Wu Fang Liu Guo: Five Directions and Six States 五方六国

Definition

Wu Fang Liu Guo (五方六国, Wǔfāng Liùguó, lit. "Five Directions and Six States") is a term in Taoist geographical cosmology referring to a system that maps the terrestrial world into five directional domains — East, South, West, North, and Center — each associated with a specific nation, plus a sixth celestial nation above. The concept integrates the Five Elements (五行, Wǔxíng) cosmological framework with a mythological geography, producing a spatial model in which the known world and its cosmic peripheries are organized according to directional and elemental correspondences. The system reflects the Taoist appropriation of ancient Chinese geographical speculation and its incorporation into a comprehensive cosmological worldview.

Classical Sources

The primary source for the Wu Fang Liu Guo concept is the Yunji Qiqian (云笈七签, "Seven Tablets from the Cloudy Satchel"), specifically the "Da Di Bu" (大地部, "Section on the Great Earth"), compiled by Zhang Junfang (张君房) during the Northern Song Dynasty (c. 1019 CE). The Yunji Qiqian draws upon earlier Taoist geographical and cosmological texts, many of which have since been lost.

The passage reads:

"六国指东方呵提国、南方伊沙随国、西方尼罗绿那国、北方甸他罗国、上方元精清沌自然国、中央太和宝真无量国。"

(Meaning: "The Six States are: the Eastern He Ti Guo, the Southern Yi Sha Sui Guo, the Western Ni Luo Lü Na Guo, the Northern Dian Ta Luo Guo, the Upper Yuan Jing Qing Dun Zi Ran Guo, and the Central Tai He Bao Zhen Wu Liang Guo.")

The text provides further details on specific nations:

"南方伊沙利，三十万里之外，极洞阳之野，其国音则铭伊沙随之国。西方俱耶尼，七十万里之外，极浩素之垄，其国音则铭尼伯罗绿那之国。"

(Meaning: "The Southern Yi Sha Li is 300,000 li beyond, at the extremity of the Yang field. Its name in that country's language is Yi Sha Sui Guo. The Western Ju Ye Ni is 700,000 li beyond, at the extremity of the Vast White Ridge. Its name in that country's language is Ni Bo Luo Lü Na Guo.")

The foreign-sounding names of these nations — some with phonetic characteristics suggesting Sanskrit or Central Asian origins — indicate that the concept incorporated geographical knowledge (or imagination) of lands beyond China's borders.

Classification

The Six States are distributed as follows:

东方呵提国 (Dōngfāng Hētí Guó, "Eastern He Ti State")

The eastern domain, its name potentially deriving from a transliteration of a foreign toponym. Associated with the wood element and the direction of sunrise.

南方伊沙随国 (Nánfāng Yīshāsuí Guó, "Southern Yi Sha Sui State")

The southern domain, situated 300,000 li beyond the central realm, at the extremity of the洞阳 (Dòngyáng, "Cavernous Yang") field. Associated with the fire element.

西方尼罗绿那国 (Xīfāng Níluólǜnà Guó, "Western Ni Luo Lü Na State")

The western domain, situated 700,000 li beyond, at the extremity of the浩素 (Hàosù, "Vast White") ridge. The name shows clear phonetic borrowing from a non-Chinese language. Associated with the metal element.

北方甸他罗国 (Běifāng Diàntāluó Guó, "Northern Dian Ta Luo State")

The northern domain, situated 500,000 li beyond, at the extremity of the朔阴 (Shuòyīn, "Northern Yin") court. Associated with the water element.

上方元精清沌自然国 (Shàngfāng Yuánjīng Qīngdùn Zìrán Guó, "Upper State of Primal Essence and Primordial Naturalness")

The celestial domain above, described as existing within the "clear yang emptiness" (清阳虚空) of the nine heavens, formless and imageless. This sixth nation transcends the five terrestrial directions, representing the celestial dimension of the cosmological system.

中央太和宝真无量国 (Zhōngyāng Tàihé Bǎozhēn Wúliàng Guó, "Central State of Supreme Harmony and Precious Authenticity Without Measure")

The central domain, described as extending 520 billion li below the earth's surface, with Mount Kunlun (昆仑, Kūnlún) at its center. Associated with the earth element and the axis mundi of the cosmological system.

Zhengyi Perspective

In the Zhengyi tradition, the Wu Fang Liu Guo concept provides the geographical framework for understanding the cosmic scope of Taoist ritual authority. Zhengyi priests, through their ordination registers, claim spiritual jurisdiction extending across all five directions and six nations. The concept reinforces the notion that the celestial authority vested in the Zhengyi priesthood encompasses not merely the local or regional but the totality of the terrestrial and celestial world.

The Five Elements correspondences embedded in the directional system — East/Wood, South/Fire, West/Metal, North/Water, Center/Earth — inform the ritual use of colors, materials, and orientations in Zhengyi practice. The inclusion of the upper celestial nation (上方国) alongside the five terrestrial nations reflects the Taoist cosmological principle that the celestial and terrestrial domains are structurally parallel and ritually interconnected.

Related Concepts

• Five Elements (五行, Wǔxíng): The foundational cosmological system underlying the five-directional framework of Wu Fang Liu Guo → See: Five Elements

• Yin Yang (阴阳, Yīnyáng): The dualistic cosmological principle that, together with the Five Elements, generates the directional correspondences in the Wu Fang Liu Guo system → See: Yin Yang

• The Daozang (道藏, Dàozàng): The Taoist canon containing the Yunji Qiqian and other primary sources for the Wu Fang Liu Guo concept → See: The Daozang

Source Texts

• Zhang Junfang (张君房), comp. Yunji Qiqian (云笈七签), "Da Di Bu" (大地部). Northern Song Dynasty, c. 1019 CE. Zhengtong Daozang.

• Han Zhenyu (韩振宇). Entry on "Wu Fang Liu Guo." In Zhonghua Daojiao Dacidian (中华道教大辞典).

• Joseph Needham. Science and Civilisation in China, Vol. 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959.