The Book of the Three Elements for Longevity: Desires Should Not Be Abstained From, and Desires Should Not Be Delayed.

The *Sanyuan Yanshou Canzan Shu* (三元延寿参赞书) was compiled by Li Pengfei of the Yuan Dynasty in the year Xinmao of the Zhiyuan era (it should be Yimao of the Zhiyuan era, i.e., 1339 AD, or Xinmao of the Zhizheng era, i.e., 1351 AD). Li was from Chizhou (present-day Guichi County, Anhui Province). During his childhood, his birth mother was not accepted by his stepmother and was forced to marry a woman surnamed Zhu. At the age of nineteen, Li Pengfei, filled with longing and grief, vowed to study medicine to help people. He especially wished to see his birth mother as soon as possible. After practicing medicine for three years, he went to Luotian County, Qizhou (present-day Luotian County, Hubei Province) to find his birth mother, brought her back, and cared for her. Later, his birth mother returned to the Zhu family, and Li Pengfei frequently crossed the river to visit her. When his mother passed away, he led his children and grandchildren to sweep her grave. It is said that during his medical practice and visits to his mother, Li collected a great deal of information, making ample preparations for compiling his medical book. The *Sanyuan Yanshou Canzan Shu* is his surviving work. This book cites a large number of documents, provides a comprehensive summary of sexual medicine before the Yuan Dynasty, and provides a comprehensive summary of sexual health preservation in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, making a significant contribution to the development of sexual health preservation in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.

The book is titled "Three Elements for Longevity" because, according to the author's preface, he encountered a Taoist priest while searching for his birth mother. The priest taught him the method of nourishing longevity using the three elements of Heaven, Earth, and Man, hence the title. The original text reads: "If one is not cautious, one will diminish one's lifespan daily. If one's essence and energy are not secure, one's lifespan in the Heavenly element will be shortened; if one's plans are excessive, one's lifespan in the Earthly element will be shortened; if one's diet is not moderate, one's lifespan in the Human element will be shortened. If one is frugal and does not know what to love, if one does not know what to avoid, one's spirit will be depleted daily, illness will arise daily, and one's lifespan will be shortened daily." The Li family followed his teachings on health preservation and thus achieved longevity. When he wrote this book, he was seventy years old, and his father was ninety-one years old.

The *Sanyuan Yanshou Canzan Shu* (三元延寿参赞书) is a work on health preservation and is also included in the *Daozang* (道藏). This book compiles information on health preservation from various historical documents, including content on daily life, diet, medication, and guided exercises. The book consists of five volumes: Volume One, "Longevity of the Heavenly Element"; Volume Two, "Longevity of the Earthly Element"; Volume Three, "Longevity of the Human Element"; Volume Four, "The True Secrets of Immortals Saving the World and Rejuvenating," and Volume Five, "Immortals Warning the World, On Yin and Yang for Longevity." One volume systematically discusses sexual life, including the principles, methods, and taboos of intercourse. This book compiles sexual works from before the Yuan Dynasty and is a comprehensive collection of sexual health treatises from the Song and Yuan dynasties. This volume contains nine medical treatises; except for "What Infants Should Avoid," which is pediatric, the other eight are all specialized treatises on sexual health preservation.

1. Desires should not be extinguished.

The chapter "The Indispensable Nature of Desire" primarily expounds on the necessity of sexual activity. It states: "The Yellow Emperor said: 'The interplay of Yin and Yang is called the Way; an imbalance of Yin or Yang is called disease.' He also said: 'If the two are not in harmony, it is like spring without autumn, like winter without recovery. Therefore, to harmonize them is called the sage's measure. The sage does not sever the Way of harmony, but values ​​seclusion to preserve one's natural state.'" This means that the unity of opposites in Yin and Yang is a universal law of nature. Under normal circumstances, Yin and Yang are balanced, and the human body must also maintain this balance to ensure health. Moderate sexual activity is an important means of harmonizing Yin and Yang. Sexual activity is neither indispensable nor excessive; if done just right, it can effectively maintain the Yin-Yang balance of the human body.

The text further states: "Su Nu said: 'A man of twenty years old should ejaculate once every four days; a man of thirty, once every eight days; a man of forty, once every sixteen days; a man of fifty, once every twenty days; this is the proper way. Those with abundant endowment, good appetite, and strong energy may slightly exceed this limit. However, this is not the case. A deep and long-flowing source, though it may fill with the current, will eventually run dry. If one's endowment is thin, one's vital energy is weak, and one's diet is reduced and essence depleted, yet one forces oneself to ejaculate, it is like a coward trying the art of Feng Fu, merely sharpening a tiger's teeth. Those with weak essence must also refrain from this practice.' Su Nu said: 'A man of sixty years old should abstain from ejaculation. Even if one's strength is still robust, one should not force oneself to abstain, for prolonged abstinence can lead to boils and other ailments.'"

The frequency of sexual intercourse per month mentioned above has been discussed multiple times in *Qianjin Yaofang* and *Yixin Fang*, but the author here offers a new interpretation and elaboration, making the reasoning even more thorough. This article particularly emphasizes that when dealing with sexual matters, one should not only consider age, but also physical condition. Those who are young, strong, and healthy can exceed this monthly standard for frequency, and are not entirely limited by it. Those who are young but weak and frail should have fewer sexual intercourse sessions than mentioned above, and some may even abstain from intercourse altogether. Those who are old but strong and healthy can also engage in appropriate sexual activity. Regardless of age, if someone knowingly has a weak constitution but tries to engage in sexual activity despite their remaining strength, it's like a coward pretending to be the ancient Jin warrior Feng Fu, fighting a tiger bare-handed-it's nothing more than sharpening the tiger's teeth and filling its mouth, inevitably leading to unforeseen consequences.

This passage further points out that even those with robust constitutions should not force themselves to suppress ejaculation, as this can lead to diseases such as carbuncles. The passage continues, "Peng Zu said: 'A man cannot be without a woman, and a woman cannot be without a man. If one's thoughts are truly free of desire, one will enjoy great longevity.' He also said: 'If a person can ejaculate twice a month, twenty-four times a year, one can live to be one hundred years old.'" Both men and women need sexual relations, and if these are handled well, one can reap the benefits of longevity. Sexual activity should not be forcibly suppressed. "A famous physician said: 'Endless desires, unfulfilled wishes, and excessive sexual fantasies are self-inflicted.'" This illustrates that forcibly suppressing ejaculation is even more harmful to the body. The text further states: "The book says: Men are governed by essence, and women by blood. Therefore, when essence is abundant, one desires to be intimate; when blood is abundant, one conceives. If there is only yang and no yin, or only yin and no yang, the desire will be intense but not fulfilled. Then, yin and yang will contend, causing alternating chills and fever, which will eventually lead to exhaustion." This illustrates that healthy adult men and women can fall ill due to the lack of yin-yang interaction, proving that forcibly suppressing ejaculation and suppressing sexual activity is extremely harmful.

2. Desire should not be pursued too early.

The chapter "Desire Should Not Be Early" mainly discusses the harms of early marriage. For example, it says: "The book says: If a man deflowers too early, he will damage his essence and qi; if a woman deflowers too early, she will damage her blood vessels." It also says: "The book says: If one has sex with a woman before one's essence is fully developed, then there will be dissatisfaction in the five limbs, and one will suffer from indescribable illnesses in the future." There are many such discussions, which will be analyzed and elaborated in detail later.