The main function of HU Exercise is to regulate the spleen. Pronouncing the word HU can discharge and remove the foul smell of the spleen. The expiration and inspiration, as well as the body movements of the HU Exercise in Health Qigong•Liu Zi Jue are mainly designed for the spleen.

The spleen: the official of the granary

Spleen is the acquired foundation of body. Traditional Chinese health science believes that human life is the mutual combination of the congenital foundation and the acquired foundation. The essence and nutrient substance stored in the kidney are transformed from the congenital qi, which has formed before birth, therefore the kidney is the origin of congenital constitution. Spleen is the source of growth and transformation. The nutrient substances transformed in the spleen are necessary for human life, therefore the spleen is the acquired foundation of body. The spleen has the function to transport and transform nutrients. The spleen governs transportation and transformation. The physiological functions of human body need adequate substances, which mainly comes from the food. And the organ used for transporting the food is the spleen. Under the function of spleen, the foods human eat are transformed into two categories, i.e. the nutrient substances that can be absorbed by the body, or the useless dross substances that will be eliminated from the body. The function of classification, absorption and exclusion is called transportation and transformation.

The spleen is the source to generate and transform qi and blood. The nutrient substances transformed and transported by the spleen are the major constructional material of the blood. While the blood is the mother of qi, the spleen is also the source of qi. The spleen is in charge of sending up clear essential substances. The nutrient substances are identified as the clear materials, and the dross substances are considered as the foul materials. After the foods are transformed by the spleen, the nutrient substances will be transported to the whole body under the function of the spleen qi. It is known as the spleen governing ascending clear. Viewed from the five elements, the spleen matches the earth. Agricultural crops are planted and harvested on the earth, so the earth is characterized by cultivation and reaping in the ancient time. Later, things with the functions of growth, bearing and receiving are attributed to the earth in the five elements. The spleen has the function to transport and transform nutrients and in charge of sending up clear essential substances. It is also the source of qi and blood, so viewed from the five elements, the spleen matches the earth. Spleen is the acquired foundation of body, which just fits in with the characteristics of the earth, namely growth, cultivation and bearing.

The sound of HU should be the guttural sound in the SI Exercise. The pronunciation method of word HU is that sinking the tongue, gathering the lips to make a circle, working in concert with the throat. In order to achieve the accurate pronunciation, the exercisers need to adjust the shapes of the mouth and tongue at first, "sinking the tongue and gathering the lips to make a circle" means that opening the mouth and rounding the lips. Working in concert with the throat means that the round lips directly facing the throat, which also requires the moderate degree of opening of the mouth. How can achieve the moderate degree of opening? When practice the pronunciation, the exerciser can image that there is an egg in the mouth. Right shape of the mouth can help the exercisers to accurately control the focal point in the practice. The pronunciation focus in the HU Exercise is mainly in the throat. Sinking the tongue and gathering the lips to make a circle can help the exercisers to push the pronunciation focus backward to the throat, thus making the sound with the practice effect, namely the sound of the HU Exercise. Conversely, if the pronunciation focus is in the front of the mouth, there will be no guttural sound, then it is no longer the HU Exercise, and the effect of regulating the spleen will not be reached. In order to achieve the accurate pronunciation, we can summarize the formulas as follows. Gather the lips to make a circle, which is like keeping an egg in the mouth, and make the sound HU with the throat.

The guttural sound can regulate the spleen and discharge and remove the turbid qi in the spleen. First, the throat is closely related to the spleen and stomach. From a medical point of view, pharynx and throat are two different organs, but in the pronunciation perspective of the phonology, as they are very close, both can be generally called "throat". Throat is an important portal of the spleen channel of foot tayin. "Huangdi Neijing•Ling Shu (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor•Miraculous Pivot)" said, "The spleen channel of foot tayin goes through the abdomen, belongs to the spleen and connects the stomach and throat. The Peaceful Holy Benevolence Formulae (Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang) also said, "If the deficient fire of the spleen and stomach flare up, then the throat will swelling", which is a proof of the relationship among the spleen, stomach and throat. From the point of view of the traditional health science, the main roles of the throat are swallowing, breathing, pronunciation, defense and so on, which is the only way for the food and air to enter the body and the place where the sound in and out. "Huangdi Neijing•Ling Shu (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor•Miraculous Pivot)" said, “The throat is inevitable passage for the water and food to enter the body, and it is an important bridge connects the spleen with the outside world". In addition, the throat is also the inevitable passage for the qi of outside world to enter the body. "Huangdi Neijing•Ling Shu (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor•Miraculous Pivot)" said, "The throat, one of the seven important portals, is the place where the sound in and out". "Huangdi Neijing•Ling Shu (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor•Miraculous Pivot)" said, "The throat is related to make sounds". Therefore, using the power of the throat and vibration pronunciation can directly affect the spleen. Second, the guttural sound matches the earth in the five elements, which is the same as the HU Exercise and the spleen, so the HU Exercise and the spleen correspond with each other.   Like will to like. Like draws to like. There are certain general characters among things matching with the earth in the five elements. When pronouncing the word HU, the exercisers should pay attention to control the air flow, vibrate the throat and form the frequency conforming to the transportation and transformation of the spleen, so as to regulate the spleen qi.

The body movements of the HU Exercise can regulate the spleen. The body movements of the HU Exercise in Health Qigong•Liu Zi Jue mainly include the open and close of palms, which seems very simple, but there are also hidden mysteries of regulating the spleen. First, the open and close of palms can regulate the spleen. The principal purpose of the open and close of palms is to make the contraction and relaxation of the abdomen by a large margin, so as to promote the gastrointestinal peristalsis and regulate the spleen and stomach. What should also be emphasized here is that the coordination between the breathing and the open and close of palms. When make the sound HU in the practice, open the palms outward and relax the abdomen outward. Palms together and relax the abdomen inward when inhaling. So the breathing and pronunciation, the open and close of palms, the contraction and relaxation of the abdomen will be unified together, so as to achieve the effect of regulating the spleen at the greatest extent. From the view of the traditional health science, the abdomen mainly consists of a few portals of the seven important portals in the below. Seven important portals, a concept in the traditional Chinese medicine, refers to the seven strategically important gates in the entire digestive system, namely the leaf gate (lips), door gate (teeth), breath gate (epiglottis), cardia (the upper gate of the stomach), pylorus (the lower gate of the stomach), the blocking gate (the junction of the large intestine and small intestine) and the outlet for discharging dregs (anus). And the main functions of these gates below are to transport the food transformed by the stomach and spleen. The significantly contraction and relaxation of the abdominal precisely aims to increase the intensity of transportation and transformation here. Second, putting palms on the navel is in favor of cultivating and mobilizing the vitality of the body, as well as facilitate the transformation and transportation of the stomach. There is also a requirement on the body movements of the HU Exercise in Health Qigong•Liu Zi Jue, namely putting palms on the navel. It is called Shenque acupoint in the traditional Chinese medicine, where hides the congenital vitality of the body. Putting palms on the navel is conducive to start the congenital vitality of the body, so as to take advantage of the congenital vitality to regulate the spleen and stomach. It is also a practice of the traditional Chinese philosophy that the congenital (vitality) and acquired (spleen) mutually nourishing. The body movements can be summarized as that put palms on the navel with the contraction and relaxation of abdomen, the congenital vitality and spleen mutually nourish.

The formulas of the methods in the HU Exercise

Gather the lips to make a circle, which is like keeping an egg in the mouth, and make the sound HU with the throat. Put palms on the navel with the contraction and relaxation of abdomen, so that the congenital vitality and spleen can mutually nourish.

（By Chao Shengjie）