Glossary

The Six Healing Sounds, also known as Transcendental Whistling, are a set of sounds corresponding to the six channel groups. They are:

• 噓 Xu or Hsu, pronounced 'Shhh' - 'deep sigh' or 'hiss'. It regulates the Liver Qi and brightens the eyes. It is a gentle expulsion of breath, with the mouth wide open and the air is released from the bottom of the lungs. When placing a hand in front of the mouth, one gets a feeling of lukewarm air.
• 呵 He or Ha, pronounced like 'her' or 'haw' - 'yawn' or 'laughing sound'. It supplements the Heart Qi and clears Heat. It is a strong breath with an open mouth that is accompanied by a guttural rasping through tightening of the throat at the base of the tongue.
• 呼 Hu, pronounced 'Hoo' - 'to sigh,' 'to exhale,' or 'to call'. It tonifies Spleen Qi and eliminates Dampness causing distension of the belly. It is a blowing out of breath with rounded lips.
• 嘶 Si, pronounced 'Sss' - 'to rest'. It supplements the Lung Qi to eliminate fatigue and problems relating to the skin. It is a gentle, relaxed exhalation that lets the breath escape between slightly opened lips.
• 吹 Chui, pronounced 'Chway' - 'to blow out,' 'to blast,' or 'to puff'. It supplements the Kidney Qi and eliminates Cold. It is a sharp expulsion of air, with lips almost closed and the mouth barely open. It is a puffing out of air that creates the feeling of a cold draft.
• 嘻 Xi, pronounced 'Shee' - 'mirthful'. It regulates the San Jiao Qi (or occasionally Gall Bladder) and expels Wind Pathogens. It is a soft exhalation with the mouth slightly open that comes deep from within the body.

History

The earliest origins of the Six Healing Sounds are unknown but Carson (2015: 75) speculates that these may have been the names of internal divinities to be invoked for healing. This is based on a line of Sun Si-Miao that says Xu is the name of a god that lives in the Heart, and another line of the Illustrated Yellow Court Inner Scripture on Tonifying and Dispersing (黄庭内景五臟â„•腑補瀉圖) that categorically denies these are god names, suggesting there were people who thought they were. The medieval Great Clarity Scripture of Healing Exercises and Nourishing Life (太清導引養生經), attributes them to the semi-legendary immortal Ning Xiansheng (寧先生) during the reign of the Yellow Emperor.

Whatever their pre-historical origins, the earliest textual reference is in Tao Hongjing's Extracts on Nourishing Spiritual Nature and Prolonging Bodily Life (養性延命錄) but without an internal basis for their attribution to the organs. Shi, Wang & Wang (2020) claim Tao Hongjing ascribed them to their Zangfu based simply on observation but it is possible that Tao still had the accepted Zangfu attributions in mind, but worked through various Five Phase relationships and Zangfu functions to achieve their effects:

"Qi circulation can be promoted by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, which should be kept slightly closed and the breath prolonged gradually. This is called Chang Xi, which contains only one way for inhalation but six for exhalation, namely Chui, Hu, Xi, He, Xu and Si ...

• Those with Heart disease should practice Chui and Hu, to drive away Cold and Heat [using Water to control Fire and Earth to control Water, thus regulating the Fire-Water Shaoyin Axis].
• Those with Lung disease should practice Xu to relieve swelling [using the Liver to regulate Qi and move congealed fluids, or in Five Phases, strengthening Wood against the Excess in Metal which is suppressing Wood's ability control Earth leading to Dampness that subsequently overflows into its Child, the Lung].
• Those who have Spleen trouble should practice Xi, to eliminate stress [using Ministerial Fire as Child of Wood to drain the Excess from the Liver which is over-controlling Earth, while also Strengthening the Spleen as the Mother of Earth].
• As for those who suffer from a Liver disease, He will help to cure it [using Sovereign Fire as Child of Wood to drain the Liver].

- Tao Hongjing, (456 - 536 C.E.), Journal of Nurturing the Mind and Prolonging the Life (Yangxing Yanming Lu). Translated by Shi, Wang & Wang (2020). Comments are my own.

