Seven Losses and Eight Benefits and Taboos in Sexual Intercourse: Ancient Rules of Sexual Health
"Seven Losses and Eight Benefits" and Taboos in Sexual Intercourse
The term "seven losses and eight benefits" originates from the bamboo slips *Yang Sheng Fang: Tian Xia Zhi Dao Tan* unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb. The original text reads: "Qi has eight benefits and seven losses. If one cannot use the eight benefits to eliminate the seven losses, then at forty, one's Yin Qi will be halved; at fifty, one's daily activities will decline; at sixty, one's hearing and vision will become dull; at seventy, one's lower body will wither and one's upper body will become weak. Yin Qi will be unused, and tears will flow." Thus, the "seven losses" refer to seven sexual behaviors that are detrimental to health, while the "eight benefits" refer to eight sexual practices that are beneficial. Ignorance of the "seven losses and eight benefits" can lead to premature aging. Therefore, the *Su Wen: Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun* states: "If one knows the seven losses and eight benefits, then the two can be harmonized; if one does not know how to use them, then premature aging will occur."
What are the seven losses?
"Seven losses: First, closure; second, leakage; third, seepage; fourth, inaction; fifth, annoyance; sixth, severance; seventh, waste."
"Closed: 'If it causes illness and pain, it is called internal closure.' This means that men and women with illnesses should not have sexual intercourse; if this is not observed, it will harm the five internal organs."
The term "泄" (xiè) means "to indulge in sexual activity without restraint, which leads to the depletion of one's essence and blood."
"Do not": "To desire but not be able to say: Do not." This means that impotence prevents one from engaging in sexual intercourse, and doing so would render one useless.
"Anxiety: It is said that one should not engage in sexual activity if one is suffering from shortness of breath or mental distress, otherwise it will cause more thirst and aggravate the condition."
"Excuse me!" means that if one spouse does not wish to have intercourse but the other forces them to, it can cause mental depression and lead to internal organ diseases, thus affecting fertility.
Fei: "Too hasty is called: Fei." This means that during intercourse, instead of calming the mind and regulating the breath, one rushes to ejaculate, which is an act that dissipates vital energy.
While clarifying the content of the "seven losses," it is necessary to understand the practice of the "eight benefits" to make sexual life more harmonious and fulfilling.
What are the Eight Benefits?
"Rise and sit up, straighten your spine, open your anus, and breathe 30 times, so that the breath can descend to the dantian. This is called governing the qi."
"When eating, do not practice breathing exercises. Instead, relax your lower back and tailbone area, allowing the Qi that flows from the Dantian (lower abdomen) to circulate throughout the body. This is called 'Zhi Mo'."
"First play and enjoy each other's company, and if the woman desires it, this is called wise timing." This means that before sexual intercourse, men and women should first play and enjoy each other's company to achieve harmony and mutual attraction. If the man is eager but the woman does not respond, or the woman moves but the man does not comply, then both parties will suffer harm. Therefore, it is important to know the right time to have sex. This is called wise timing.
"Concentrate your energy before intercourse, focusing your energy on the genitals, so that the force is strong but the movement is slow and gentle." This is called "concentrating energy."
"When engaging in intercourse, the man should not be rough, but rather gentle and compliant; this is called 'harmony'."
"When you get out of bed, have someone get up and leave while you are still able to get an erection; this is called 'accumulated qi'." This means that you should not indulge in sexual intercourse and should get up promptly. You should leave as soon as your penis is still erect; this is called "accumulated qi".
"When intercourse is about to end, one should gather the Qi and circulate it along the spine without moving. One must gather the essence and guide the Qi downwards, waiting quietly. This is called waiting for the outcome."
"After the yin essence has been released, it should not be allowed to soften before being released. It should be released quickly while the penis can still be erect. This is called 'setting the time'."
The aforementioned "seven losses and eight benefits" refer to the taboos and precautions regarding sexual intercourse, and the eight steps involved in sexual intercourse. Understanding these health preservation methods is beneficial to the physical and mental health of both partners, and even to future generations. Therefore, the *Treatise on Nourishing Life: Talks on the Ultimate Way of the World* states: "To restore youth, there is a way: remove the seven losses to invigorate the body, and use the eight benefits to maintain its vital energy. Therefore, the elderly regain their youth, and the strong do not decline." The "way" mentioned here refers to the method of "removing the seven losses and using the eight benefits."
