同病異治简体同病异治

tóng bìng yì zhì

One disease, different treatments

Also rendered: One disease, different treatments (this site; the four graphs kept as a single principle) · Treating the same disease differently (the plainer rendering)

Core vocabulary

Reviewed · 2026-09-30

At a glance

Pinyin: tóng bìng yì zhì
Simplified: 同病异治
Literal: 同病異治 tóng bìng yì zhì — four graphs that became a slogan of Chinese medicine, and the chapter states them as the conclusion of a single observation. Two neck abscesses, two instruments, both cured: therefore the name of the disease does not decide the treatment, the state of it does.
Shuowen: 《說文解字》：同，合會也；異，分也；治，水出東萊曲城陽丘山南入海，从水台聲（治水之治，引申為理病）。「同」讀 tóng、**本篇2見**，**「同名」「同病」各一**；「病」讀 bìng、**本篇19見**；「異」讀 yì、**本篇2見**，**「異等」「異治」各一**。

In brief

The principle chapter 46 draws from its abscess of the neck: what is called one disease may be two states, and the state settles the treatment. While the qi of the abscess is still growing one opens it with the needle; once qi is full and blood has gathered one drains it with stone. The chapter is careful to say that both grades carry the same name — 同名異等 — so the difference is in the disease and not in the physician.

Senses in the classical corpus

The four graphs 同、病、異、治

病同而治異

此所謂同病異治也 — Suwen 46

What is shared 同名

頸癰之名同，而其等不一

此同名異等者也 — Suwen 46

What differs 異等

等者，淺深先後之次

此同名異等者也 — Suwen 46

The earlier state 癰氣之息

息者生長未成，宜鍼開除去之

夫癰氣之息者 — Suwen 46

The later state 氣盛血聚

聚而成膿者，宜石而寫之

夫氣盛血聚者 — Suwen 46

The instruments that follow 鍼與石

鍼開而石寫，各因其等

宜石而寫之 — Suwen 46

Occurrences in the classics

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

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2 passages

Suwen 46 Suwen 46 · 病能論 Read in context →

夫癰氣之息者，宜以鍼開除去之，夫氣盛血聚者，宜石而寫之。此所謂同病異治也。夫痈气之息者，宜以针开除去之，夫气盛血聚者，宜石而写之。此所谓同病异治也。

Fú yōng qì zhī xī zhě, yí yǐ zhēn kāi chú qù zhī, fú qì shèng xuè jù zhě, yí shí ér xiě zhī. Cǐ suǒ wèi tóng bìng yì zhì yě.

Where the qi of the abscess is still growing, one should open it with the needle and let it out; where qi is full and blood has gathered, one should use stone and drain it. This is what is meant by one disease treated in different ways.

**「夫癰氣之息者，宜以鍼開除去之，夫氣盛血聚者，宜石而寫之」——**「寫」讀 xiě、**本篇惟一見，讀 xiě，瀉法之本字**；**本篇「寫」「瀉」二字並用，下文藥名「澤瀉」之瀉讀 xiè**；「鍼」讀 zhēn、**本篇3見**；**「息」者生長之義，王冰注「息，長也」**。

Suwen 70 Suwen 70 · 五常政大論 Read in context →

歧伯曰：西北之氣，散而寒之。東南之氣，收而温之。所謂同病異治也。故曰：氣寒氣涼，治以寒涼，行水漬之；氣温氣熱，治以温熱，强其内守，必同其氣，可使平也。假者反之。歧伯曰：西北之气，散而寒之。东南之气，收而温之。所谓同病异治也。故曰：气寒气凉，治以寒凉，行水渍之；气温气热，治以温热，强其内守，必同其气，可使平也。假者反之。

Qí bó yuē: xī běi zhī qì, sàn ér hán zhī. Dōng nán zhī qì, shōu ér wēn zhī. Suǒ wèi tóng bìng yì zhì yě. Gù yuē: qì hán qì liáng, zhì yǐ hán liáng, xíng shuǐ zì zhī; qì wēn qì rè, zhì yǐ wēn rè, qiáng qí nèi shǒu, bì tóng qí qì, kě shǐ píng yě. Jiǎ zhě fǎn zhī.

Qi Bo said: the qi of the north-west disperses and is cooled; the qi of the south-east gathers and is warmed. This is what is called the same illness treated differently. Therefore it is said: where the qi is cold and cool treat with cold and cool and steep it in water; where the qi is warm and hot treat with warm and hot and strengthen the inner guard, and one must match its qi — then it can be levelled. Where the appearance is false, do the opposite.

**「同病異治」本篇1見，止在此句**；**此段以「西北之氣，散而寒之；東南之氣，收而温之」立其例**；**「氣寒氣涼，治以寒涼」以下四句，皆同病異治之目**；**「行水漬之」本篇2見，亦在此段**

Compounds built on this term

同病異治

tóng bìng yì zhì

one disease, different treatments

本篇之結論

同名異等

tóng míng yì děng

the same name, a different grade

同病異治之所以然

以鍼開除去之

yǐ zhēn kāi chú qù zhī

open and let it out with the needle

未成膿者之法

宜石而寫之

yí shí ér xiě zhī

use stone and drain it

已成膿者之法

How it has been translated

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

This site	one disease, different treatments	同病異治 kept whole, since it is quoted as a formula
Unschuld	identical disease, different therapy	he renders the pair clause by clause
Wiseman	same disease, different treatment	同病異治 in his system

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09-30

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