未弱冠为童。过三十为壮。夫寿夭贫富天也。去就邪正人也。共叔段以母偏爱。而失身于不法。
孟母三迁。而孟子终为亚圣。今夫少者甜处着嘴。稳处着脚。不趋过庭之训。复厌舞雩之风。谗师
佞友。左右瞰亡。萧墙夹壁。沽酒市脯。困极告医。惟务速效。怨天尤人。莫知反躬。孟子曰。学
问之道无他。收其放心而已。心神守舍。则饥渴寒温之外。自不多事也。孔子曰。人之少也。血气
未定。戒之在色。古法以男三十而婚。女二十而嫁。又当观其血色强弱。而抑扬之。察其禀性淳漓。
而权变之。则无旷夫怨女之瘵也。孔子曰。及其壮也。血气方刚。戒之在斗。夫斗者非特斗狠。相
持为斗。胸中才有胜心。即自伤和。学未明而傲。养未成而骄。志不行则郁而病矣。自暴自弃。言
不及义而狂矣。孟子曰。由仁义行。非行仁义也。如欲行仁义以求安乐者。吾见其为不安乐也。此
少壮摄养之道。弃此大道。而别求傍蹊曲径。以资分外者。必致废事荡家。而怪诞无耻也。大抵
血气盛壮之时。难以制抑。凡事当先知心。是吾之灵明。主人一切好欲。欺侮凌夺肆恣。皆是血气
所使。倘犯刑名灾害。明是主人自取苦辱也。常作此想者。自然渐成。古今修性养命之术。恐名利
之士难行。并不抄入。凡除夏日之外。五日一沐。十日一浴。若频浴则外觉调畅。而内实散气泄真也。
年二十者。必不得已。则五日一施泄。三十者十日一施泄。四十者一月一施泄。其人弱者。更宜慎之。
毋恣生药。以贻父母之忧。而自取枉夭之祸。能保始终者。却疾延年。老当益壮。名曰陆地行仙。
虽有贫富之异。而荣卫冲融。四时若春。比之抱病而富且贵。则已霄壤之间矣。况能进进不已。则
非常人所可知也。但于名利场中。得失任命。知止知足。则渐入道乡也。道者非特寂寂枯槁之谓也。
如所谓素富贵。则行此道于富贵。素贫贱。则行此道于贫贱尔。关尹子曰。圆尔道。方尔德。平尔行。
锐尔事。孔子曰。志于道。据于德。根据于仁。游于艺。故内外三圣之言。未尝不契。盖艺为应世之术。
故曰锐利乃事。仁为泛爱之常。故曰平尔行。德方则不移。而有所得于心。有
所据于事。道圆则通而不执。故无所不容。而德行广大。志无不在也。何尝尽废诸事。然后谓之摄养哉。
特消息否泰而行之藏之。量其才能而负之荷之。以不流于物。故谓之摄。以安其分。故谓之养。
抱朴子云。若才不逮而强思。力不胜而强举。深忧重恚。悲哀憔悴。喜乐过度。汲汲所欲。戚戚所患。
谈笑不节。兴寝失时。挽弓引弩。沉醉呕吐。饱食即卧。跳走喘乏。 呼哭泣。皆为过伤。此古人所
戒之文。况夫风前月下。竹径花边。俯仰伤怀。杯余疏散。进退失度。或冲烟冒瘴以求荣。呼吸杂邪。
停留宠辱。饮食共味。荏苒暴患。各有治条。当斯之时。即回光返照。少驻元神。以行药力。毋复
纵聪明以凌烁粗工。而自取多事也。呜呼。三皇大圣。日总万机。而又能拳拳于天下民瘼。下礼折节
于方外士。而讲道论医以广其传。今之学人一身未知所以自治。而以人治之。则孰为多乎。而况又
欲为治人者。难矣哉。余尝作返朴论。其辞有云。倏与忽欲报混沌之德。而相与谋曰。人皆有七窍。
以为食息。而混沌独无。尝试凿一窍。七日而混沌死。有客对余曰。吾有术以起混沌之死。但一年
修一窍。七年而混沌复生。余曰。固哉之学也。何以为夸尚乎。吾能以一息回混沌之生。而息息与之
俱生。故视斯明。听斯聪。言斯辩。而余未尝以有视听与言。而人亦未尝以余为聪明与辩。固不补
其凿而混沌自全。夫是之谓聪明与辩。高明之士。能于此处具眼。则养生必有主也。不摄之方。并
类其次。
未满二十岁称为童。超过三十岁称为壮。寿命长短、贫穷富贵是天定的。去留邪正取决于人自己。共叔段因为母亲偏爱，而在行为上不合法度而失身。
孟母三次搬家，孟子最终成为仅次于孔子的亚圣。现在年轻人贪图享乐，安于现状，不遵循父亲在庭院中的教诲，又厌恶曾点那种从容自得的风度。亲近奸佞的老师和谄媚的朋友，身边都是窥探过失的人，家中墙壁夹缝间充满诱惑，市井中卖酒卖肉的地方也是放纵之所。困顿至极才去求医，只追求快速见效，抱怨天意责怪他人，不知道反躬自省。孟子说：学问的道理没有别的，只是收回那放逸的心罢了。心神守持本位，那么在饥渴寒温之外，自然就不会多生事端了。孔子说：人年少时，血气尚未稳定，要戒除对女色的贪恋。古法规定男子三十岁结婚，女子二十岁嫁人。还应当观察其血色强弱，从而加以抑制或鼓励；考察其禀性淳朴或浮薄，从而权衡变通。这样就没有大龄未婚男女因积郁成疾而患病的情况了。
孔子说：等到他壮年时，血气正刚强，要戒除争斗。所谓争斗，不仅仅是斗狠，相互僵持也叫斗。胸中只要有争胜之心，就会自我伤害和谐之气。学业未明就骄傲，修养未成就骄纵，志向不能施行就会抑郁而生病。自暴自弃，言语不涉及道义就会狂妄。孟子说：由仁义而行，不是刻意去行仁义。如果想要通过行仁义来求得安乐，我看他反而不会安乐。这是少壮时期摄生养性的道理。抛弃这个大道理，而去寻求旁门左道，以谋求分外之利，必定导致荒废事业、荡尽家产，做出怪诞无耻的事情。
大体上，在血气盛壮的时候，难以控制抑制。凡事应当先明白心，这是我们的灵明所在，是主人。一切好欲、欺侮、凌夺、肆意妄为，都是血气所驱使。如果触犯刑律遭受灾害，分明是主人自己招致的苦辱。常作这样的想法，自然逐渐养成习惯。古今修身养命的技术，恐怕名利之士难以实行，所以也不抄录进来。除了夏天以外，每五天洗一次头，每十天洗一次澡。如果频繁洗澡，外表觉得调畅舒适，但内部实际上会散气泄真。
二十岁的人，如果不得已，则每五天一次性生活泄精一次；三十岁的人，每十天一次；四十岁的人，每月一次。身体虚弱的人，更应该谨慎。不要恣意服用补药，以免给父母带来忧愁，而自己招致枉死夭折的祸患。能够保全始终的，可以远离疾病延长寿命，年老时更加强壮，这叫做陆地上的仙人。虽然贫富有差异，但荣卫之气冲和融贯，四季都像春天一样美好。比起抱病而富且贵的人，已经是天壤之别了。何况如果能不断进步不停止，那就不是常人所能知晓的了。只要在名利场中，得失听任命运安排，知道停止和满足，就能逐渐进入道的境界。道不仅仅是寂静枯槁的意思。就像所说的，本来富贵，就在富贵中践行这个道；本来贫贱，就在贫贱中践行这个道罢了。
