巔疾 简体 巅疾

diān jí

Peak illness · dian ji

Also rendered: Peak illness (this site; the base text writes 巔 from 山, and the rendering keeps the crown of the head in view) · Epilepsy (the usual rendering where the text is read with the later graph 癲 from 疒)

Reviewed · 2026-09-30

At a glance

Pinyin
diān jí
Simplified
巅疾
Literal
巔疾 diān jí — and the graph is the whole point. This base text writes 巔, from 山, the crown of the head; the received text writes 癲, from 疒, the later graph of the epilepsy vocabulary. The two are read alike and are constantly exchanged, and this site keeps the base text's graph because the chapter's own account is about the top of the head: marrow has the brain as its master, and when the brain counterflows the head aches.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:巔,頂也,从山顛聲。「巔」讀 diān、**本篇2見**:**「人生而有病巔疾者」與「故令子發爲巔疾也」二處皆从山**;**通行本作「癲」从疒,本站第八百七十目「癲疾」用之,二字同讀而形異**。

In brief

The illness of the crown of the head, and in chapter 47 an illness a child is born with. The base text writes 巔, from 山; the received text writes 癲, from 疒. This site follows the base text and keeps the two apart, the more readily because the chapter itself locates the disease: marrow, whose master is the brain.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graph 巔疾
底本作「巔」从山,巔卽頂,讀 diān
人生而有病巔疾者 — Suwen 47
2
Not the later graph 不作「癲」
通行本作「癲」从疒,後起之字;底本二處皆从山
人生而有病巔疾者 — Suwen 47
3
What it means here 頭頂之疾
巔為頂,病在頭頂
人生而有病巔疾者 — Suwen 47
4
That it is inborn 生而有之
生而已有,非後所得
人生而有病巔疾者 — Suwen 47
5
Where it came from 得之母腹
母驚氣上,精氣并居,故子發此疾
此得之在母腹中時 — Suwen 47
6
How often it is written 本篇二見
一見於問語,一見於「發為巔疾」
故令子發爲巔疾也 — Suwen 47

