The focus on fertility and to ensure offspring was a very important element
in the Confucian tradition because of the practice of ancestor worship. Even in the
Taoist tradition fertility was significant, since the practices for obtaining longevity and
immortality used techniques in the area of sexuality and reproduction. The anatomy of
the male genital tract in Chinese medicine uses specific terms for visible structures
such as the external genitalia, while there are more functional and structural terms for
some internal structures. The chapter also describes the relationships of the Organs and
Channels with the male reproductive system and the energetics of the spermiogram.
The term zong jin has been extensively commented upon, because its different layers of
meaning can reveal a complex and fascinating approach to male sexual and
reproductive functioning.
Keywords: Bao, Barrier of Essence, Chamber of Essence, Channels, Chong Mai,
Cinnabar Field, Dai Mai, Dan Tian, Essence, Huangdi Neijing, Li Shizhen, Ling
Shu, Ming Men, Ministerial Fire, Organs, Sperm Chamber, Su Wen, Tiangui,
Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing, Zong Jin.
