俛仰 简体 俯仰

fǔ yǎng

Bending and lifting · fu yang

Also rendered: prostration and elevation (Lifts the register and sounds like ritual) · bowing and looking up (Too literal: 俛仰 here is not about respect)

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
fǔ yǎng
Simplified
俯仰
Literal
俛 fǔ, to bend forward (the base text writes the older graph 俛 where modern texts write 俯); 仰 yǎng, to lift or look up. Bending and lifting. In the chapter it is the thing to be rescued in wind from overexertion: the treatment is summed up as 以救俛仰. Commentators have taken it two ways — the bending and lifting of the body, and the rise and fall of breathing — and the text supports both.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:俛,俯也,从人免聲——低頭也,即「俯」之古字;仰,舉也,从人从卬——舉首也。**「俛」讀 fǔ,本篇一見**——與第三十二篇「不可用俛仰」同例,各從底本不改字;「仰」讀 yǎng,本篇一見。「以」讀 yǐ;「救」讀 jiù;「巨」讀 jù;「陽」讀 yáng;「引」讀 yǐn;「精」讀 jīng;「者」讀 zhě;「三」讀 sān;「日」讀 rì;「中」讀 zhōng;「年」讀 nián;「五」讀 wǔ;「七」讀 qī。**「以救俛仰」四字,舊注二說**:一說俛仰是身體之俯仰(項強故不利),一說俛仰是呼吸之俯仰(肺下受邪故氣不利)。**本篇之證「強上冥視」正項強而頭上仰,與身體俯仰之說最合;然病位在「肺下」,與呼吸之說亦不相妨**,故兩存之。下文「巨陽引精者三日,中年者五日,不精者七日」,即「救」之效驗以日計者。

In brief

Bending and lifting — in the chapter, what has to be rescued in wind from overexertion. The whole treatment of that disease is summed up in 以救俛仰, and the days to recovery are then counted by how well the great yang can draw the essence up. Whether it means the bending of the body or the rise and fall of breathing, the commentators have kept both.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The thing to be rescued 以救俛仰
治勞風之要,在救其俛仰
以救俛仰 — Suwen 33
2
The body reading 使人強上冥視
項強而頭上仰,俯仰不利
使人強上冥視 — Suwen 33
3
The breathing reading 勞風法在肺下
病在肺下,呼吸之俯仰亦不利
勞風法在肺下 — Suwen 33
4
Measured in days 巨陽引精者三日
巨陽引精者,三日而愈
巨陽引精者三日 — Suwen 33
5
Middle years 中年者五日
中年者五日而愈
中年者五日 — Suwen 33
6
Essence not sound 不精者七日
不精者七日而愈
不精者七日 — Suwen 33

Occurrences in the classics

Passages where the term does real work, with the original, pinyin and English on the same line.

