The most important book of Chinese medicine and a very important book of Daoist practice is the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine (Huangdi neijing 黃帝內徑), said to have been compiled by the mythical Yellow Emperor 黃帝. It consists of two parts, the Suwen 素問 "questions of fundamental nature" and the Lingshu 靈樞 "spiritual pivot", a book also called Zhenjing 針經 "Classic of Acupuncture" because the latter is its main content . The book is concepted as a dialog between the Yellow Emperor and Qi Bo 歧伯, his doctor.

1. 上古天真論
黃帝乃問於太師歧伯：「余聞上古之人，春秋皆度百歲，而動作不衰。今時之人，年半百而動作皆衰者，時世異耶？人將失之耶？」歧伯對曰：「今時之人不然也，以酒為漿，以妄為常，醉以入房，以欲竭其精，以耗散其真， 不知持滿，不時御神，務決其心，逆於生樂，起居無節，故半百而衰也。」
The universal truth
During his reign, the Yellow Emperor discoursed on medicine, health, lifestyle, nutrition, and Taoist cosmology with his ministers Qi Bo, Lei Gong, and others. Their first discussion began with the Yellow Emperor inquiring, "I have heard that in the days of old everyone lived one hundred years without showing the usual signs of aging. In our time, however, people age prematurely, living only fifty years. Is this due to a change in the environment, or is it because people have lost the correct way of life?" Qi Bo replied, "... These days, people have changed their way of life. They drink wine as though it were water, indulge excessively in destructive activities, drain their jing (the body's essence that is stored in the kidneys) and deplete their qi (energy). They do not know the secret of conserving their energy and vitality. Seeking emotional excitement and momentary pleasures, people disregard the natural rhythm and order of the universe. They fail to regulate their lifestyle and diet, and sleep improperly. So it is not surprising that they look old at fifty and die soon after..."

4. 金匱真言論
The truth the golden chamber

五行 FIVE ELEMENTS		木 WOOD	火 FIRE	土 EARTH	金 METAL	水 WATER
天 Heaven	方位 direction	東 east	南 south	中 center	西 west	北 north
	季節 season	春 spring	夏 summer	長夏 late summer	秋 autumn	冬 winter
	氣候 weather	風 wind	熱 heat	濕 damp	燥 dry	寒 cold
	星宿 planet	歲星 jupiter	熒惑星 mars	鎮星 saturn	太白星 venus	辰星 mercury
	生成數 numerology	3+5=8	2+5=7	5	4+5=9	1+5=6
地 Earth	品類 element	草木 plants	火 fire	土 soil	金 metal	水 water
	五畜 animal	雞 chicken	羊 goat	牛 cow	馬 horse	彘 pig
	五穀 cereal	麥 wheat	黍 shu-millet	稷 ji-millet	穀 rice	豆 bean
	五音 music	角 jiao (lute)	徵 zheng (pipe)	宮 gong (drum)	商 shang (resonant)	羽 yu (string)
	五色 color	青 green	赤 red	黃 yellow	白 white	黑 black
	五味 flavor	酸 sour	苦 bitter	甘 sweet	辛 pungent	鹹 salty
	五臭 smell	臊 urine	焦 scorched	香 fragrant	腥 fishy	腐 rotten
人 Man	五臟 zang organ	肝 liver	心 heart	脾 spleen	肺 lung	腎 kidney
	九竅 orifice	目 eyes	耳 ears	�. One agrees to use a certain name and issues an order to that effect, and if the agreement is abided by and becomes a matter of custom, then the name may be said to be appropriate, but if people do not abide by the agreement, then the name ceases to be appropriate. Names have no intrinsic reality... There are, however, names which are intrinsically good. Names which are clear, simple, and not at odds with the thing they designate may be said to be good names... About Yang Zhu and the sophists 「(白)馬非馬也，」此惑於用名以亂實者也。驗之名約，以其所受，悖其所辭，則能禁之矣。故明君不與辨也。 "A white horse is not a horse". Men who make statements like these are deluded in their use of words and bring confusion to realities. If one examines them in the light of the agreed usage of names, accepts those which fit in with agreed usage, and rejects those that depart it, he can put and stop to such statements... The enlightened ruler does... not argue with men who make such statements. Translated by Burton Watson