasons, always call to transform the spleen’s food, and avoid making sounds with the mouth and ears, as this practice is especially superior to preserving the spirit pill.” This connects the Six Character Formula with seasonal health maintenance.
From existing literature, it appears that before the Ming Dynasty, the Six Character Formula did not incorporate physical movements, focusing solely on breathing techniques. After the Ming Dynasty, the Six Character Formula began to include physical movements, combining breathing with guiding exercises. For example, in Hu Wenhui’s “Essential Techniques for Cultivation” and Gao Lian’s “Annotations of the Eight Notes of Life”, there are records of the “Six Character Method for Preventing Illness and Extending Life”: “When the liver is whispered, the eyes are opened wide; when the lung knows to exhale, both hands are raised; when the heart exhales, the hands are crossed above the head; when the kidney blows, it embraces the knees; when the spleen is called, the mouth must be pursed; when the three burners are troubled by heat, lie down and laugh peacefully.” This is the earliest record of the Six Character Formula combined with guiding movements. Although the Six Character Formula was integrated into the “Eight Pieces of Brocade” in the Song Dynasty as an auxiliary practice, this was merely an application of the Six Character Formula, not an independent guiding method.
From contemporary schools of practice, while methods such as Yijinjing, Emei Zhuang, Xingyi Quan, Baguazhang, and Dayan Gong have related applications of the Six Character Formula, they are not entirely the same as the original independent Six Character practice. In martial arts, it has largely transformed into a vocal practice that aids in energy cultivation. In modern times, Ma Litang, in researching energy cultivation, created the “Six Character Formula for Energy Cultivation” based on traditional Six Character literature, which has had a wide impact in clinical treatment.
Based on the analysis of literature and various existing practices related to the Six Character Formula, it has formed a relatively complete system in terms of practice: the theoretical framework has maintained the explanations based on the five elements and five organs of traditional Chinese medicine since the Tang and Song Dynasties, the understanding of breathing mouth shapes and sound methods has gradually become unified, and the guiding movements and mental guidance generally follow the meridian circulation principles of traditional Chinese medicine. However, there are still some ambiguous issues regarding the standardization of the practice. For example, the pronunciation of certain characters (exhale, laugh), the mouth shapes and sounds of the Six Characters, the correspondence of the Six Characters with the organs, and the order of the Six Characters in practice all have some ambiguities; the relationships between the breathing sounds and the guiding movements of various practices each have their own characteristics, and there is still a lack of unified scientific evidence.
On this basis, the research group of “Fitness Qigong: Six Character Formula” has conducted further standardized research and verification to create a new method of fitness qigong that is scientifically healthy and easy for the public to practice.
01
On the Correspondence of the Six Characters with the Organs
In the “Record of Nurturing Life – The Section on Breathing Therapy for Illness”, it is recorded: “All diseases come from the five organs, and one must recognize the root; those who do not recognize it should not practice. For heart disease, there are hot and cold sensations in the body, use blowing and calling to expel them; for lung disease, if there is fullness in the chest, use whispering to expel it; for spleen disease, if there is a draft causing itching and pain, use sighing to expel it; for liver disease, if there is eye pain and feelings of worry and unhappiness, use exhaling to expel it.” The correspondence of the Six Characters with the organs is: heart – blow, call; lung – whisper; spleen – sigh; liver – exhale; kidney – laugh, which differs from modern interpretations. The breathing adjustment methods for nurturing life in Sun Simiao’s “Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold” are completely consistent with this.
The Sui Dynasty monk Zhi recorded in “The Stop and Observe for the Young – Treatment of Illness” that: “The heart corresponds to exhale, the kidney corresponds to blow, the spleen calls, the lung corresponds to laugh, and the liver stores heat and comes from whispering; the three burners are blocked and only laugh.” His correspondence with the organs is the same as that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and modern interpretations.
The Tang Dynasty Taoist scholar Hu’s “Diagram of the Five Organs and Six Bowels in the Yellow Court” has the same correspondence as Zou Pu’an’s “The Supreme Jade Axis Six Character Breathing Method” from the Song Dynasty: heart – exhale, lung – laugh, liver – whisper, spleen – call, kidney – blow, gallbladder – sigh (laugh). Later literature generally followed this correspondence, only changing gallbladder – laugh to three burners – laugh.
