脽

shuí

Shui · the buttock

Also rendered: The buttock (this site; the plain anatomical word, with the graph and its reading kept) · The rump; the sacral region (the looser renderings; the second implies the bone, which the graph does not)

Reviewed · 2026-10-01

At a glance

Pinyin
shuí
Simplified
脽
Literal
脽 shuí — the flesh of the buttock. The reading is known from Wang Bing, who glosses the graph with a homophone: 脽音誰. 《說文》釋為𡱂, and the Han commentator Yan Shigu states it flatly: 脽,臀也. Chapter 49 opens with 腫腰脽痛 — a swollen low back and pain in the buttock — and reads it off the greater yang vessel, which enters the buttock and runs down the back of the thigh.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:脽,𡱂也,从肉隹聲,示隹切。段玉裁注引顏師古曰「脽,臀也」,《廣雅·釋親》「臀謂之脽」。「脽」讀 shuí、**本篇2見,王冰注「脽音誰」**;「腫」讀 zhǒng、**本篇8見**;「腰」讀 yāo、**本篇5見**;**「腰脽痛」一語又見《素問·六元正紀大論》**。

In brief

The buttock — the flesh of it, not the bone. Chapter 49 uses the word twice, both in its opening complaint, and it is one of the few places in the Suwen where this graph is written; the received text often substitutes 臀. Wang Bing’s note 脽音誰 is what fixes the reading.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graph 脽
从肉隹聲,𡱂也,顏師古曰臀也
腫腰脽痛 — Suwen 49
2
The region 腰脽
腰與臀,足太陽脉所過
太陽所謂腫腰脽痛者 — Suwen 49
3
The reading shuí
王冰注「脽音誰」,本篇從之
故腫腰脽痛也 — Suwen 49
4
The vessel 太陽之脉
其脉抵腰中,入貫臀
太陽所謂腫腰脽痛者 — Suwen 49
5
The month 正月寅
太陽配正月,陽未得自次
正月太陽寅,寅太陽也 — Suwen 49
6
Elsewhere 腰脽痛
腰脽痛之語又見《六元正紀大論》
故腫腰脽痛也 — Suwen 49