When people are excited after drinking, they can't control themselves and often do some absurd things. Having sex while drunk is one of the more harmful things to their health.
The *Suwen* (Plain Questions) chapter "On the Primordial Innocence of Antiquity" states: "Taking wine as water, taking recklessness as the norm, entering the bedroom while drunk, thirsting for essence, dissipating one's true energy, not knowing how to maintain fullness, not regulating one's spirit, seeking only to please one's heart, going against the joy of life, and having no regularity in daily life, is why one declines in old age." Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty said: "One should not engage in sexual intercourse while drunk. If one engages in intercourse while drunk and full, at best, one's face will turn dark and one will cough and wheeze; at worst, one will damage the internal organs and even die." Gong Tingxian of the Ming Dynasty stated even more clearly: "Entering the bedroom while heavily drunk depletes one's qi and liver and intestines. For men, this leads to reduced semen and impotence; for women, it leads to weakened menstruation, and the retention of stagnant blood causing malignant sores." He also established the theory of "death by excessive drinking" in *Shou Shi Bao* (Preserving Life for the World), warning, "Entering the bedroom while drunk depletes one's essence, causing one to die without even realizing it." These discussions illustrate that engaging in sexual intercourse while drunk not only depletes one's true essence but also damages the internal organs, causing immense harm.
Joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and fright are the seven human emotions. "Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?" All humans possess these seven emotions, but excessive emotions often damage the Qi and blood, and harm the internal organs. The *Suwen* (Plain Questions) states, "I know that all diseases arise from Qi. Anger causes Qi to rise, joy causes Qi to relax, grief causes Qi to dissipate, fear causes Qi to descend, cold causes Qi to contract, fright causes Qi to become disordered, overexertion causes Qi to be depleted, and thought causes Qi to stagnate." Internal damage from the seven emotions also has a certain impact on sexual activity. Sun Simiao said, "When a person is angry, their Qi and blood are not settled; if they engage in intercourse, it will cause painful boils." He also said, "Extreme joy and extreme anger... should not be combined for Yin and Yang." Gong Tingxian of the Ming Dynasty said, "Exerting oneself in anger leads to depletion of essence and Qi, resulting in painful boils. Engaging in intercourse in fear leads to an imbalance of Yin and Yang, causing spontaneous sweating and night sweats, which accumulate and lead to exhaustion." Joy is related to the mind; extreme joy injures the heart and easily causes the heart's Qi to dissipate. Intercourse at this time prevents the heart's Qi from being contained, resulting in profuse sweating and further depletion of Yin essence. Anger is associated with the liver; excessive anger injures the liver and causes yin energy to move erratically. When the ministerial fire is excessive, intercourse during this time leads to excessive discharge, depleting yin essence and further damaging the liver and kidneys. Fear is associated with the kidneys; intercourse while experiencing fear, or even hearing fearful sounds during intercourse, can cause impotence in men and amenorrhea in women. Excessive thinking is associated with the spleen; prolonged and unresolved thinking leads to internal stagnation of yin essence, and intercourse under these circumstances can cause obstruction of essence and blood. Grief is associated with the lungs; grief prevents the lungs from expanding and dispersing qi, thus hindering the free flow of yin essence and causing impotence and other ailments. Therefore, those with excessive emotions (five emotions) must regulate their mental state and wait until it returns to normal before engaging in intercourse.
Having sex after a full meal not only affects digestion but also the health of future generations. The *Jade Chamber Secrets* states that after a full meal, the digestive energy hasn't circulated properly, leading to yin and yang imbalances, abdominal distension, and cloudy urine. Children conceived after this will likely suffer from epilepsy. The *Three Elements Longevity Counseling Book* says: "Excessive eating and sexual activity damage the body, causing blood and qi to overflow and seep into the large intestine, resulting in bloody stools, abdominal pain, and a condition called intestinal obstruction." Modern medicine believes that after a full meal, blood is concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain's main focus is on directing the secretion of digestive juices. Sexual activity at this time, with its increased physical activity and diversion of brain energy, inevitably disrupts digestion and easily leads to gastrointestinal problems. As for the claim that children conceived after a full meal will suffer from epilepsy, this refers to the couple's own health problems arising from such activity, which, while exaggerated, should not be ignored.