The standard attributions of the sounds to the Zangfu were first stated explicitly by Zhiyi (Sui Dynasty, 581-618):

Inner visualization or insight meditation can be performed using six Qi. These six breathing sounds are made through the lips and mouth. When practising, one should think about the need and adapt it to treatment; at the same time, make a gentle and slight breath. As recorded:

• The He sound is used for Heart problems,
• The Chui sound for Kidney problems
• The Hu sound for Spleen problems
• The Si sound for Lung problems
• The Xu sound for Liver Heat
• And the Xi sound for San Jiao disorders."

- Zhiyi (Sui Dynasty), The Essentials for Practising Samatha and Vipassana (Xiuxi Zhiguan Zuochan Fayao). Translated by Shi, Wang & Wang (2020).

However, in his second work, he presented a different attribution of the Zangfu, which appears to be using the Five Phase relationships of Tao Hongjing for specific disorders.

The method of curing diseases using Qi, including Chui, Hu, Xi, He, Xu, and Si, mainly depends on changes in the positions of the lips, teeth, and tongue to make different sounds. During the practice, one must straighten the body, keep calm and relax, then slowly and quietly make the corresponding sound. At the same time, imagine that you are spitting out the pathogenic Qi from the organs through intoning the corresponding sound.

• If Heat, you should use the Hu sound [using Earth to drain Fire].
• If joints of the body hurt, you should use the Xi sound, which can also treat pathogenic Wind [the San Jiao, as the only Fu organ, represents the meridian system as a whole and its sound, a cross between the sounds of the Liver and Lungs, suggests it can regulate Wei Qi and expel Xie Qi that are causing Bi-Obstruction in the Sinews and Channels].
• If suffering from dysphoria and flatulence, you should use the He sound [using the Fire sound to strengthen itself, and also its Child, Earth].
• If resolving phlegm and retained fluid, you should use the Xu sound [using Wood to regulate the Liver and improve the flow of Qi so the water can move again, see the explanation of Tao Hongjing above].
• If addressing fatigue, you should use the Si sound [using Metal to drain Excess Dampness from Earth].

The five viscera diseases treated by the six Qi produced by the six sounds are, respectively

• He for Liver [using Fire to drain Wood]
• Hu and Chui for Heart [using Earth to drain Fire, and also Water to control Fire]
• Xu for Lungs [using Wood to regulate Qi]
• Xi for Kidney [using Wood to drain Water]
• Si for Spleen [using Metal to drain Earth].

In addition, the six Qi can cure the disease of the same viscus. That is:

• Chui for Cold [by raising Kidney Yang]
• Hu for Hot [using Earth to drain Fire]
• Xi for pain [see above entry on the San Jiao for pain]
• He for dysphoria [nourishing the Heart with its own sound]
• Xu for phlegm [by regulating Qi and restoring fluid movement]
• Si for tiredness [using Metal to revitalise the Lungs and Qi and also using Metal to drain Dampness from the Earth

- Zhiyi (Sui Dynasty), The Great Samatha and Vipassana (Mohe Zhiguan). Translated by Shi, Wang & Wang (2020). Comments are my own.

During the Tang Dynasty Sun Si-Miao commented on them further:

• "In Spring, breathe Xu for clear eyes and so Wood can aid your Liver.
• In summer, reach for He, so that Heart and Fire can be at peace.
• In fall, breathe Si to stabilize and gather Metal, keeping the Lungs moist.
• For the Kidneys, next, breathe Chui and see your inner Water calm.
• The Triple Heater needs your Xi to expel all Heat and troubles.
• In all four seasons take long breaths, so Spleen can process food.

And, of course, avoid exhaling noisily, not letting even your ears hear it. The practice is most excellent and will help preserve your Divine Elixir."
- Master Sun Simiao (581-682 CE), Ten Books on Cultivating Perfection. Translated by Livia Kohn, (2008), "Chinese Healing Exercises," p. 135.

The current attributions were finally formalised by Hu Yin, also in the Tang Dynasty that also developed Daoyin exercises to accompany the sounds, which became the basis of the Qigong exercises popular today.

Contemporary Usage

The main way of using these today is with the set of Qigong exercises associated with them. They are usually recited internally, silently, using a long breath and flat vowel sound, with the exception of the Kidney sound that is sometimes expressed like its meaning, as a forceful "blowing" exhalation.

