Three Dan Tian (丹田)
Three Dan Tian (丹田) is a Daoist / TCM — Three Dan Tian body system as transmitted through the lineage Three centres along the body's midline as systematized in the Neidan (internal alchemy) tradition: lower (xià) / middle (zhōng) / upper (shàng) dan tian. The three-centre scheme is fully developed by the Wei-Jin period (3rd–4th c.) and standardized in Tang–Song Neidan literature.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Wei Boyang (attrib.), Cantong Qi (周易參同契) (Han / Wei period (c. 2nd–3rd c.); Eng. trans. Fabrizio Pregadio, The Seal of the Unity of the Three (Golden Elixir Press, 2011)) — The foundational text of Chinese internal alchemy; sets the cosmological framework within which the dan tian are later articulated.
- Huangting Jing (黃庭經, Yellow Court Classic) (Inner / Outer recensions, c. 4th–5th c.; Eng. trans. (Inner) Stephen Eskildsen and others; partial trans. in Livia Kohn anthologies) — Earliest extensive Daoist text describing the inner-body landscape, including the Yellow Court (huángtíng) zones that prefigure the three dan tian.
- Zhang Boduan, Wuzhen Pian (悟真篇) (1075; Eng. trans. Thomas Cleary, Understanding Reality (Univ. of Hawaii Press, 1987); Pregadio trans., Awakening to Reality (Golden Elixir Press, 2009)) — Song Neidan classic; canonical for the three-treasure / three-dan-tian transformation sequence (jing→qi→shen→emptiness).
- Liu Yiming, Daoshu Shier Zhong (Twelve Books on the Dao) (late 18th c.; partial Eng. trans. Thomas Cleary as Awakening to the Tao (Shambhala, 1988) and other selections) — Late-Qing Neidan synthesis; clear didactic exposition of the dan tian relationships.
- Eva Wong, Cultivating Stillness: A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind (Shambhala, 1992) — Translation of the Taishang Laojun Shuo Chang Qing Jing Jing with extensive commentary; useful contemporary anchor.
- Fabrizio Pregadio, The Encyclopedia of Taoism (Routledge, 2008 (2 vols.)) — Reference work; entries on dāntián and Neidan are the academic baseline.
Known lineage variants
- Some Neidan lineages place the lower dan tian at the navel (qihai region, ~3 cun below umbilicus); others place it slightly lower in the pelvic floor; this Stage 1 follows the qihai placement, coincident with the project's LOWER_DANTIAN landmark.
- The middle dan tian is variously placed at tanzhong (CV17, mid-sternum / between the nipples) or at the heart proper; the tanzhong placement is followed here, coincident with the project's STERNUM_MID landmark.
- The upper dan tian is variously placed at the brow centre (yintang, the third-eye region), at the niwan / ni wan gong (nine-palace region inside the head, sometimes located at the pineal), or at the bai hui (DU20, crown). The yintang placement is the most commonly used in modern Neidan instruction and is followed here.
- Pre-Neidan Daoist texts (Huangting Jing) describe a more elaborate inner-body landscape (Yellow Court, Crimson Palace, Niwan Palace, etc.) that is partially absorbed into the simplified three-dan-tian scheme; not adopted as additional points at this Stage 1.
- The dan tian are used across Daoism, Qi Gong, TCM, and the Japanese hara (especially seika tanden) and Korean dahnjeon traditions; cross-tradition usage is noted but the lineage tracked here is the Chinese Daoist Neidan corpus.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Lower dan tian (下丹田) — Xià dāntián — qihai region
- Middle dan tian (中丹田) — Zhōng dāntián — tanzhong region
- Upper dan tian (上丹田) — Shàng dāntián — yintang / niwan region
Frequently asked
What is Lower dan tian (下丹田)?
Lower dan tian (下丹田) — the storage centre of jing (essence), located in the lower abdomen approximately three cun (a body-relative measure ~ four finger-widths) below the navel, in the region of the CV6 acupoint (qihai, 'sea of qi'). In Neidan it is the foundational reservoir from which the alchemical work begins; the first transformation of internal alchemy is jing → qi, accomplished by gathering scattered essence into this centre. The coordinate corresponds to the project's LOWER_DANTIAN landmark, calibrated against the WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations.
What is Middle dan tian (中丹田)?
Middle dan tian (中丹田) — the storage centre of qi (vital breath), located at the tanzhong region (CV17), at the mid-sternum between the nipples. In Neidan it is the seat of the second transformation, qi → shen: refined qi rising from the lower centre is gathered here and further refined into spirit. The coordinate corresponds to the project's STERNUM_MID landmark.
What is Upper dan tian (上丹田)?
Upper dan tian (上丹田) — the storage centre of shen (spirit), located at the brow centre (yintang region) and extending inward toward the niwan palace within the head. In Neidan it is the seat of the third transformation, shen → emptiness (xū), the final return to the originless state. The coordinate corresponds to the project's THIRD_EYE landmark. Some Daoist lineages place the upper dan tian at the crown (bai hui / DU20) rather than yintang; that variant is recorded in lineage_variants_known.