Display
5 passages
素問·評熱病論 Suwen 33 · 評熱病論 Read in context →
歧伯曰:以救俛仰,巨陽引精者三日,中年者五日,不精者七日。 歧伯曰:以救俯仰,巨阳引精者三日,中年者五日,不精者七日。
Qí bó yuē: yǐ jiù fǔ yǎng, jù yáng yǐn jīng zhě sān rì, zhōng nián zhě wǔ rì, bù jīng zhě qī rì.
The point is to rescue the bending and lifting. Where the great yang can draw the essence up: three days. A person of middle years: five days. One whose essence is not sound: seven days.
勞風之治。「以」讀 yǐ;「救」讀 jiù;**「俛」讀 fǔ**;「仰」讀 yǎng;「巨」讀 jù;「陽」讀 yáng;「引」讀 yǐn;「精」讀 jīng;「者」讀 zhě;「三」讀 sān;「日」讀 rì;「中」讀 zhōng;「年」讀 nián;「五」讀 wǔ;「不」讀 bù;「七」讀 qī。**「三日、五日、七日」是本篇唯一以日數決愈期之處**,與第三十一篇「七日…十二日」之傳經日數、第三十二篇「所勝日」之汗出日數者,各自為例而皆以日為度。「不精者」之「精」,與上文「榖生於精」之「精」同一字,是本篇前後相應之脈絡。
素問·刺腰痛 Suwen 41 · 刺腰痛 Read in context →
少陽,令人腰痛,如以鍼刺其皮中,循循然不可以俛仰,不可以顧,刺少陽成骨之端出血。 少阳,令人腰痛,如以针刺其皮中,循循然不可以俯仰,不可以顾,刺少阳成骨之端出血。
Shào yáng, lìng rén yāo tòng, rú yǐ zhēn cì qí pí zhōng, xún xún rán bù kě yǐ fǔ yǎng, bù kě yǐ gù, cì shào yáng chéng gǔ zhī duān chū xuè.
Lesser yang: it gives pain in the lower back as though a needle had been driven into the skin; one moves with difficulty and can neither bend forward nor look round. Needle the end of the ridge bone of lesser yang and let blood.
**「不可以俛仰」本篇4見**——**少陽之條、衡絡之條、刺足少陽之條、如折之條**,**皆以俛仰之能否辨其所屬之經**。「俛」讀 fǔ**本篇4見,讀 fǔ**;「仰」讀 yǎng**本篇6見**——**俛仰四、「不可以仰」一、「仰則恐仆」一**。**與第三十三篇「以救俛仰」之俛仰同字**:**彼言救之,此言禁之**——**一為治法,一為禁狀**。
素問·厥論 Suwen 45 · 厥論 Read in context →
手太陽厥逆,耳聾泣出,項不可以顧,腰不可以俛仰,治主病者。 手太阳厥逆,耳聋泣出,项不可以顾,腰不可以俯仰,治主病者。
Shǒu tài yáng jué nì, ěr lóng qì chū, xiàng bù kě yǐ gù, yāo bù kě yǐ fǔ yǎng, zhì zhǔ bìng zhě.
In counterflow inversion of the hand greater yang there is deafness and tears, the nape cannot turn to look behind and the lower back cannot bend or straighten; treat what governs the disease.
「腰不可以俛仰」——**本篇「俛」讀 fǔ**;**「項不可以顧」之顧讀 gù**;「泣」讀 qì,**「耳聾泣出」之泣讀 qì,涕淚之泣,不作它篇「凝泣」之 sè**。
素問·脉解 Suwen 49 · 脉解 Read in context →
所謂腰脊痛不可以俛仰者,三月一振榮華,萬物一俛而不仰也。 所谓腰脊痛不可以俯仰者,三月一振荣华,万物一俯而不仰也。
Suǒ wèi yāo jǐ tòng bù kě yǐ fǔ yǎng zhě, sān yuè yī zhèn róng huā, wàn wù yī fǔ ér bù yǎng yě.
What is called pain in the low back and spine that forbids bending and looking up: in the third month one shaking brings forth the glory of blossom, and the myriad things bend down and do not lift; hence the pain.
「不可以「俛」讀 fǔ「仰」讀 yǎng者」——**本篇「俛仰」1見**;**字作「俛」——「俛」讀 fǔ,本篇2見,讀 fǔ,俯之古寫**;「脊」讀 jǐ、「振」讀 zhèn、**各本篇惟此一見**;**三月一振榮華,萬物一俛而不仰,故腰脊痛不可以俛仰**。
素問·陰陽應象大論 Suwen 5 · 陰陽應象大論 Read in context →
帝曰:法陰陽柰何?歧伯曰:陽勝則身熱,腠理閉,喘麤爲之俛仰。汗不出而熱,齒乾以煩冤,腹滿死。能冬不能夏。陰勝則身寒汗出,身常清,數慄而寒,寒則厥,厥則腹滿死。能夏不能冬。此陰陽更勝之變,病之形能也。 帝曰:法阴阳奈何?歧伯曰:阳胜则身热,腠理闭,喘粗为之俯仰。汗不出而热,齿干以烦冤,腹满死。能冬不能夏。阴胜则身寒汗出,身常清,数栗而寒,寒则厥,厥则腹满死。能夏不能冬。此阴阳更胜之变,病之形能也。
dì yuē: fǎ yīn yáng nài hé? qí bó yuē: yáng shèng zé shēn rè, còu lǐ bì, chuǎn cū wèi zhī fǔ yǎng. hàn bù chū ér rè, chǐ gān yǐ fán yuān, fù mǎn sǐ. nài dōng bù nài xià. yīn shèng zé shēn hán hàn chū, shēn cháng qīng, shuò lì ér hán, hán zé jué, jué zé fù mǎn sǐ. nài xià bù nài dōng. cǐ yīn yáng gèng shèng zhī biàn, bìng zhī xíng néng yě.
The Emperor asks: how does one take yin and yang as a model? Qi Bo says: when yang prevails the body is hot, the interstices close, and the breathing is coarse so that one bends and stretches. When sweat does not issue and the heat persists, the teeth are dry and there is vexatious oppression; with abdominal fullness, death. Such a person can endure winter but not summer. When yin prevails the body is cold and sweats, the body is constantly chilly, one shivers repeatedly and feels cold; with cold there is inversion, and with inversion and abdominal fullness, death. Such a person can endure summer but not winter. This is the change wrought by yin and yang prevailing in turn — the form and capacity of disease.
「爲之俛仰」——陽勝則身熱、腠理閉,喘麤而為之俛仰;**「俛仰」本篇1見**

Compounds built on this term

俛仰
fǔ yǎng
bending and lifting
本篇一見,勞風之主治
以救俛仰
yǐ jiù fǔ yǎng
to rescue the bending and lifting
本篇治法之綱
強上冥視
jiāng shàng míng shì
stiffening upward and seeing dimly
俛仰不利之證
引精
yǐn jīng
drawing the essence up
決其日數之據

How it has been translated

Every rendering below is a decision about which reader is being addressed. There is no neutral option.

Wiseman & Fengbending and stretchingThey take the pair as the body's forward and backward movement.
Unschuldto bend down and to look upUnschuld keeps both verbs, which preserves the fact that the text names two motions.
This sitebending and liftingWe keep the plain pair of motions. The base text writes 俛, the older graph for 俯, and we transcribe it while reading the current form; the English says what the body does.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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Reading path

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