Lexicon Browse

literally means “a seat of government, government office, official residence, treasury, palace, or storehouse;” fǔ (府) is also frequently used as a shortened form of fǔ (腑) — with the ‘flesh radical’ on the left, which is specifically the fǔ (腑) used in Chinese medicine; Fǔ (腑), and consequently fǔ (府), are often rendered as “bowels” or fǔ-organs. Wiseman and Ye render fǔ (府) as “bowel,” which is accurate in a sense, though like “viscera” as a translation for zàng (藏), the English projects modern ‘physical bias,’ which distorts the classical Chinese idea. I’ve chosen to simply use the pinyin (fǔ), and refer to various passages in the classics, such as in Sùwèn 11 and Língshū 52, to clarify its meaning; one of the key differences between the zàng (藏) and ordinary fǔ (府), as discussed in Sùwèn 11, is that the zàng (藏) ‘store, treasure, and conceal’ the shén (神), and the fǔ (府) ‘move, transform, and exchange’ various influences, which we frequently conceptualize as various physical materials.

this character may have been used instead of fù (復) in Língshū 47.2, as is done elsewhere in classical Chinese literature. Fù (復) means “to repeat or restore,” so making this substitution provides the common and easily reconciled rendition of that line; however, it does not reflect the meaning of fù (覆), which actually appears in Língshū 47.2; one historical commentary says: 覆、包藏也。Thus, fù (覆) means “to wrap (bāo (包)) and contain or store (zàng (藏)).” (see Commentary for more on interpreting this passage — on how yuán (原), yíng (營), and wèi (衛) operate as a group of three concepts in the classical Heaven-Human-Earth model.)

literally means “grease, fat, or oil;” in Chinese medicine gāo (膏) is generally used with huāng (肓). The complex, gāohuāng (膏肓), refers to the fat and fascia which protects the zāngfu (臧府), and also allows some influence to permeate to or from them.

this character means “to divide or separate;” in Chinese medicine it generally refers to the diaphragm, which separates the torso into two cavities — the chest and abdomen; gé (隔) also suggests some focus on breath, which is one key pathway for releasing wind.

to change or transform; with a different contemporary pronunciation, gèng (更), it means “more.” My rendition of gēng (更) in Sùwèn 3.11 refers to a progression of pathology, and is a play on both meanings. This reminds one that many diseases change or transform, by the embodied spirit progressing through an ongoing process of accumulation.

to string on a thread, thus to go through or to implicate; while guàn (貫) might simply be translated as “to follow” or “to be connected with,” it includes the connotation of things being intermingled as they are connected.

this is a narrow space through which things can pass, like a mountain pass; guān (關) is a controlled passageway, which can be closed like a customs gate, and is thus different from mén (門) which is an open doorway; among the names of points, mén (門) is considered to open to the outside, while guān (關) controls passage to the interior, and can refer to the closure itself; so in some contexts, guān (關) can refer to a “narrow passage or barrier” that impedes or (partially) blocks the smooth flow of qì. Guān (關) also means “crux, critical juncture, or key point,” so one could read this phrase to consign any acupuncture based on learning key points to treat for various differential diagnoses as “coarse.” Later in this chapter, it can refer to either the joints of the extremities (which impede free flow of qì), or the challenge of restricted flow in any circumstance or context.

literally means “to be suspended by a hair,” which seems to mean much the same as our expression “to hang by a thread,” I’ve rendered it as “tenuous.”

this is a seasonal intermittent fever that occurs in autumn, after a person has acted contrary to what would attune one to summer; this condition was introduced in Sùwèn 2.2, so its subsequent use in Sùwèn 3.11 organizes a familiar pathology according to a general theory of progression from one season to the next.

literally “hair needle;” this is the seventh of nine needles characteristic of Nèijīng acupuncture, and it is the progenitor of the modern filiform needle; see Língshū, chapters 1 and 7 and Sùwèn, chapter 54 for more details concerning the size, shape, and classical application of the háozhēn (毫鍼).

literally means “to harmonize happiness and anger,” though xǐnù (喜怒) can also be considered a representative yīn-yáng (陰陽) pair of emotions, which then suggests the complex refers to the entire range of an individual’s emotions.

can be rendered “thick, deep, large, generous, substantial;” relative to flavors of food, it refers to the ‘thick’ or concentrated flavors of rich foods (as in English), in contrast to the ‘thin’ flavors of clear broth; in Sùwèn 3.12.5, it appears one develops an increased appetite for rich foods.

the space between the heart and the diaphragm, and by extension, the vitals; according to my lineage’s interpretation, gāohuāng refers to the protectiveness, the gāo (膏), and the permeability, the huāng (肓), of the “fat” — the white material that covers and protects the (physical substrate of the) zàngfǔ (臧府). This white material anatomically includes both fat and fascia.

