Dān fáng xū zhī 丹房須知
What Must Be Known about the Elixir Chamber
by 吳悞 (Wú Wù) — Southern-Sòng Daoist alchemist
A Southern-Sòng practical manual of alchemical laboratory practice — the single most technical text on wài dān equipment in the Dào zàng. Covers siting, construction, and layout of the elixir chamber (dān fáng 丹房); types of furnaces (lú 爐), crucibles (dǐng 鼎), and vessels; ingredients and their preparation; firing schedules. Extensively illustrated. Dated by its preface of 1163. Preserved as DZ 900 / CT 900 (Dòngshén bù, Zhòng shù lèi 洞神部眾術類).
Dating. 1163 (preface). Dynasty: 南宋.
Translations and research
- Sivin, Nathan. Chinese Alchemy: Preliminary Studies. Harvard UP, 1968. Discussions of alchemical laboratory practice.
- Pregadio, Fabrizio. The Encyclopedia of Taoism, s.v. Dānfáng xūzhī.