Based on relevant literature and the discussion of the five sounds, five elements, and five organs in “He Luo Jing Yun”, we believe the correspondence of the Six Character Formula with the organs should be: exhale corresponds to the tongue sound, which corresponds to the heart – fire; call corresponds to the throat sound, which corresponds to the spleen – earth; blow corresponds to the lip sound, which corresponds to the kidney – water; whisper (laugh) corresponds to the tooth sound, which corresponds to the liver (gallbladder) – wood; and laugh corresponds to the tooth sound, which corresponds to the lung – metal. “Laugh” connects to the Shaoyang meridian, which can unblock both the gallbladder and the Sanjiao meridian. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that “Shaoyang is the pivot”, and unblocking the Shaoyang can regulate the qi of the entire body; the function of the Sanjiao is to circulate the qi throughout the body. Therefore, in the correspondence of the Six Characters with the organs, “exhale – heart, laugh – lung, whisper – liver, call – spleen, blow – kidney, laugh – Sanjiao” is reasonable and standardized.
02
On the Practice Sequence of the Six Characters
Historically, there are three main representative discussions on the practice sequence of the Six Characters:
First, Tao Hongjing recorded in the “Record of Nurturing Life”: “The twelve methods of adjusting qi should generally use the nose to draw in qi and exhale through the mouth, allowing the sound of qi to follow the characters: blow, call, whisper, exhale, laugh, and laugh, to expel them.” This is the same sequence as in Sun Simiao’s “Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold”, starting with the heart and arranged according to the order of the five elements and their mutual restraint.
Second, Zou Pu’an in the “The Supreme Jade Axis Six Character Breathing Method” not only changed the correspondence of the organs but also changed the practice sequence accordingly, showing a trend from mutual restraint to mutual generation. Only between “laugh” and “whisper” is it still mutual restraint, and it still starts with the heart fire, aiming to first release the toxic heat of the heart.
Third, after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the sequence was generally changed to follow the order recorded in the “Song of the Four Seasons to Prevent Illness” by Leng Qian from the Ming Dynasty: “In spring, whisper to brighten the eyes and support the liver; in summer, exhale to relax the heart fire; in autumn, call to collect the metal and moisten the lungs; in winter, blow to ensure peace in the kidney; the three burners laugh to eliminate heat; throughout the four seasons, always call to transform the spleen’s food.” This is arranged according to the seasonal cycle and the mutual generation of the five elements.
The first method is aimed at “treating illness”, thus adopting the sequence of mutual restraint of the five elements for practice. Later, the application of the Six Character Formula gradually shifted towards health maintenance, and the practice sequence gradually developed towards the mutual generation sequence, ultimately being established as the sequence corresponding to seasonal health maintenance.
Therefore, in practicing the Six Character Formula, if the main purpose is to treat illness, one should practice in the order of mutual restraint of the five elements: exhale – laugh – whisper – call – blow – laugh. If the main purpose is long-term health maintenance, one should practice in the order of mutual generation of the five elements: whisper – exhale – call – laugh – blow – laugh. The “Fitness Qigong: Six Character Formula” uses the latter.
03
On the Pronunciation and Mouth Shape of the Six Characters
(1) Regarding the pronunciation of the Six Characters, before the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the lack of a unified method for annotating Chinese characters, pronunciation was mainly explained through known character sounds. This led to ambiguities in the pronunciation of the Six Character Formula, resulting in the phenomenon of “same character, different pronunciation; same pronunciation, different characters”. From existing literature, the terms “Six Character Breathing Method”, “Emei School”, and “Six Character Mantra” generally summarize the differences in pronunciation and mouth shape of the Six Character Formula. Among them, the character “exhale” is pronounced as “kē” in the “Six Character Breathing Method”, “hā (ha)” in the “Emei School”, and “hē” in the “Six Character Mantra”; the character “laugh” is pronounced as “xià” in the “Six Character Breathing Method”, “sī (si)” in the “Emei School”, and “xì” in the “Six Character Mantra”, with the greatest differences. Therefore, the research group specifically consulted experts in phonology in China. After understanding the historical evolution of the pronunciation of the Six Characters, they all agreed that the character “exhale” should be pronounced as “hē”. However, there is no consensus on the character “laugh”; some experts believe it should be pronounced as “sī” in the Qing Dynasty and modern times, either with a falling tone “sì” or a level tone “sī”; others believe it should be pronounced as “xì” with a falling tone. To be cautious, the research group further consulted the relevant discussions in “He Luo Jing Yun” by Jiang Shenxiu from the Qing Dynasty. In volume seven, it is recorded: “Human speech comes from the throat, falls on the tongue, and strikes the teeth, lips, and gums, corresponding to the five elements. The throat sound is earth, the tongue sound is fire, the tooth sound is wood, the gum sound is metal, and the lip sound is water.” This explanation of the sound production site is consistent with what experts in the Chinese opera community have said. Through in-depth analysis and research, it was found that the character “call” (hū) is exactly a throat sound, belonging to the earth of the five elements, corresponding to the spleen; the character “exhale” (hē) is exactly a tongue sound, belonging to the fire of the five elements, corresponding to the heart; the characters “whisper” and “laugh” are tooth sounds, belonging to the wood of the five elements, corresponding to the liver and gallbladder; the character “blow” (chuī) is exactly a lip sound, belonging to the water of the five elements, corresponding to the kidney; and the character “laugh” pronounced as “sī” is exactly a gum sound, belonging to the metal of the five elements, corresponding to the lung. These correspondences form the relationship between the five elements, five sounds, and five organs, aligning with traditional Chinese medicine theory.