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
4 passages
Suwen 49 Suwen 49 · 脉解 Read in context →
太陽所謂腫腰脽痛者,正月太陽寅,寅太陽也。正月陽氣出在上,而陰氣盛,陽未得自次也,故腫腰脽痛也。 太阳所谓肿腰脽痛者,正月太阳寅,寅太阳也。正月阳气出在上,而阴气盛,阳未得自次也,故肿腰脽痛也。
Tài yáng suǒ wèi zhǒng yāo shuí tòng zhě, zhēng yuè tài yáng yín, yín tài yáng yě. Zhēng yuè yáng qì chū zài shàng, ér yīn qì shèng, yáng wèi dé zì cì yě, gù zhǒng yāo shuí tòng yě.
When the greater yang is said to give a swollen low back and pain in the buttocks: the first month is greater yang at yin, and yin is greater yang. In the first month yang qi comes out and stays above while yin qi is still abundant, so yang has not yet reached its own place; hence the swollen low back and the pain in the buttocks.
**「脽」本篇2見——「脽」讀 shuí、**王冰注「脽音誰」**;「腫」讀 zhǒng、**本篇8見**;「寅」讀 yín、**本篇2見**;**「正月」讀 zhēng yuè——「正」讀 zhēng,****「陽未得自次」——「次」讀 cì讀 cì,位次也,本篇惟此一見**。
Suwen 70 Suwen 70 · 五常政大論 Read in context →
太陰司天,濕氣下臨,腎氣上從,黑起水變,埃冒雲雨,胸中不利,陰痿,氣大衰而不起不用,當其時,反腰脽痛,動轉不便也,厥逆。地乃藏陰,大寒且至,蟄蟲早附,心下否痛,地裂冰堅,少腹痛,時害於食,乘金則止水增,味乃鹹,行水減也。 太阴司天,湿气下临,肾气上从,黑起水变,埃冒云雨,胸中不利,阴痿,气大衰而不起不用,当其时,反腰脽痛,动转不便也,厥逆。地乃藏阴,大寒且至,蛰虫早附,心下否痛,地裂冰坚,少腹痛,时害于食,乘金则止水增,味乃咸,行水减也。
Tài yīn sī tiān, shī qì xià lín, shèn qì shàng cóng, hēi qǐ shuǐ biàn, āi mào yún yǔ, xiōng zhōng bù lì, yīn wěi, qì dà shuāi ér bù qǐ bù yòng, dāng qí shí, fǎn yāo shuí tòng, dòng zhuǎn bù biàn yě, jué nì. Dì nǎi cáng yīn, dà hán qiě zhì, zhé chóng zǎo fù, xīn xià pǐ tòng, dì liè bīng jiān, shào fù tòng, shí hài yú shí, chéng jīn zé zhǐ shuǐ zēng, wèi nǎi xián, xíng shuǐ jiǎn yě.
When greater yin governs the heaven the qi of dampness descends upon it and the qi of the kidney follows upward; black arises and water is changed; dust rises and cloud and rain come; there is discomfort in the chest and flaccidity of the yin organ; the qi greatly declines and cannot rise or be used; at that time there is rather pain in the loins and rump and difficulty in turning; there is counterflow. Earth then stores yin, great cold is at hand, burrowing insects take cover early, there is stuffiness and pain below the heart, the ground cracks and the ice is hard, the lower abdomen hurts, and eating is now and again spoiled. Where water rides upon metal the still water increases, the taste turns salty, and moving water is reduced.
**「脽」本篇1見,止在太陰司天「反腰脽痛」**;**此段「當其時,反腰脽痛,動轉不便也,厥逆」**
Suwen 71 Suwen 71 · 六元正紀大論 Read in context →
水鬱之發,陽氣乃辟,陰氣暴舉,大寒乃至,川澤嚴凝,寒雰結爲霜雪,甚則黄黑昏翳,流行氣交,乃爲霜殺,水乃見祥。故民病寒客心痛,腰脽痛,大關節不利,屈伸不便,善厥逆,痞堅腹滿。陽光不治,空積沈陰,白埃昏暝,而乃發也,其氣二火前後。太虚深𤣥,氣猶麻散,微見而隱,色黑微黄,怫之先兆也。 水郁之发,阳气乃辟,阴气暴举,大寒乃至,川泽严凝,寒雰结为霜雪,甚则黄黑昏翳,流行气交,乃为霜杀,水乃见祥。故民病寒客心痛,腰脽痛,大关节不利,屈伸不便,善厥逆,痞坚腹满。阳光不治,空积沉阴,白埃昏暝,而乃发也,其气二火前后。太虚深𤣥,气犹麻散,微见而隐,色黑微黄,怫之先兆也。
Shuǐ yù zhī fā, yáng qì nǎi bì, yīn qì bào jǔ, dà hán nǎi zhì, chuān zé yán níng, hán fēn jié wéi shuāng xuě, shèn zé huáng hēi hūn yì, liú xíng qì jiāo, nǎi wéi shuāng shā, shuǐ nǎi xiàn xiáng. Gù mín bìng hán kè xīn tòng, yāo shuí tòng, dà guān jié bù lì, qū shēn bù biàn, shàn jué nì, pǐ jiān fù mǎn. Yáng guāng bù zhì, kōng jī chén yīn, bái āi hūn míng, ér nǎi fā yě, qí qì èr huǒ qián hòu. Tài xū shēn xuán, qì yóu má sàn, wēi xiàn ér yǐn, sè hēi wēi huáng, fú zhī xiān zhào yě.
When water is pent and breaks out, the yang qi withdraws; the yin qi rises violently; great cold then arrives; rivers and marshes are sternly congealed; the cold vapour congeals into frost and snow; and in severe cases yellow and black darken and veil it, moving at the junction of qi, and it becomes the killing of frost, and water shows its portent. Therefore the people are ill with cold lodging in the heart and pain, pain in the waist and buttocks, the great joints unmoving with bending and stretching uneasy, often reversal, and hard knots with fullness of belly. The light of the sun does not govern, and in the void there gathers a heavy yin, and white dust makes a dim darkness — then it breaks out, in the second qi, before and after the fire. The great void is deep and dark; the qi scatters like hemp, faintly seen and then hidden, black in colour with a little yellow — the foretoken of what is pent.
**「脽」本篇3見,三見,皆在「腰脽痛」之内**;**此段「腰脽痛,大關節不利,屈伸不便」,水鬱之發所生**
Suwen 74 Suwen 74 · 至真要大論 Read in context →
太陰之勝,火氣内鬱,瘡瘍於中,流散於外,病在胠脅,甚則心痛,熱格頭痛,喉痺項強。獨勝則濕氣内鬱,寒迫下焦,痛留頂,互引眉間,胃滿,雨數至,燥化乃見,少腹滿,腰脽重強,内不便,善注泄,足下温,頭重,足脛胕腫,飲發於中,胕腫於上。 太阴之胜,火气内郁,疮疡于中,流散于外,病在胠胁,甚则心痛,热格头痛,喉痹项强。独胜则湿气内郁,寒迫下焦,痛留顶,互引眉间,胃满,雨数至,燥化乃见,少腹满,腰脽重强,内不便,善注泄,足下温,头重,足胫胕肿,饮发于中,胕肿于上。
Tài yīn zhī shèng, huǒ qì nèi yù, chuāng yáng yú zhōng, liú sàn yú wài, bìng zài qū xié, shèn zé xīn tòng, rè gé tóu tòng, hóu bì xiàng qiáng. Dú shèng zé shī qì nèi yù, hán pò xià jiāo, tòng liú dǐng, hù yǐn méi jiān, wèi mǎn, yǔ shuò zhì, zào huà nǎi xiàn, shào fù mǎn, yāo shuí zhòng qiáng, nèi bù biàn, shàn zhù xiè, zú xià wēn, tóu zhòng, zú jìng fū zhǒng, yǐn fā yú zhōng, fū zhǒng yú shàng.
When greater yin prevails, fire qi is pent within, sores form inside and scatter outward, and the illness lies in the flanks and ribs; in grave cases the heart pains, heat blocks upward with headache, and the throat is blocked with a stiff neck. When greater yin prevails alone, damp qi is pent within, cold presses on the lower burner, pain settles at the crown and pulls across to the brow, the stomach is full, rain comes again and again, and the dryness transformation then appears; the lower belly is full, the loins and rump are heavy and rigid, the stool does not pass, there is a tendency to pour, the soles are warm, the head is heavy, the legs and shins are swollen, and drink breaks out within with swelling above.
**「脽」本篇2見,二見皆在腰脽之内**;**此段「少腹滿,腰脽重強,内不便」,太陰之勝所生**

Compounds built on this term

腰脽
yāo shuí
low back and buttock
本篇二見
脽
shuí
the buttock
本篇二見
臀
tún
the buttock
通行本之字,與脽同義
腫
zhǒng
swelling
本篇八見

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe buttock脽 is the flesh of the region, and 臀 in the received text means the same; the entry keeps the graph because the base text writes it
Later medicine腰脽 pain in the low back and buttockthe combination is standard in the Suwen and is not divided
Modern editions臀部 Gluteal regionthey print 臀 and give the modern anatomical term

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-01

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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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