关尹子说：让你的道圆满，让你的德方正，让你的行为平和，让你的事务锐利。孔子说：立志于道，依据于德，根据于仁，游憩于艺。所以内圣外王的言论，从来没有不相契合的。大概艺是用来应对世俗的技术，所以说事务要锐利；仁是普遍关爱的常态，所以说行为要平和；德方正所以不移，内心有所得，做事有所依据；道圆融所以通达而不执着，所以无所不容，而德行广大，志向无处不在。何曾完全废弃各种事务，然后才叫作摄生养性呢？只是顺应否泰的变化而行之藏之，衡量自己的才能而承担它，因为不被外物所流俗，所以叫作“摄”；因为安守本分，所以叫作“养”。
抱朴子说：如果才能不足却强行思考，力量不够却强行举重，深深的忧虑和重大的愤怒，悲哀憔悴，喜乐过度，急切地追求欲望，忧愁地担忧祸患，谈笑没有节制，起居失去时辰，拉弓引弩，沉醉呕吐，饱食后立即躺下，奔跑跳跃气喘乏力，大声哭喊，都算是过度损伤。这是古人所警戒的文字。更何况在风前月下，竹径花边，俯仰之间感伤情怀，酒杯余沥后疏散无度，进退失去法度，或者冒着烟雾瘴气以求荣耀，呼吸夹杂邪气，停留于宠辱之中，饮食混杂味道，渐渐遭受暴病，各有治疗条目。在这个时候，就要回光返照，稍微停驻元神，以发挥药效，不要再放纵聪明去欺凌轻视粗劣的医生，从而自己招致多事。
唉！三皇大圣，每天总揽万机，又能恳切地关心天下百姓的疾苦，向下以礼折节对待方外的士人，讲论道术医学以广泛流传。现在的学人，自身还不知道如何自治，却用别人来治理自己，那么谁更多呢？更何况又想成为治理别人的人，太难了啊。我曾经写过《返朴论》，文中说：倏与忽想要报答混沌的恩德，于是共同谋划说：“人都有七窍，用来吃饭呼吸，唯独混沌没有。试着为他凿开一窍。”七天之后混沌死了。有位客人对我說：“我有办法让混沌复活。只要一年修一窍，七年之后混沌就能复生。”我说：“你的学问太固执了，凭什么夸耀崇尚呢？我能在一次呼吸间让混沌复生，并且每一次呼吸都与他共生。所以看就明亮，听就聪敏，言就善辩，而我未曾因为有视听和言语，别人也未曾认为我聪明善辩。本来就不需要修补他凿开的窍，混沌自然保全。这才叫作聪明与辩。”高明的人士，能在此处具备眼力，那么养生必有主宰了。不摄生的方法，一并归类在次要部分。
Being under twenty years of age is called "Tong" (Child/Youth). Being over thirty years of age is called "Zhuang" (Strong/Prime). Longevity or early death, poverty or wealth are determined by Heaven. Whether one follows the right path or deviates into evil depends on human agency. Gongshu Duan, due to his mother's favoritism, lost his status by acting unlawfully.
Mencius' mother moved three times, and Mencius eventually became the "Second Sage" (Yasheng, 亚圣), second only to Confucius. Nowadays, young people indulge in pleasure and settle for comfort, failing to follow the teachings received in the courtyard from their fathers, and despising the free-spirited demeanor exemplified by Zeng Dian. They associate with treacherous teachers and sycophantic friends, surrounded by those who spy on their faults, while temptations lurk within the walls and at markets selling wine and meat. When driven to desperation, they seek medical help, pursuing only rapid effects, complaining about Heaven and blaming others, without knowing how to reflect upon themselves. Mencius said: "The way of learning has nothing else but to recover the mind that has strayed." If the spirit and mind remain in their proper residence, then apart from hunger, thirst, cold, and warmth, one will naturally not create unnecessary troubles. Confucius