Thus, for the character “laugh”, the research group determined the pronunciation as “sī”. As for the tone, it was determined to be a level tone “sì” based on the requirements of the Six Character breathing method for a smooth, fine, and long duration. All six characters are clear sounds in level tone.
(2) Regarding the mouth shape of the Six Characters
After determining the pronunciation of the Six Characters, due to the influence of local accents, there may still be differences in the pronunciation of the Six Character Formula. Using modern Mandarin to standardize and unify is a good method. However, using specific mouth shapes and breath requirements to standardize the exhalation sounds of the Six Character Formula can better reflect its intrinsic essence. Different mouth shapes can produce different internal and external qi, thereby affecting the movement of the internal organs and the flow of the meridians.
Both the “Six Character Breathing Method” and the “Six Character Mantra” have emphasized the importance of accurate mouth shapes. In the “Six Character Breathing Method”, it is stated: “The internal movement of the organs and the flow of the meridians are influenced by different forces inside and outside the body, and using different mouth shapes during exhalation can create different shapes and positions of the lips, tongue, teeth, and throat, thus creating different internal pressures in the chest and abdomen, affecting the movement of qi and blood in different organs, thereby achieving the effects of treating illness and maintaining health.”
In the “Six Character Mantra”, it is required that when pronouncing the characters, one should feel the “point of force”: “Different parts of the oral cavity produce different sounds, and this part is the point of force. The specification of the point of force does not require practitioners to exert force when pronouncing, but rather requires practitioners to gradually realize this point during practice, consciously feel this point, and naturally harmonize with this point to ensure the accuracy of pronunciation and the resonance of the internal organs.”
The research group has conducted standardized explorations of the mouth shapes and breath points of the Six Characters based on the principles of the lips, teeth, tongue, throat, and the five elements and five sounds.
04
On the Breathing Method of the Six Character Formula
Historical literature suggests that the breathing method of the Six Character Formula involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, with a smooth, fine, and long duration. However, there are differing views on whether to make sounds during exhalation. Tao Hongjing’s “Record of Nurturing Life” states that “the sound of qi follows the characters”, which involves making sounds, while Sun Simiao also generally follows this method. However, most literature after the Tang Dynasty has changed to state that breathing should be done without making sounds. The most detailed discussion is found in Zou Pu’an’s “New Book on Longevity and Nurturing Parents” from the Song Dynasty, which emphasizes that the “Six Character Breathing Method” mainly applies the vocal method. It is believed that in clinical applications, making sounds is more effective than not making sounds; only by making sounds can one distinguish between the five tones (宫, 商, 角, 徵, 羽) and better correspond with the five organs for treatment, which is referred to as “wind breathing”. However, it is also required: “For beginners, it is essential to make sounds to facilitate the smooth flow of qi and to master the mouth shapes; once the mouth shapes are correct and abdominal breathing is practiced well, natural deep breathing will occur… When the true qi is mobilized, it will naturally lead to silent breathing.”
The research group believes that the methods of exhaling with sound by Tao Hongjing and Sun Simiao were mainly applied to treat diseases, while later generations’ “silent exhalation” represents a combination of disease treatment and health maintenance, gradually shifting towards health applications. Ancient people often referred to the Six Character Formula as “Six Character Qi”, “Six Qi Formula”, or “Six Character Breathing Method”. This indicates that the breath is the key when exhaling the Six Characters, rather than the sound. Making sounds is a manifestation of the breath changing from slow to urgent, from clear to turbid, and traditional Chinese medicine considers it to emphasize the purging effect.
