Waidan
/ˈwaɪ.dɑːn/noun
A Daoist tradition of external alchemy focused on producing elixirs through the manipulation and heating of minerals, metals, and other substances.
Did you know?Waidan was practiced alongside Neidan, or “internal alchemy,” which redirected the alchemical quest from laboratory substances toward the body, breath, and consciousness.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
外丹
““External elixir”; a compound contrasting externally prepared substances with inner cultivation.”
2nd–3rd Century CE
Chinese
外丹
“The term appears in the developing Daoist alchemical vocabulary associated with elixirs, minerals, ritual practice, and longevity.”
4th–7th Century CE
Chinese
外丹
“External alchemy becomes prominent in Daoist technical and religious writings, especially traditions involving furnaces, cinnabar, and metallic compounds.”
Medieval Chinese
Chinese
外丹
“A recognized counterpart to 內丹, or “internal elixir,” as Daoist thinkers increasingly distinguished laboratory alchemy from practices of bodily transformation.”
20th Century
English
waidan
“English-language scholars adopt the Mandarin-based romanization waidan to describe Chinese external alchemy.”
Modern English
English
waidan
“A specialized English loanword for Daoist external alchemical theory, practice, texts, and laboratory traditions.”