Some Other Suggestions

The classical usage as a form of meditative chanting can still be employed therapeutically. The healing sounds can be used both to simply boost their own element, and also through their Five Phase, Six Division and Zangfu relationships or functions as mentioned by the classical sources. Ideally this should be kept simple, using a single sound that will achieve multiple results by reinforcing one element's function, or expelling its associated Pathogen such as:

• The use of Xi (the San Jiao / Fire) to both drain the Liver / Wood and nourish the Spleen / Earth via the Sheng-Generative cycle, to alleviate stress
• The use of Xu to protect Wood / the Liver's Qi regulating functions from an Excess in the Metal / the Lung via the Ko-Controlling cycle, while also reinforcing Wood's control over Earth and so reducing the Dampness that gives rise to swellings and Phlegm which are passed onto Earth's child, Metal / the Lung
• The short, rapid use of Chui to raise the "Martial Fire" (Wu Huo 武火), to "Advance the Yang Fire" (Jin Yang Huo, 進陽火) along the Du Mai, followed by a slower, smoother "Civil Fire" (文火 Wen Huo) breathing with a longer Chui sound, to "Withdraw the Yin Talisman" (Tui Yin Fu, 退陰符) along the Ren Mai during the Microcosmic Orbit Neidan exercise (Pregradio, 2022).

  This has some parallels to Bhastrika "Fire Breathing" methods in Yoga, used to initiate practice.

• The use of Chui during early labour, described as "Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling" (Healthwise Staff, 2022). In Chinese medicine the final months are governed by the Kidneys and Bladder.

A more complex method could be to use their two or more sounds to make a sequence or combination sounds to form a mantra. We can already see this in the use of Xi which combines the sounds of Wood (Xu) and the Lung (Si) and creates a sound that uniquely corresponds to the San Jiao, the only Fu Organ, and an unusual one at that, said to have "function but no form" and often represents the meridian system and its collaterals as a whole. The Lungs and Liver are Organs most associated with Wei Qi, and hence Xi has the power to expel Wind, clear Heat and alleviate Painful Obstruction (Bi Syndrome). From this we can postulate some potential further combinations:

• To connect the Heart and Kidneys, combine Ha and Chui, to make a Haaa--Ouuayy sound.
  Incidentally, this is strikingly similar to the Greek Gnostic chant of α-ω Alpha-Omega, the Beginning and End, represented by the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. It sometimes has ι Iota, the middle letter of the alphabet, added in the middle or beginning to represent the here and now, to mean the "All in One," which would equate to adding the sound of Xi to invoke the San Jiao as the connecting pathway between the Heart and Kidneys, Water and Fire.
• During labour contractions a "pant-pant-blow" method is advised, sounding like "hee-hee-hooooo" (Healthwise Staff, 2022). Despite sounding superficially like the Heart and Spleen, it is actually using the San Jiao sound (Xi, the Heart sound is a flatter He like in "Her") with the Kidney sound of blowing. This combination will regulate movement in the Lower Jiao and expel Pathogens entering the uterus at the time this is open and vulnerable, while also assisting connection between the Heart and Kidneys to calm the Shen and start developing an emotional connection to the newborn.

Other sounds or chants can be devised and calculated, combining sounds or used in a sequence to represent an entire treatment protocol. Emphasis placed on specific syllables can also be used to emphasise the relative importance of the principles.

References:

Carson, P. E. (2015). Liminality, Embodiment and the Six Healing Sounds of Qigong. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-9566

Healthwise Staff (2022). Breathing Techniques for Childbirth. Retrieved from https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=tn7421&lang=en-ca.

Kohn, L. (2008), Chinese Healing Exercises: The Tradition of Daoyin. University of Hawaii Press.

Pregradio, F. (2022). Time in Chinese Alchemy. Routledge Handbook of Chinese Medicine. Routledge. https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203740262-34.

Shi, J., Wang R-J., & Wang, F-Y., (2020). Mind-body Health Technique Liu Zi Jue: Its Creation, Transition and Formalization. SAGE Open April-June 2020: 1–14. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2158244020927024

Tsao, J. (2006). Qigong Chi Kung: Six Healing Sounds. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFqotaIc3Dw.