said: "In youth, when blood and qi are not yet settled, one should guard against lust." Ancient customs stipulated that men marry at thirty and women marry at twenty. One should also observe the strength or weakness of their blood color to encourage or restrain them accordingly; examine whether their innate constitution is pure or turbid to adjust and adapt accordingly. In this way, there will be no illness caused by the frustration of unmarried men and women.
Confucius said: "In prime of life, when blood and qi are vigorous, one should guard against contention." Contention is not merely fighting aggressively; mutual standoff is also contention. As soon as a competitive heart arises in the chest, one harms one's own harmony. If scholarship is unclear yet one becomes arrogant, if self-cultivation is incomplete yet one becomes proud, and if one's aspirations cannot be realized, depression and illness will ensue. Self-abandonment and speech devoid of righteousness lead to madness. Mencius said: "Act out of benevolence and righteousness, rather than performing benevolence and righteousness artificially." If one seeks peace and joy by artificially performing benevolence and righteousness, I see that such a person will find neither peace nor joy. This is the principle of nurturing oneself during youth and prime. Abandoning this great Dao and seeking crooked paths for extra gain will inevitably lead to ruined careers and squandered families, resulting in bizarre and shameless behavior.
Generally speaking, during the time when blood and qi are abundant and strong, it is difficult to control and suppress. In all matters, one must first understand the Mind, which is our spiritual clarity and the Master. All desires, bullying, usurpation, and reckless actions are driven by blood and qi. If one violates laws and suffers disasters, it is clearly the Master bringing humiliation upon oneself. Constantly entertaining these thoughts will naturally form good habits. The techniques of cultivating nature and preserving life in ancient and modern times are likely difficult for those obsessed with fame and profit to practice, so they are not copied here. Except for summer, wash the head every five days and bathe every ten days. Frequent bathing may make one feel externally refreshed, but internally it actually dissipates qi and leaks true essence.
