Title: The Master Who Embraces Simplicity: A Study of the Philosopher Ko Hung (alternatively Alchemy, Medicine, Religion in the China of A.D. 320: The Nei P'ien of Ko Hung) Translator: James R. Ware (for the complete inner chapters) – though academically superseded in places, it remains the only full translation.
Better, more accurate scholarly translation: Jay Sailey – The Master Who Embraces Simplicity: A Study of the Philosopher Ko Hung (1978) – harder to find freely. Finding a complete English translation of the (The

3. Academia.edu / JSTOR

Professors often upload chapter-by-chapter PDFs. Search for "Baopuzi Neipian Chapter 4 Ware." This is ideal if you only need the alchemical recipes and not the full text. An OCR disaster (e

Finding a "best" English translation of the Baopuzi (抱朴子) by Ge Hong can be challenging because the work is massive, and no single translation covers the entire text in one affordable volume.

• An OCR disaster (e.g., "embracing simplicity" becomes "embrac1ng simplic1ty").
• A fake – actually a random New Age book.
• A public-domain cut-and-paste of Ware's 1960s edition (outdated page breaks, missing footnotes).

Step 2: Skip to Chapter 4 (Jindan – "The Golden Elixir") – The core of the text. Here, Ge Hong lists 90+ alchemical formulas. Do not read this line-by-line. Instead, look for the ratios of mercury, sulfur, and realgar. A good PDF will have preserved the Chinese characters for these minerals.

Review: Hunting the Best English PDF of the Baopuzi (抱朴子)

Verdict: A worthwhile but fragmented hunt—no single perfect PDF exists, but two outstanding translations dominate, and one clear winner emerges for most readers.