A central focus of Taoism is the search for eternal life, which stressed one's innate state (hsing) and physical life (ming). Taoism promotes purging the heart of desires and ambitions, and uses strict rules to cultivate man's innate nature. As for "life extension," everything from alchemy to breath control to medicine--so long as it is a way to extend life--falls within the scope of Taoism.
在「性」方面，道教主張清心寡慾，藉各種嚴格的戒律來修身養性；在「延命」方面，道教更是無所不用其極﹘﹘外丹（煉丹）、內丹（氣功）、醫藥… …，只要是可能延長壽命的方法，都在它的研究範圍內。