衄

nǜ

Nosebleed

Also rendered: Nosebleed (this site; one word for one graph) · Epistaxis (the clinical term, available but not used here)

Reviewed · 2026-09-30

At a glance

Pinyin
nǜ
Simplified
衄
Literal
衄 nǜ — nosebleed, and in this chapter always in the company of other bleeding: 嘔血 in greater yang inversion, and again in yang brightness. The graph says nothing about the cause; the chapter simply sets it beside the other losses and leaves it there.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:衄,鼻出血也,从血丑聲。「衄」讀 nǜ、**本篇2見**;**一在太陽厥逆「嘔血,善衄」,一在陽明厥逆「善驚衄嘔血」**;**皆與嘔血並見,為血之妄行於上**。

In brief

Bleeding from the nose. Chapter 45 names it twice, both times in the counterflow catalogue and both times next to vomiting of blood — which is how the chapter quietly says that the blood is moving the wrong way.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graph 衄
从血丑聲,鼻出血也
善衄 — Suwen 45
2
In greater yang 嘔血,善衄
太陽厥逆,僵仆而嘔血、善衄
太陽厥逆,僵仆,嘔血,善衄 — Suwen 45
3
In yang brightness 善驚衄嘔血
陽明厥逆,喘欬身熱而驚、衄、嘔血並見
善驚衄嘔血 — Suwen 45
4
Read along the blood 血
本篇之血二見,皆在上出之路
嘔血,善衄 — Suwen 45
5
How often here 善
善衄者,屢易為之,非一時之見
善衄 — Suwen 45
6
That it is treatable 治主病者
太陽一條見嘔血善衄而仍可治,與腸癰異
太陽厥逆 — Suwen 45

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
5 passages
Suwen 45 Suwen 45 · 厥論 Read in context →
陽明厥逆,喘欬,身熱,善驚衄嘔血。 阳明厥逆,喘咳,身热,善惊衄呕血。
Yáng míng jué nì, chuǎn kài, shēn rè, shàn jīng nǜ ǒu xuè.
In counterflow inversion of yang brightness there is panting and coughing, heat in the body, and a readiness to take fright, to bleed from the nose and to vomit blood.
**「善驚衄嘔血」——**「衄」讀 nǜ、**本篇2見,皆與嘔血連言**;**此條底本無「治主病者」四字,而上下諸條皆有**;「欬」讀 kài,**「喘欬」之欬,本站通例讀 kài**。
素問·大奇論 Suwen 48 · 大奇論 Read in context →
脉至,而搏血衄,身熱者死。脉來懸鈎浮爲常脉。 脉至,而搏血衄,身热者死。脉来悬钩浮为常脉。
Mài zhì, ér bó xuè nǜ, shēn rè zhě sǐ. Mài lái xuán gōu fú wéi cháng mài.
A pulse that arrives beating up, with bleeding from the nose, means death if the body is feverish. A pulse that comes hanging, hooked and floating is the ordinary pulse.
「脉至,而搏血「衄」讀 nǜ,身熱者死」——「衄」讀 nǜ、**本篇惟此一見,讀 nǜ**;**「搏血衄」謂脉搏擊而見血衄,與「血温身熱者死」同為熱盛之候**。
素問·水熱穴論 Suwen 61 · 水熱穴論 Read in context →
故曰:冬取井滎,春不鼽衄。此之謂也。 故曰:冬取井荥,春不鼽衄。此之谓也。
Gù yuē: dōng qǔ jǐng xíng, chūn bù qiú nǜ. Cǐ zhī wèi yě.
Hence it is said: take the well and the gushing points in winter, and in spring there will be no stuffed nose and no nosebleed. This is what that means.
「冬取井滎,春不鼽「衄」讀 nǜ」——**「衄」本篇1見,讀 nǜ,鼻中出血**;**與「鼽」連言:鼽為鼻塞、衄為鼻血,二字本篇各一見**;**冬取井以下陰逆、取滎以實陽氣,故春不病此**
素問·繆刺論 Suwen 63 · 繆刺論 Read in context →
邪客於足陽明之經,令人鼽衄、上齒寒,刺足中指次指爪甲上與肉交者,各一痏。 邪客于足阳明之经,令人鼽衄、上齿寒,刺足中指次指爪甲上与肉交者,各一痏。
Xié kè yú zú yáng míng zhī jīng, lìng rén qiú nǜ, shàng chǐ hán, cì zú zhōng zhǐ cì zhǐ zhǎo jiǎ shàng yǔ ròu jiāo zhě, gè yī wěi.
When evil lodges in the channel of the foot yang brightness it causes a stopped nose and nosebleed and coldness of the upper teeth. Puncture where the nails of the middle and second toes meet the flesh, one puncture on each side.
「邪客於足陽明之經,令人鼽衄、上齒寒」——**「衄」本篇1見,在足陽明之經一證中**:**鼽衄並見而上齒寒——鼽者鼻塞,衄者鼻血,皆足陽明經氣上逆之證**;**刺足中指次指爪甲上與肉交者,各一痏**;**「衄」讀 nǜ**
素問·金匱真言論 Suwen 4 · 金匱真言論 Read in context →
故春善病鼽衄,仲夏善病胸脅,長夏善病洞泄寒中,秋善病風瘧,冬善病痺厥。 故春善病鼽衄,仲夏善病胸胁,长夏善病洞泄寒中,秋善病风疟,冬善病痹厥。
gù chūn shàn bìng qiú nǜ, zhòng xià shàn bìng xiōng xié, cháng xià shàn bìng dòng xiè hán zhōng, qiū shàn bìng fēng nüè, dōng shàn bìng bì jué.
Thus in spring one is prone to snivelling and nosebleed; in midsummer to disease of the chest and flanks; in late summer to pouring diarrhoea with cold within; in autumn to wind malaria; in winter to impediment inversion.
「故春善病鼽衄」——鼽讀 qiú,鼻塞;衄讀 nǜ,鼻出血;**「衄」本篇2見**

Compounds built on this term

衄
nǜ
nosebleed
本篇二見
善衄
shàn nǜ
ready nosebleed
太陽厥逆之候
嘔血
ǒu xuè
vomiting of blood
與衄並見者
善驚衄嘔血
shàn jīng nǜ ǒu xuè
fright, nosebleed and vomiting of blood
陽明厥逆之候

How it has been translated

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

This sitenosebleed衄 is rendered by the plain English word
Unschuldnosebleedhe renders the graph directly
Wisemannosebleedthe same rendering in his system

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09-30

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