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
7 passages
Suwen 47 Suwen 47 · 奇病論 Read in context →
帝曰:人生而有病巔疾者,病名曰何?安所得之?歧伯曰:病名爲胎病。此得之在母腹中時,其母有所大驚,氣上而不下,精氣并居,故令子發爲巔疾也。 帝曰:人生而有病巅疾者,病名曰何?安所得之?歧伯曰:病名为胎病。此得之在母腹中时,其母有所大惊,气上而不下,精气并居,故令子发为巅疾也。
Dì yuē: rén shēng ér yǒu bìng diān jí zhě, bìng míng yuē hé? Ān suǒ dé zhī? Qí bó yuē: bìng míng wéi tāi bìng. Cǐ dé zhī zài mǔ fù zhōng shí, qí mǔ yǒu suǒ dà jīng, qì shàng ér bù xià, jīng qì bìng jū, gù lìng zǐ fā wéi diān jí yě.
The Emperor asks: a person born already ill with peak illness — what is the illness named, and how was it got? Qi Bo answers: the illness is named womb illness. It was got while the child was in the mother’s belly: the mother had some great fright, so that the qi rose and did not descend and the essence qi stayed gathered together; thus the child is made to develop peak illness.
**「人生而有病巔疾者」——**「巔」讀 diān、**本篇2見**,**皆从山,不作「癲」**;「疾」讀 jí、**本篇2見**;**下文「故令子發爲巔疾也」同形**。
素問·脉解 Suwen 49 · 脉解 Read in context →
所謂甚則狂巔疾者,陽盡在上,而陰氣從下,下虚上實,故狂巔疾也。 所谓甚则狂巅疾者,阳尽在上,而阴气从下,下虚上实,故狂巅疾也。
Suǒ wèi shèn zé kuáng diān jí zhě, yáng jìn zài shàng, ér yīn qì cóng xià, xià xū shàng shí, gù kuáng diān jí yě.
What is called madness and disease of the crown in severe cases: yang is spent above while yin qi follows from below — depleted below, replete above; hence madness and disease of the crown.
「甚則狂「巔」讀 diān疾者」——**本篇「巔疾」2見**;**字作「巔」从山——「巔」讀 diān,本篇2見,通行本作「癲」从疒**;「狂」讀 kuáng、**本篇2見**;**陽盡在上而陰氣從下,下虚上實,故狂巔疾**。
素問·四時刺逆從論 Suwen 64 · 四時刺逆從論 Read in context →
太陽有餘,病骨痺身重;不足病腎痺;滑則病腎風疝,濇則病積,善時巔疾。 太阳有余,病骨痹身重;不足病肾痹;滑则病肾风疝,涩则病积,善时巅疾。
Tài yáng yǒu yú, bìng gǔ bì shēn zhòng; bù zú bìng shèn bì; huá zé bìng shèn fēng shàn, sè zé bìng jī, shàn shí diān jí.
When greater yang is in surplus the disease is bone obstruction and heaviness of the body; when it is insufficient, kidney obstruction. A slippery pulse brings kidney wind mounting; a rough pulse brings accumulation, with a tendency at times to disease of the crown.
「濇則病積,善時巔疾」——**「巔疾」本篇1見**;**「巔」讀 diān,从山,頭頂也,字亦作「癲**」;**太陽之脉交巔上,故其病發於巔頂**;**與第四十九篇「甚則狂巔疾」、第四十七篇「人生而有病巔疾者」互見**
素問·氣交變大論 Suwen 69 · 氣交變大論 Read in context →
帝曰:五運之化,太過何如?歧伯曰:歲木太過,風氣流行,脾土受邪,民病飱泄食減,體重煩冤,腸鳴,腹支滿,上應歲星。甚則忽忽善怒,眩冒巔疾,化氣不政,生氣獨治,雲物飛動,草木不寧,甚而搖落,反脅痛而吐甚。衝陽絶者,死不治,上應太白星。 帝曰:五运之化,太过何如?歧伯曰:岁木太过,风气流行,脾土受邪,民病飧泄食减,体重烦冤,肠鸣,腹支满,上应岁星。甚则忽忽善怒,眩冒巅疾,化气不政,生气独治,云物飞动,草木不宁,甚而摇落,反胁痛而吐甚。冲阳绝者,死不治,上应太白星。
Dì yuē: wǔ yùn zhī huà, tài guò hé rú? Qí bó yuē: suì mù tài guò, fēng qì liú xíng, pí tǔ shòu xié, mín bìng sūn xiè shí jiǎn, tǐ zhòng fán yuān, cháng míng, fù zhī mǎn, shàng yìng suì xīng. Shèn zé hū hū shàn nù, xuàn mào diān jí, huà qì bù zhèng, shēng qì dú zhì, yún wù fēi dòng, cǎo mù bù níng, shèn ér yáo luò, fǎn xié tòng ér tù shèn. Chōng yáng jué zhě, sǐ bù zhì, shàng yìng tài bái xīng.
Huang Di said: as for the transformation of the five circuits, what is it like when there is surplus? Qi Bo said: in a year of wood in surplus, the qi of wind spreads and moves and the earth of the spleen receives evil; the people are ill with gruel diarrhoea and diminished eating, a heavy body and freting oppression, rumbling in the bowels and fullness propping the abdomen; it answers above to Jupiter. If it is severe they are dazed and quick to anger, dizzy and veiled, with illness at the crown; the qi of transformation does not govern and the qi of growth rules alone, clouds and things fly and move, plants and trees are not at rest and are even shaken bare, and there is counterflow pain in the flanks and severe vomiting. Where Chongyang is cut off there is death and no cure; it answers above to Venus.