These can certainly be considered two discrete aspects of shén (神), which operate in each individual’s life. Hún (魂) is often translated as “ethereal soul,” and is the shén (神) of the liver; pò (魄) as “corporeal soul,” and is the shén (神) of the lungs. However, when used together they express another yīn-yáng nexus, which is also among the even more structured Heaven-Earth nexuses, where the hún (魂) rules the pò (魄) and the pò (魄) serves the survival needs of the hún (魂); I’ve chosen to render this pair simply with the pinyin “húnpò,” rather than the usual conjunction, because I believe this complex of shén (神) animates wèiqì (衛氣), so can be understood as “responsive animation.”

the ridgepole of a house, and by extension the utmost point, to push to an extreme; jí (極) includes the meaning of the polarities of yīn (陰) and yáng (陽) going to an extreme, where they each transform into the other — the ‘中 極 (zhongji),’ which is the ‘central pole’ of this dynamic interface; so, jí (極) has the connotation of a ‘highest principle’ of dynamic movement, including coordinated and harmonious transformations between yīn (陰) and yáng (陽).

in general, jī (機) means motion or change; the pictograph refers to the catch on the trigger mechanism of a cross-bow; so, jī (機) refers to the fundamental dynamics of any complex process, and often specifically to the source or origin of motion or change that can be ‘triggered’ by some small or subtle action or experience; jī (機) is often rendered as ‘critical mechanism,’ though the complex processes of qì within individuals are generally not mechanistic; there is no time delay in the ‘outcomes’ of the triggered movement, as they all occur together; thus, I have rendered jī (機) most frequently in Língshū as “crucial dynamic.”

as a verb: to write down or record; to arrange or put in order; as a noun: an historical period of twelve years, and by extension an ordered historical record, annal, or chronicle; also institution, laws and regulations. Jì (紀) is used fairly frequently elsewhere in Neijing, including in the titles of of Suwen chapters 66 and 71 — “Heavenly Source of Jì (紀) (天元紀)” and “Six Sources of Upright Jì (紀) (六元正紀),” and in Suwen, chapter 56 and Lingshu, chapter 76, which present aspects of the ‘basic Architecture’ of the channel complexes. So, jì (紀) is an important idea for describing both how an individual’s essence and one’s personal history expresses somatically.
According to Shuowen, this character comes from (糸 sī) ‘silk thread’ and 己 (jǐ), meaning ‘self.’ The left portion (糸, sī-‘silk thread’) is familiar to us from jīng (經) and luò (絡). Shuowen also notes “己 may have depicted thread on a loom; an ancient meaning (of 己) was ‘unravel threads’, which was later written jì (紀).
Karlgren offers several characterizations — to unravel threads; arrange, regulate, law; to record, year, age, dynasty, so jì (紀) seems to convey the sense of the ‘rules’ of one’s being that regulate one’s life over time, which are recorded in the channel and vessel movement.
Thus, I’ve rendered jì (紀) as “the threads of oneself,” which exhibit and express how each individual lives his or her life.

according to Wiseman and Ye, this is an ancient disease name, which is born out by its appearance in Nèijīng. They render as “boiling reversal;” patients present with tinnitus, deafness, blindness, and in severe cases “clouding reversal,” which is a loss of consciousness, without fully awakening, with hemiplegia. As individual characters, jiānjué (煎厥) might be rendered as “to be burnt away and having reversal,” or “the reversal of being burnt away.”

literally means “to commit to, hand to, deliver, or pay;” it also means “to exchange, join, communicate, or have close relationship either of friendship or business;” relative to acupuncture theory, jiāo (交) often refers to “points of intersection” among the channels; however, its meaning cannot be limited to those in Língshū 1.15, because the text refers to 365 of them. In this passage, rather than referring to the exchange between channels, jiāo (交) seems to refer to the exchange of qì inherent in using any point.

this character originally referred to the nodes of a bamboo stalk, which is thereby divided into segments; thus, jié (節) signifies a concentration, where there is an empty space in the center of it that allows flow; in medicine, jié (節) often refers to joints, so this could easily refer to the twelve ‘major’ joints — hips, knees and ankles on the legs and shoulders, elbows and wrists on the arms; it may also refer to the twelve ‘segments’ (individual channels) in the continuous loop of primary channels, as presented in Língshū 10 and 16.

