The Secret Treatise of the Spiritual Orchid

This book is a perfect introduction to the zangfu, their spheres of influence and their responsibilities as set out in The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, the Neijing Suwen chapter 8.

Suwen chapter 8 is a text of simplicity, clarity, and deceptive brevity which hides a wealth of powerful images and concepts. It draws an analogy between a Confucian-style court hierarchy in which the heart is emperor, the lung is prime minister and each official or zangfu has its own range of activities, functions and interactions.

An appendix gives the Chinese text and a translation of the chapter. There is also an index of all main concepts.