Classica Sinica Medica

肌痺 简体 肌痹

jī bì

Flesh obstruction

Also rendered: Flesh obstruction (this site; flesh for 肌, since the text's 肌 is the tissue and not the modern muscle) · Flesh impediment (where the whole family of 痺 names is rendered with impediment)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
jī bì
Simplified
肌痹
Literal
肌痺 jī bì — the obstruction met at utmost yin, the long summer that stands between summer and autumn. The five are sorted by season and the five seasons need a fifth name, so the chapter reaches for 至陰 rather than a month. Long summer belongs to the flesh, and the flesh is matched with the spleen.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：肌，肉也，从肉几聲；痺，濕病也，从疒畀聲。「肌」讀 jī、**本篇3見**——**「以至陰遇此者，爲肌痺」1見、「肌痺不已」1見、「淫氣肌絶」1見、「在於肉則不仁」1見、「肌肉」（五藏生成之類，本篇無）**；「痺」讀 bì。「**肌痺不已，復感於邪，内舍於脾**」——**肌合於脾**。

In brief

The obstruction that comes of meeting the three qi at utmost yin, the long summer. Flesh is the tissue of that season and the spleen is the store it is matched with, so flesh obstruction that persists and meets evil again lodges in the spleen. Lodged in the flesh it shows as insensitivity.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graphs 肌、痺
肌者肉也，痺者濕病也
以至陰遇此者，爲肌痺 — Suwen 43
2
Why utmost yin 以至陰遇此者
至陰謂長夏，長夏之氣在肌
以至陰遇此者，爲肌痺 — Suwen 43
3
Where it goes inward 内舍於脾
肌與脾合，久而不去則舍於所合
肌痺不已，復感於邪，内舍於脾 — Suwen 43
4
What it does in the limb 在於肉則不仁
肉病則不知痛癢
在於肉則不仁 — Suwen 43
5
The evil that names it 淫氣肌絶
肌氣傷敗，痺聚在脾
淫氣肌絶 — Suwen 43
6
Its place among the five 骨、筋、脉、肌、皮
五痺以五時配五形
以冬遇此者，爲骨痺 — Suwen 43

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
3 passages
Suwen 43 Suwen 43 · 痺論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：以冬遇此者，爲骨痺；以春遇此者，爲筋痺；以夏遇此者，爲脉痺；以至陰遇此者，爲肌痺；以秋遇此者，爲皮痺。 歧伯曰：以冬遇此者，为骨痹；以春遇此者，为筋痹；以夏遇此者，为脉痹；以至阴遇此者，为肌痹；以秋遇此者，为皮痹。
Qí bó yuē: yǐ dōng yù cǐ zhě, wéi gǔ bì; yǐ chūn yù cǐ zhě, wéi jīn bì; yǐ xià yù cǐ zhě, wéi mài bì; yǐ zhì yīn yù cǐ zhě, wéi jī bì; yǐ qiū yù cǐ zhě, wéi pí bì.
Qi Bo says: meeting it in winter gives bone obstruction; in spring, sinew obstruction; in summer, vessel obstruction; at ultimate yin — the late summer — flesh obstruction; in autumn, skin obstruction.
**「以至陰遇此者，爲肌痺」——**「至」讀 zhì、**「至陰」讀 zhì yīn，王冰「至陰，謂長夏也」**，**與 ch38「乘至陰則脾先受之」同例**；「肌」讀 jī、**本篇3見**；**下文「肌痺不已，復感於邪，内舍於脾」**；**下文「淫氣肌絶，痺聚在脾」——「絶」讀 jué，**本篇「絶」1見，从底本作「絶」不作「絕」**。
素問·痿論 Suwen 44 · 痿論 Read in context →
故本病曰：大經空虚，發爲肌痺，傳爲脉痿。 故本病曰：大经空虚，发为肌痹，传为脉痿。
Gù běn bìng yuē: dà jīng kōng xū, fā wéi jī bì, chuán wéi mài wěi.
Thus the Benbing says: when the great conduits are empty, flesh obstruction develops and passes on into vessel flaccidity.
「大經空虚，發爲肌痺，傳爲脉痿」——**肌痺本篇惟此一見，ch43 所立（至陰遇之為肌痺）**；**此言肌痺不已、傳入於脉，則為脉痿**；「傳」讀 chuán、**傳讀 chuán**。
素問·長刺節論 Suwen 55 · 長刺節論 Read in context →
病在肌膚，肌膚盡痛，名曰肌痺。 病在肌肤，肌肤尽痛，名曰肌痹。
Bìng zài jī fū, jī fū jìn tòng, míng yuē jī bì.
Trouble in the flesh and skin, with pain all through them, is called flesh obstruction.
「病在肌膚，肌膚盡痛，名曰「肌」讀 jī「痺」讀 bì」——**本篇「肌痺」1見，讀 jī bì**；**本目為第四十三篇所立（至陰遇三氣則為肌痺，不已則內舍於脾）**；**本篇之肌痺因於「傷於寒濕」，其治在「刺大分小分，多發針而深之，以熱為故」**；「膚」讀 fū、**「肌膚」之膚讀 fū，本篇2見**

Compounds built on this term

肌痺
jī bì
flesh obstruction
本篇五痺之一，得之於至陰
以至陰遇此者
yǐ zhì yīn yù cǐ zhě
meeting it at utmost yin
至陰謂長夏
内舍於脾
nèi shě yú pí
lodging inward in the spleen
肌與脾合
淫氣肌絶
yín qì jī jué
overflowing qi and the flesh spent
痺聚在脾

How it has been translated

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

This siteflesh obstructionflesh is used throughout for 肌
Unschuldflesh blockagethe same construction
Wisemanflesh impedimentimpediment for 痺

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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