Sexual intercourse should not be undertaken when physically fatigued. Physical fatigue includes both physical and mental exhaustion. "Physical labor injures Qi, while mental labor injures blood." When Qi and blood are not fully recovered, and essence and blood are not abundant, engaging in sexual intercourse at this time is tantamount to self-harm. The *Jade Chamber Secrets* states: "When burdened with heavy loads and one's spirit is not at peace, engaging in sexual intercourse will cause pain in the muscles and waist; if a child is conceived under such circumstances, the child will surely be born prematurely or with disabilities." The *Three Elements Longevity Counseling Book* also says: "Entering into sexual intercourse when exhausted from long journeys is a form of five-fold exhaustion." It further states: "When a man is overworked, his kidney meridian is not functioning properly, his semen becomes clear as water, cold as ice, or ejaculates prematurely, all of which will lead to infertility." If an extremely fatigued person forces themselves to have sexual intercourse, it is not only an act of self-destruction, but the thin semen also makes it impossible to conceive a healthy child. This is a very basic principle, and even for young people full of vigor and vitality, it is a very important precept for sexual health.
During illness and the initial recovery phase, sexual activity should be conserved to preserve essence, and sexual intercourse between spouses should be prohibited, especially for those with severe internal organ diseases or certain infectious diseases. It is not uncommon for sexual intercourse to worsen the condition or even endanger life. In his *Medical Lamp Continued: Twelve Mirrors of Respect for Life*, Pan Ji of the Qing Dynasty specifically included a section on "Avoiding Sexual Intercourse," stating: "To cultivate longevity, one must choose to avoid those who bring illness! Since illness arises from weakness and pathogenic factors, one must strengthen the defenses against them." Which diseases require abstinence from sexual intercourse? Common chronic bronchitis and various heart conditions require moderation; patients with severe hypertension should abstain from sexual intercourse; those suffering from acute nephritis, acute hepatitis, viral myocarditis, typhoid fever, lobar pneumonia, massive hemorrhage, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, and other acute infectious diseases should abstain from sexual intercourse for at least two months during their recovery period. Sexual intercourse should be prohibited for individuals with certain chronic diseases such as chronic hepatitis, chronic nephritis, chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers; chronic aplastic anemia, chronic leukemia, and post-tumor surgery, until clinical symptoms are under control; and individuals with genital or urinary tract diseases should strictly abstain from sexual intercourse during the acute inflammatory phase.
When recovering from a serious illness, one's vital energy is still weak. Engaging in sexual activity at this time can damage the kidney energy, causing the illness to relapse. The ancients called this "sexual overexertion relapse" or "female overexertion relapse," listing it as one of the "three relapses" after illness. They believed that relapses caused by this were more severe and difficult to cure. For example, the *Treatise on Febrile Diseases* states: "After recovery, the essence and marrow are dry; sexual activity is absolutely forbidden. Engaging in sexual activity will lead to relapse and death." The *Guide to Febrile Diseases* also says: "After illness, both qi and yin are deficient. Early sexual activity will severely damage the true essence, and if external pathogens enter the lower jiao (lower burner) and yin, they will consume yin essence, resulting in a very serious illness." Therefore, it is best to abstain from sexual activity during the recovery period after a serious illness, or at least be very cautious about engaging in sexual activity.
Ancient medical practitioners emphasized that unfavorable climate and environment are detrimental to marital relations. For example, the *Bing Nu Jing* states that sexual intercourse should be avoided during the new moon, full moon, and other severe weather conditions such as strong winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms, extreme cold or heat, and earthquakes. These weather conditions exceed the limits of the body's regulatory functions, inevitably disrupting the body's yin-yang balance, causing fear, chills, and fever, and ultimately leading to organ dysfunction. At such times, one should carefully conserve essence, accumulate vital energy, and nourish the internal organs. Conversely, engaging in sexual intercourse under abnormal weather conditions will inevitably damage the body and cause psychological burdens, with endless harm. Therefore, sexual intercourse should be avoided.
A poor environment refers to an unclean living space during sexual intercourse. Ancient texts state that "living near a stove, garden, or toilet, or beside a tomb or coffin, is entirely unsuitable." While such environments are rare nowadays, noise, even startling sounds, or proximity to public places can easily cause psychological distress. Sudden, startling sounds, in particular, can easily lead to male sexual dysfunction and female sexual apathy. While this type of decreased libido is uncommon, it is not the only cause. Therefore, from a preventative perspective, a good environment during sexual intercourse is a beneficial factor in reducing the risk of sexual dysfunction.