The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality
The tripod (ding 鼎) and the nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) are significant in ancient China, appearing often in Daoist alchemy. However, they have been largely ignored by the scholarship on Daoism. Early Daoist alchemy saw the tripod and the nine tripods as critical elements in the production of immortal...
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| Published in: | Religions |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View article (DOI: 10.3390/rel13090867) |
| _version_ | 1877637432253349888 |
|---|---|
| author | Fan, Zhen |
| author_autocomplete | Fan, Zhen |
| author_browse | Fan, Zhen |
| author_facet | Fan, Zhen Fan, Zhen |
| author_sort | Fan, Zhen |
| container_issue | 9 |
| container_issue_str | 9 |
| container_title | Religions |
| container_title_str | Religions |
| container_volume | 13 |
| container_volume_str | 13 |
| description | The tripod (ding 鼎) and the nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) are significant in ancient China, appearing often in Daoist alchemy. However, they have been largely ignored by the scholarship on Daoism. Early Daoist alchemy saw the tripod and the nine tripods as critical elements in the production of immortality, but the outer alchemy (waidan 外丹) gave up refining the outer elixir by tripod due to technical reasons. The tripod was merely mentioned in the elaboration of outer alchemy. Later, in the Southern Song dynasty, inner alchemy (neidan 內丹) rebuilt the significance of the tripod and the nine tripods in inner refining, inventing new theories, such as the body-tripod metaphor, the nine orbits, and the lunar phases. This paper outlines the history of the (nine) tripods as a concept and implement in Daoist alchemy. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.3390/rel13090867 |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-29T04:00:29Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
| genre_facet | Articles |
| id | zotero-NQ6CVYMH |
| institution | zotero_group |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-29T04:00:29Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-29T04:00:29Z |
| physical | 867 |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| record_format | zotero |
| spelling | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality The tripod (ding 鼎) and the nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) are significant in ancient China, appearing often in Daoist alchemy. However, they have been largely ignored by the scholarship on Daoism. Early Daoist alchemy saw the tripod and the nine tripods as critical elements in the production of immortality, but the outer alchemy (waidan 外丹) gave up refining the outer elixir by tripod due to technical reasons. The tripod was merely mentioned in the elaboration of outer alchemy. Later, in the Southern Song dynasty, inner alchemy (neidan 內丹) rebuilt the significance of the tripod and the nine tripods in inner refining, inventing new theories, such as the body-tripod metaphor, the nine orbits, and the lunar phases. This paper outlines the history of the (nine) tripods as a concept and implement in Daoist alchemy. Religions Articles 2022 Bai Yuchan 白玉蟾 Daoist alchemy Jinye huandan yinzheng tu 金液還丹印證圖 inner alchemy nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) tripod (ding 鼎) Fan, Zhen |
| spellingShingle | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality Fan, Zhen Bai Yuchan 白玉蟾 Daoist alchemy Jinye huandan yinzheng tu 金液還丹印證圖 inner alchemy nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) tripod (ding 鼎) |
| title | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality |
| title_autocomplete | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality |
| title_full | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality |
| title_fullStr | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality |
| title_short | The Tripods in Daoist Alchemy: Uncovering a Material Source of Immortality |
| title_sort | the tripods in daoist alchemy: uncovering a material source of immortality |
| topic | Bai Yuchan 白玉蟾 Daoist alchemy Jinye huandan yinzheng tu 金液還丹印證圖 inner alchemy nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) tripod (ding 鼎) |
| topic_autocomplete | Bai Yuchan 白玉蟾 Daoist alchemy Jinye huandan yinzheng tu 金液還丹印證圖 inner alchemy nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) tripod (ding 鼎) |
| topic_facet | Bai Yuchan 白玉蟾 Daoist alchemy Jinye huandan yinzheng tu 金液還丹印證圖 inner alchemy nine tripods (jiuding 九鼎) tripod (ding 鼎) |