Sivin translates jiě (解) as ‘sort out’ in discussing the four stages of the transmission of medical texts delineated by Chunyu-I early in the second century B.C.E., which was likely several decades before the Nèijīng was initially recorded. Jiě (解) is the third stage, which refers to a disentangling of things that are profoundly interwoven. This process continues to be very significant, especially for contemporary practitioners who are challenged to ‘sort out’ various phenomena from their unconsciously projected ‘modern worldview.’ I’ve often rendered jiě (解) as either “disentangle” or “explain.” I’ve written about this important idea in “Chunyu-I and the Stages of Classical Text Transmission” and “Sorting Out Symptoms.”

in Chinese medicine contexts, jīng (精) is typically translated as “essence;” it is understood as the deepest source or fount of an individual’s being; jīng (精) is dense and moves slowly. While these qualities are certainly true of jīng (精), it does not always function as a noun. Jīng (精) also means “refined, perfect, subtle, or concentrated,” so it is a field tendency to move toward that deep, subtle yet dense aspect of being. Jīng (精) is naturally oriented to move outward to support the vital functions of life, and generally does so in the form of yuánqì (源氣). The various vital functions of life are conveyed and governed by post-natal qì (氣), which in Nèijīng (內經) is most frequently understood as the pair: wèi (衛) and yíng (營), while jīng (精) and its active expression as yuánqì (源氣) are referred to as pre-natal qì (氣).

in Chinese medicine, this character is generally translated as “channel,” or the older “meridians.” Jīng (經) is used in the title of many venerated texts, where it is typically translated as “Classic,” as in Yìjīng (易經), Dàodéjīng (道德經), Nèijīng (內經), and many others. Thus jīng (經) refers to the fundamental “organizing principle” of some dynamic process. These jīng (經) are often longitudinal, as in the channels/meridians of the human body, though also these classic texts can be thought of as progressions, both within and among their chapters.

Modern Chinese medicine includes several important multi-character terms including the character “jīng (經),” such as jīngmài (經脈), jīngluò (經絡), and qíjīngbāmài (奇經八脈).

In Nèijīng (內經), jīng (經) is also used together with jì (紀) to form jīngjì (經紀).

means “still, quiet, calm, peaceful, or tranquil” extending to “clean, modest, and soft-voiced.” In modern Chinese, qīngjìng (清靜) is used as a complex meaning simply “a quiet (place);” in the text of Língshū 1.3, qīngjìng (清靜) is rendered as a conjunction of stative verbs “is clear” and “is tranquil;” this pair of characters is used only three other times in Nèijīng, all in Sùwèn. In Sùwèn 3, line 6.4, and we include the prior phrase of that line for context:

故風者，百病之始也，
清靜則肉腠閉拒， 雖有大風苛毒，弗之能害， 此因時之序也。
Therefore, as for wind, it is what initiates a hundred diseases.
When one is clear (qīng) and tranquil (jìng), the flesh and còu[lǐ] are closed and resist against [wind]. Even if one has [been exposed] to great wind or severe poison, these [afflictions] are not able to cause harm, because of the rhythm of the timing [of wèiqì].

The other two times this expression, qīngjìng (清靜), occurs in Nèijīng are in the middle of very long chapters on 五運六氣 (wǔyùn liùqì). One of those is in a brief passages in Sùwèn, chapter 74, which is quite straight-forward, and easy to understand, so I copy it here:

夫陰陽之氣，清靜則生化治，動則苛疾起，此之謂也。
In people, as for the qì of yīn-yáng, when one is clear (qīng) and tranquil (jìng), then the transformations (huà) of life are [properly] governed (zhì); when it is shaken (dòng), then severe illness arises. The saying is such.

can be translated literally as “channel divergence(s), channel distinction(s), or channel separation(s),” though it is usually translated as “divergent channel(s).” For more discussion on interpreting two (or more) character complexes containing jīng (經) see its lexicon entry, or the ones for jīngmài (經脈), jīngluò (經絡), qíjīngbāmài (奇經八脈), or jīngjì (經紀). The jīngbié (經別) have a polar relationship with the primary channels/vessels: jīngbié (經別) absorb unresolved influences (qì (氣)) from the primary channels/vessels, and they also project an individual’s core interpretations in life onto the primary channels. Because each of these inter-connected roles is so important, I’ve chosen to render jīngbié (經別) differently for each of them — channel divergences for absorbing unresolved pathogenic factors (and the embodied spirit’s unfulfilled reactions to them) and channel distinctions for the individual’s collection of core interpretations, which he/she projects onto all experience.

