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Module 1   Lesson 9   Wu Shen, extra

The five spirits

Where is the spirit housed in TCM, and how can an emotion injure an organ?

Extra lesson, after Ling Shu 8 and Maciocia. After this lesson you can link each spirit to its organ and substance, and you can read how deficiency, excess and emotion affect a spirit.

all five together Heart Shen 神 Spleen Yi 意 Lungs Po 魄 Kidneys Zhi 志 Liver Hun 魂
Shen with the Heart, Hun with the Liver, Po with the Lungs, Yi with the Spleen, Zhi with the Kidneys (Maciocia ch. 5, the spiritual aspects, p. 100). Schematic.

Know by heart

  • Five spirits, five organs. Shen Heart, Hun Liver, Po Lungs, Yi Spleen, Zhi Kidneys. mnemonic: the Heart thinks, the Liver dreams, the Lungs breathe, the Spleen ponders, the Kidneys will.
  • Where they reside (Ling Shu 8). Shen in the vessels, anchored by Blood; Hun in the Blood; Po in the Qi; Yi in the nutritive substance; Zhi in the Jing. mnemonic: each organ stores something, and its spirit lives in it.
  • Shen, narrow and broad. Narrow: the Mind of the Heart (Mind). Broad: all five together (Spirit).
  • Hun and Po. Hun light, Yang, follows the Shen, to heaven; Po heavy, Yin, follows the Jing, to the earth. mnemonic: Hun heads for heaven; Po stays with the physical body.
  • Empty and full (Ling Shu 8). Liver empty fear, full anger; Heart empty sadness, full laughter that will not stop.
  • The chain of thinking. xin, yi, zhi, si, lü, zhi: heart, intention, ambition, reflection, deliberation, insight. mnemonic: the heart intends, aims, reflects, deliberates and finally sees.
  • Season of decline. The season of the Element that controls the organ: Heart winter, Spleen spring, Liver autumn, Lungs summer, Kidneys late summer.

The rest of this lesson is reference.

The five spirits (extra): Where is the spirit housed in TCM, and how can an emotion injure an organ?
The chart as an image, to save or share

Three practice questions from this lesson

Which spirit belongs to the Liver?
  1. Po
  2. Shen
  3. Hun

Answer: Hun. The Hun, the Ethereal Soul, resides in the Blood that the Liver stores. The Po belongs to the Lungs, the Shen to the Heart.

Which spirit belongs to the Lungs?
  1. Yi
  2. Shen
  3. Po

Answer: Po. The Po, the Corporeal Soul, resides in the Qi of the Lungs; the breath anchors it.

Where does the Zhi reside?
  1. in the Jing
  2. in the vessels
  3. in the Blood

Answer: in the Jing. The Kidneys store the Jing, and the Jing houses the Zhi (Ling Shu 8).

The rest of this lesson

In the course you get the step-by-step explanation, 14 case-based practice questions, 14 spaced-repetition flashcards, the pitfalls and the bridge to physiology with evidence grades. This lesson belongs to module 1: Foundations.

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