Life gate

The place where the qì of earlier heaven concentrates; the basis of life. The life gate is a physiological entity of disputed morphological identity. The term life gate first appears in The Inner Classic (内经 nèi jīng), where it refers to the eyes. Reference to a life gate as an internal organ body first appears in The Classic of Difficult Issues (难经 nàn jīng, 36), which states, The two kidneys are not both kidneys. The left one is the kidney, and the right is the life gate. The question of the life gate invited little discussion until the Míngand the Qing, when various different theories were put forward: a) both kidneys contain the life gate; b) the space between the kidneys is the life gate; c) the life gate is the stirring qì between the kidneys; d) the life gate is the root of original qì and the house of fire and water, e) the life gate is the fire of earlier heaven or the true yáng of the whole body; f) the life gate is the gate of birth, i.e., in women the birth gate and in men the essence gate.