Additionally, whether to make sounds is also related to whether to combine movements and the characteristics of guiding movements. For movements that are forceful and have clear turns and pauses, it is naturally better to make sounds, such as the use of vocal methods by martial artists with the Six Character Formula; while for static practices or movements that are gentle and flowing, it is better to remain silent. Specific applications should be treated differently, with differential application of techniques.
In experiments, the research group specifically observed the impact of different states of the character “call” on the average muscle strength of practitioners to explore scientific verification methods for the above issues. The results showed that while there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the sound and silent groups in terms of simple pronunciation, the average grip strength of the sound group was higher than that of the silent group. This may be related to the fact that most test subjects were beginners in the Six Character Formula and the evaluation method (muscle strength) was more closely related to the exertion state of making sounds (as making sounds requires muscle engagement). Further research is needed on this.
05
On the Coordination of Guiding Movements in the Six Character Formula
Before the Ming Dynasty, there were no records of movements being coordinated with the Six Character Formula, which was primarily a simple breathing method. After the Ming Dynasty, there began to be materials regarding the coordination of movements. For example, in Gao Lian’s “Annotations of the Eight Notes of Life” and Hu Wenhui’s “Essential Techniques for Cultivation”, the “Six Character Method for Preventing Illness and Extending Life” specifies that when exhaling through the mouth and inhaling through the nose, movements should be coordinated: “When the liver is whispered, the eyes are opened wide; when the lung knows to exhale, both hands are raised; when the heart exhales, the hands are crossed above the head; when the kidney blows, it embraces the knees; when the spleen is called, the mouth must be pursed; when the three burners are troubled by heat, lie down and laugh peacefully.” Among them, the “whisper character” corresponds to the movement of the eyes, the “call character” corresponds to the mouth shape, and the other characters are also simply described as fixed movements. Additionally, in various fitness techniques from different periods such as the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, there are records of using the Six Character Formula as auxiliary practices, such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade, Yijinjing, Emei Zhuang, Xingyi Quan, Baguazhang, and Dayan Gong, but none have formed an independent guiding method for the Six Character Formula; rather, they are various characteristic applications of the Six Character Formula, which are not entirely the same as the original static practice of the Six Character Formula, and in martial arts, they have largely transformed into vocal practices that assist in energy cultivation.
Through the study of literature and various practical experiences, the research group has established the design principles for the movements of the “Fitness Qigong: Six Character Formula”:
(1) The movements should conform to the adjustment rules and rhythms of the qi mechanism of the Six Character breathing method, being simple and clear, effectively assisting the breathing, rather than being a simple addition of guiding movements and breathing.
(2) The new method should primarily focus on fitness, and the coordination of movements should also differ from clinical treatment, achieving a smooth and flowing nature, combining nurturing and practice.
(3) The characteristics of the movements for each character should align with the qi transformation characteristics of the corresponding organs, such as the liver’s upward movement and the kidney’s storage. Guided by these principles, the research group has drawn on various strengths and innovated based on inheritance, creating auxiliary guiding movements for the “Fitness Qigong: Six Character Formula”.
At the same time, through experiments observing the impact of different states of the character “call” on the average muscle strength of practitioners, the relationship between guiding movements and breathing was explored. From the experimental results, although there was no significant difference between the movement group and the non-movement group, the average muscle strength of the movement group was greater than that of the non-movement group. This indicates that the combination of breathing and movement yields better results, and the two have a complementary effect.
06
On the Breathing Method in the Six Character Formula
Traditional literature on the Six Character Formula mainly focuses on “inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth”, with discussions on whether to make sounds during exhalation or not, but does not provide specific details on the breathing method. Based on the basic principles of qigong health maintenance and the requirements for deep, long, and gentle breathing in the Six Character Formula, it should be “abdominal breathing”.
In “Fitness Qigong: Six Character Formula”, the reverse abdominal breathing method is mainly used, combined with a gentle opening and closing movement centered around the navel. The opening and closing of the movements correspond to the opening and closing of the internal qi, further balancing the internal qi of the body, making the “Fitness Qigong: Six Character Formula” more characteristic of health maintenance.
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