「甚則忽忽善怒,眩冒巔疾,化氣不政,生氣獨治」——**「巔疾」本篇1見,止此一見**;**底本作「巔」从山,與第四十七篇同例;本篇無从疒之「癲」**;**本篇巔疾因歲木太過、風氣上盛而起,與眩冒同見**;**「巔」讀 diān、「疾」讀 jí**
素問·脉要精微論 Suwen 17 · 脉要精微論 Read in context →
麤大者,陰不足,陽有餘,爲熱中也。來疾去徐,上實下虚,爲厥巔疾;來徐去疾,上虚下實,爲惡風也。故中惡風者,陽氣受也。 粗大者,阴不足,阳有余,为热中也。来疾去徐,上实下虚,为厥巅疾;来徐去疾,上虚下实,为恶风也。故中恶风者,阳气受也。
cū dà zhě, yīn bù zú, yáng yǒu yú, wéi rè zhōng yě. lái jí qù xú, shàng shí xià xū, wéi jué diān jí; lái xú qù jí, shàng xū xià shí, wéi wù fēng yě. gù zhòng wù fēng zhě, yáng qì shòu yě.
A pulse that is coarse and large means yin insufficient and yang in excess: this is heat in the interior. If it comes swift and goes slow, the upper is replete and the lower empty, and this becomes counterflow disease of the crown. If it comes slow and goes swift, the upper is empty and the lower replete, and this is aversion to wind. Therefore one who is struck by wind aversion has yang qi receiving it.
「爲厥巔疾」,來疾去徐、上實下虚則為厥巔疾。巔從山,謂頭巔之病,本目存底本字形。
素問·玉機真藏論 Suwen 19 · 玉機真藏論 Read in context →
帝曰:春脉太過與不及,其病皆何如?歧伯曰:太過則令人善忘,忽忽眩冒而巔疾;其不及,則令人胸痛引背,下則兩脅胠滿。帝曰:善。 帝曰:春脉太过与不及,其病皆何如?歧伯曰:太过则令人善忘,忽忽眩冒而巅疾;其不及,则令人胸痛引背,下则两胁胠满。帝曰:善。
Dì yuē: chūn mài tài guò yǔ bù jí, qí bìng jiē hé rú? Qí bó yuē: tài guò zé lìng rén shàn wàng, hū hū xuàn mào ér diān jí; qí bù jí, zé lìng rén xiōng tòng yǐn bèi, xià zé liǎng xié qū mǎn. Dì yuē: shàn.
With excess one becomes forgetful, muddled and dizzy, with disease of the crown of the head. With deficiency the chest aches and pulls through to the back, and lower down the two flanks are full.
「眩冒而巔疾」,春脉太過、氣之升者有餘,故眩冒而為巔疾。巔者頭頂,氣逆於上則病見於巔。
Suwen 70 Suwen 70 · 五常政大論 Read in context →
其化生,其氣美,其政散,其令條舒,其動掉眩巔疾,其德鳴靡啓坼,其變振拉摧拔,其榖麻稻,其畜雞犬,其果李桃,其色青、黄白,其味酸甘辛,其象春,其經足厥陰少陽,其藏肝脾,其蟲毛介,其物中堅外堅,其病怒。 其化生,其气美,其政散,其令条舒,其动掉眩巅疾,其德鸣靡启坼,其变振拉摧拔,其谷麻稻,其畜鸡犬,其果李桃,其色青、黄白,其味酸甘辛,其象春,其经足厥阴少阳,其藏肝脾,其虫毛介,其物中坚外坚,其病怒。
Qí huà shēng, qí qì měi, qí zhèng sàn, qí lìng tiáo shū, qí dòng diào xuàn diān jí, qí dé míng mǐ qǐ chè, qí biàn zhèn lā cuī bá, qí gǔ má dào, qí chù jī quǎn, qí guǒ lǐ táo, qí sè qīng, huáng bái, qí wèi suān gān xīn, qí xiàng chūn, qí jīng zú jué yīn shào yáng, qí zàng gān pí, qí chóng máo jiè, qí wù zhōng jiān wài jiān, qí bìng nù.
Its transformation growth, its qi fair, its governance scattering, its command spread out and relaxed, its movement shaking, dizziness and crown illness, its virtue clamour and crumbling, opening and splitting, its change shaking, tearing, breaking and uprooting, its grain hemp and rice, its domestic animal the fowl and the dog, its fruit the plum and the peach, its colour blue-green, yellow and white, its flavour sour, sweet and acrid, its image spring, its channels the foot ceasing yin and lesser yang, its viscera the liver and spleen, its creature the hairy and the shelled, its thing hard within and hard without, its illness anger.
**「巔疾」本篇1見,止在發生之紀「其動掉眩巔疾」**;**木太過則動而掉眩,其疾在巔**

Compounds built on this term

巔疾
diān jí
peak illness
底本从山之寫法
癲疾
diān jí
the same word written with 癲
本站第八百七十目
胎病
tāi bìng
womb illness
巔疾之所從來
骨髓
gǔ suǐ
bone and marrow
髓以腦為主,與頭頂之疾相貫

How it has been translated

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

This sitepeak illness巔 is rendered from 山, so the reader sees which graph the base text carries
Unschuldpeak illnesshe notes the exchange of the two graphs
Wisemanepilepsyhis system reads the word with 癲 and renders it as epilepsy throughout

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09-30

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Reading path

Guided routes through the corpus, each built on a handful of chapters and their key terms.

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