While I’ve never seen this complex in a modern Chinese medicine context, it occurs in the opening passage of the first chapter of Língshū (靈樞). The second character, jì (紀), refers literally to an historical period or the records or annals of such a period. As a verb, it can mean “to write down, record, arrange, or put in order.” Jīngjì (經紀) refers to the (personal) historical record of an individual’s jīng (經) — their channels or longitudinal organizing principles. Thus, jīngjì (經紀) refers to the unique way each individual implements the basic (and universal) movements of the jīngmài (經脈), which sustain individual life.

can be rendered literally as “channel sinews.” This is one of the sets of ‘secondary channels/vessels,’ which which is usually called either the “tendeno-muscular channels” or simply the “sinews.” These jīngjīn (經筋) are responsible for conveying physical movement; the yáng (陽) sinews allow the individual to move relative to the outside world, and the yīn (陰) sinews conduct physical movement inside, such as the peristaltic movements that move material within the alimentary canal. The jīngjīn (經筋) are conduits of wèiqì (衛氣), and the quality of movements of an individual’s physical body influences the movement of the individual’s wèiqì (衛氣). This principle provides the theory behind therapeutic qìgōng (氣功) and dǎoyǐn (導引) exercises. All of the secondary channels/vessels support the primary channels to maintain the constant flow of qì (氣) to sustain individual life. In the case of the jīngjīn (經筋), they provide post-natal yáng (陽) to the primary channels in the form of wèiqì (衛氣).

Most often, jīngluò (經絡) is rendered into English as a simple conjunction — jīng (經) translated as “channels” and luò (絡) as network or connecting [vessels]. However, if we understand the jīng (經) are the twelve ‘organizing principles’ of flow and vital process within individuals, then we might render jīngluò (經絡) as a complex — either the “network of organizing principles” or “connections of the organizing principles.”

this pair of characters is often rendered as a conjunction — channels and vessels, but the jīngmài (經脈) do not truly refer to two sets of things. I believe we should read and render jīngmài (經脈) as a complex, where jīng (經) refers to the “organizing principle(s),” and mài (脈) refers to the “vessel movement” (as Unschuld renders it) of the vital flux of life. So, that complex can be expressed in English as “the vessel movement(s) of the organizing principle(s).” Most often the jīngmài (經脈) seem to signify what we call the “primary channels” today, in contrast to the jīngjīn (經筋), luò (絡), and jīngbié (經別), which are sometimes called secondary vessels.

Each jīngmài (經脈) exhibits a specific organizing principle (jīng (經)) for the ‘vessel movements’ (mài (脈)), that sustain and regulate the vital functions of life. Sometimes, I’ve chosen to render jīngmài (經脈) as “meridian flux” to signify this entire network. In many instances, when either of these characters is used in Nèijīng (內經), it refers to this same group of jīngmài (經脈), though with an emphasis on either their organizing principles (jīng (經)) or the vital vessel movements (mài (脈)) they maintain.

There are twelve jīngmài (經脈) — one for each of the liùhé (六合) on both the upper and lower extremities.

this pair of characters is most often translated as the conjunction of two nouns “essence” and “spirit;” however, it is also a yīn-yáng nexus, and even a more structured Heaven-Earth nexus, so jīngshén (精神) can meaningfully be rendered as a complex; in most contexts, I’ve chosen to render jīngshén (精神) as “embodied spirit.” Jīng (精) provides the basis for essential yīn (陰) — the source of physicality, and shén (神) provides the basis for essential yáng (陽) — the source of animation. As noted in the opening line of Língshū (靈樞) 47, each jīngshén (精神) receives a ‘mandate’ to live out through his or her experiences; that mandate, mìngmén (命門), animates jīng (精) into yuánqì (原氣), which is then disseminated out to support ‘post-natal qì (氣).’ [see also entries on zhìyì (志意) and húnpò (魂魄).]