Chapter six of the Daodejing speaks of the valley spirit that never dies, called the mysterious female, whose gate is the root of heaven and earth. The image of the feminine, the valley and the mother runs through the text, presenting receptivity as the source of all things.
Mysterious female
Xuanpin: the Daodejing’s image of the Dao as the inexhaustible, receptive source of life.
Also: xuanpin, valley spirit