For a twenty-year-old, if unavoidable, sexual emission should occur once every five days; for a thirty-year-old, once every ten days; for a forty-year-old, once a month. Those with weak constitutions should be even more cautious. Do not recklessly use medicinal herbs, lest you cause worry to your parents and bring upon yourself the disaster of premature death. Those who can preserve themselves from beginning to end can avoid disease and prolong life, becoming stronger in old age, which is called being an immortal on land. Although there are differences in wealth and poverty, if the Ying (Nutritive) and Wei (Defensive) Qi are harmonious and blended, resembling spring throughout the four seasons, this is vastly superior to being rich and noble while suffering from illness. Moreover, if one continues to advance without stopping, it will surpass what ordinary people can comprehend. However, in the arena of fame and profit, accepting gains and losses as fate, knowing when to stop and be content, allows one to gradually enter the realm of the Dao. The Dao does not merely mean silence and withering. It means practicing this Dao while originally rich and noble, and practicing this Dao while originally poor and humble.
Guan Yinzi said: "Make your Dao round, your Virtue square, your conduct level, and your affairs sharp." Confucius said: "Set your heart on the Dao, rely on Virtue, base yourself on Benevolence, and amuse yourself in the Arts." Thus, the words of the Inner and Outer Sages have never failed to correspond. The Arts are techniques for dealing with the world, hence "affairs should be sharp"; Benevolence is the constant of universal love, hence "conduct should be level"; Virtue is square and thus unyielding, providing inner fulfillment and external reliance; the Dao is round and thus flexible without attachment, allowing for universal acceptance, making Virtue and Benevolence vast, with aspirations everywhere. How could one completely abandon all affairs and then call it nurturing? Rather, one should act according to the changes of adversity and prosperity, store them appropriately, measure one's abilities to bear responsibilities, and not be swayed by external things, which is called "She" (Nurturing/Gathering); by remaining secure in one's role, it is called "Yang" (Nourishing).
Baopuzi said: "If talent is insufficient but one forces thinking, if strength is inadequate but one forces lifting, deep worries and heavy resentments, sorrow and emaciation, excessive joy or anger, eagerly pursuing desires, anxiously fearing misfortunes, unregulated laughter and talk, irregular sleep and wake times, drawing bows and crossbows, intoxication and vomiting, lying down immediately after full meals, running and jumping until panting, shouting and crying—all are considered excessive injuries. These are the warnings of the ancients. Furthermore, feeling sentimental under the wind and moon, by bamboo paths and flower edges, losing composure after drinking, lacking propriety in advancement and retreat, braving smoke and miasma for glory, inhaling mixed evils, lingering on favor and disgrace, mixing flavors in diet, and gradually suffering sudden illnesses—each has its treatment principles. At such times, one should turn the light inward, briefly pause the Yuan Shen (Original Spirit), and utilize the power of medicine, rather than indulging cleverness to bully crude doctors and invite trouble. Alas! The Three Sovereigns and Great Sages managed ten thousand affairs daily, yet were earnest about the ailments of the people below, humbling themselves before scholars outside society to discuss Dao and medicine for widespread transmission. Today's learners do not even know how to govern themselves, yet they try to govern others with others. Who is truly greater? And how much harder is it to become a ruler of others! I once wrote 'On Returning to Simplicity,' stating: Shu and Hu wished to repay Hun Dun's kindness and plotted together: 'All humans have seven apertures for eating and breathing, but Hun Dun has none. Let us try carving one.' After seven days, Hun Dun died. A guest told me: 'I have a method to revive Hun Dun. Carve one aperture per year, and after seven years, Hun Dun will live again.' I said: 'Your scholarship is too rigid; why boast? I can revive Hun Dun with a single breath, and with every breath, he lives with me. Thus, seeing makes him bright, hearing makes him clear, speaking makes him eloquent, yet I do not claim brightness, clarity, or eloquence, nor do others perceive me as such. Without patching the carved aperture, Hun Dun remains whole. This is called brightness, clarity, and eloquence.' Wise individuals who possess insight here will surely have a master in health preservation. Methods of non-nurturing are classified as secondary."