Wǔ Shén — Five Spirits at the Five Zàng (五神)
Wǔ Shén — Five Spirits at the Five Zàng (五神) is a Chinese / TCM & Daoist — Five-phase psychology body system as transmitted through the lineage The five spirits of Lingshu ch. 8 (Běn shén): shén, hún, pò, yì and zhì housed respectively by Heart, Liver, Lung, Spleen and Kidney, mapped onto the zàng-fu organ projection. The doctrine underpins Chinese medicine's five-phase psychology.. 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
- Huangdi Neijing · Lingshu (transl. Unschuld, California UP 2016) — Ch. 8 (Běn shén) assigns each of the five spirits to its zàng: shén–Heart, hún–Liver, pò–Lung, yì–Spleen, zhì–Kidney.
- N. Wiseman & A. Ellis, Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine (Paradigm 1996) — Standard translations of the five spirits and their faculties.
Known lineage variants
- Some schools add the ten aspects (shí shén) of acupuncture psychology; we render only the canonical five housed spirits.
- Spirit seats are functional projections onto organ positions, not anatomical claims.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Shén 神 — Heart spirit — Housed spirit seat
- Hún 魂 — Liver ethereal soul — Housed spirit seat
- Pò 魄 — Lung corporeal soul — Housed spirit seat
- Yì 意 — Spleen intent — Housed spirit seat
- Zhì 志 — Kidney will — Housed spirit seat
Frequently asked
What is Shén 神 — Heart spirit?
The heart-spirit: consciousness, insight, and the integration of all mental activity. Housed by the Heart zàng; healthy shén shows as bright eyes and clear presence.
What is Hún 魂 — Liver ethereal soul?
The ethereal soul: vision, life-direction, and the dreaming aspect that wanders during sleep. Housed by the Liver zàng, wood-natured, returning to heaven at death in classical doctrine.
What is Pò 魄 — Lung corporeal soul?
The corporeal soul: sensation, instinct, and the bodily intelligence tied to breath. Housed by the Lung zàng, metal-natured, descending with the body at death.
What is Yì 意 — Spleen intent?
Intent / applied thought: concentration, memory-in-study, and the shaping of intention into action. Housed by the Spleen zàng, earth-natured.
What is Zhì 志 — Kidney will?
Will-power: endurance, resolve, and the drive that carries intent to completion. Housed by the Kidney zàng, water-natured, rooted in jīng. Rendered at the lower-abdominal kidney-qì field rather than the retroperitoneal organs themselves.