Shouyi
Glossary: shouyi 守一, 'guarding the One' — the early Daoist meditation term and its translation.
Shouyi (守一, shǒuyī) — “guarding the One,” the early Daoist seated practice of holding attention on the unity of essence (jing), qi, and spirit (shen), rooted in Daodejing ch. 10 (“carrying the soul and embracing the One”) and systematized in the Han Taiping Jing with a concrete chamber protocol.
Translation note: “guarding” preserves the active-holding sense (shou also means “to keep watch”); “maintaining Oneness” is acceptable but loses the custodial nuance. Capitalize “One” to signal the technical sense of the unified principle.
See the full concept page.
Sources
- Daodejing ch. 10; Taiping Jing; Robinet, Taoist Meditation (1993)