苛疾

kē jí

Grievous illness

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
kē jí
Simplified
苛疾
Literal
Harsh, petty-exacting illness; an illness that wears one down.

In brief

The chapter’s word for the serious illness that does not arise — the one you avoid by following the seasons rather than by any treatment. The transmitted text varies between 苛 and 奇 here; both readings are recorded.

苛 means harsh, exacting, small and persistent — the opposite of a single dramatic event. As a qualifier on 疾 it names the kind of illness that grinds.

The transmitted text is unsettled: the same chapter has 身無奇病 above and 苛疾不起 here, and some editions read 苛 in both places. The variant is recorded rather than resolved here, since the difference does not change the argument.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
Serious, grinding illness 苛疾
What following the seasons keeps from arising
What following the seasons keeps from arising
從之則苛疾不起 — 素問·四氣調神大論

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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3 passages
素問·四氣調神大論 Read in context →
故陰陽四時者,萬物之終始也,死生之本也。逆之則災害生,從之則苛疾不起,是謂得道。 故阴阳四时者,万物之终始也,死生之本也。逆之则灾害生,从之则苛疾不起,是谓得道。
Gù yīn yáng sì shí zhě, wàn wù zhī zhōng shǐ yě, sǐ shēng zhī běn yě. nì zhī zé zāi hài shēng, cóng zhī zé kē jí bù qǐ, shì wèi dé dào.
Yin and yang and the four seasons are the ending and the beginning of the ten thousand things; they are the root of death and of life. Go against them and calamity arises; follow them and grievous illness does not get up. This is called getting the way.
「從之則苛疾不起」——逆之則災害生,從之則苛疾不起;「苛疾」本篇1見
素問·六元正紀大論 Read in context →
終之氣,地氣正,風乃至,萬物反生,霿霧以行,其病開閉不禁,心痛,陽氣不藏而欬。抑其運氣,贊所不勝,必折其鬱氣,先取化源,暴過不生,苛疾不起。故歲宜鹹,辛宜酸,滲之泄之,漬之發之,觀氣寒温,以調其過。同風熱者多寒化,異風熱者少寒化。用熱遠熱,用温遠温,用寒遠寒,用涼遠涼,食宜同法,此其道也。有假者反之,反是者,病之階也。 终之气,地气正,风乃至,万物反生,霿雾以行,其病开闭不禁,心痛,阳气不藏而咳。抑其运气,赞所不胜,必折其郁气,先取化源,暴过不生,苛疾不起。故岁宜咸,辛宜酸,渗之泄之,渍之发之,观气寒温,以调其过。同风热者多寒化,异风热者少寒化。用热远热,用温远温,用寒远寒,用凉远凉,食宜同法,此其道也。有假者反之,反是者,病之阶也。
Zhōng zhī qì, dì qì zhèng, fēng nǎi zhì, wàn wù fǎn shēng, méng wù yǐ xíng, qí bìng kāi bì bù jìn, xīn tòng, yáng qì bù cáng ér kài. Yì qí yùn qì, zàn suǒ bù shèng, bì zhé qí yù qì, xiān qǔ huà yuán, bào guò bù shēng, kē jí bù qǐ. Gù suì yí xián, xīn yí suān, shèn zhī xiè zhī, zì zhī fā zhī, guān qì hán wēn, yǐ tiáo qí guò. Tóng fēng rè zhě duō hán huà, yì fēng rè zhě shǎo hán huà. Yòng rè yuǎn rè, yòng wēn yuǎn wēn, yòng hán yuǎn hán, yòng liáng yuǎn liáng, shí yí tóng fǎ, cǐ qí dào yě. Yǒu jiǎ zhě fǎn zhī, fǎn shì zhě, bìng zhī jiē yě.
The final qi: the qi of earth is upright and wind then arrives; the ten thousand things sprout instead; murky fog moves; its illnesses are an opening and closing that cannot be restrained, and heart pain; the yang qi cannot hide and there is coughing. Check their circuit qi and aid what they do not prevail over; one must break their pent qi and first take the source of transformation, so that violent excess does not arise and harsh illness does not begin. Therefore in such a year salty and pungent are fitting, and sour as well; strain them and drain them, steep them and disperse them, watch whether the qi is cold or warm, and so correct what is over. Where it is the same as wind and heat, use much cold transformation; where different from wind and heat, use little cold transformation. In using heat keep far from heat, in using warm keep far from warm, in using cold keep far from cold, in using cool keep far from cool. Food follows the same rule. Where there is a pretext, one goes contrary; to go contrary to it is the stair to illness.
「苛疾」本篇1見,止在此句;此段「暴過不生,苛疾不起」,少陽司天治則之效
素問·至真要大論 Read in context →
帝曰:差有數乎?歧伯曰:又凡三十度也。帝曰:其脉應皆何如?歧伯曰:差同正法,待時而去也。脉要曰:春不沈,夏不弦,冬不濇,秋不數,是謂四塞。沈甚,曰病;弦甚,曰病;濇甚,曰病;數甚,曰病;參見,曰病;復見,曰病,未去而去曰病;去而不去曰病,反者死。故曰:氣之相守司也,如權衡之不得相失也。夫陰陽之氣,清靜則生化治,動則苛疾起。此之謂也。帝曰:幽明何如? 帝曰:差有数乎?歧伯曰:又凡三十度也。帝曰:其脉应皆何如?歧伯曰:差同正法,待时而去也。脉要曰:春不沉,夏不弦,冬不涩,秋不数,是谓四塞。沉甚,曰病;弦甚,曰病;涩甚,曰病;数甚,曰病;参见,曰病;复见,曰病,未去而去曰病;去而不去曰病,反者死。故曰:气之相守司也,如权衡之不得相失也。夫阴阳之气,清静则生化治,动则苛疾起。此之谓也。帝曰:幽明何如?
Dì yuē: chài yǒu shù hū? Qí bó yuē: yòu fán sān shí dù yě. Dì yuē: qí mài yìng jiē hé rú? Qí bó yuē: chài tóng zhèng fǎ, dài shí ér qù yě. Mài yào yuē: chūn bù chén, xià bù xián, dōng bù sè, qiū bù shuò, shì wèi sì sè. Chén shèn, yuē bìng; xián shèn, yuē bìng; sè shèn, yuē bìng; shuò shèn, yuē bìng; cēn xiàn, yuē bìng; fù xiàn, yuē bìng, wèi qù ér qù yuē bìng; qù ér bù qù yuē bìng, fǎn zhě sǐ. Gù yuē: qì zhī xiāng shǒu sī yě, rú quán héng zhī bù dé xiāng shī yě. Fú yīn yáng zhī qì, qīng jìng zé shēng huà zhì, dòng zé kē jí qǐ. Cǐ zhī wèi yě. Dì yuē: yōu míng hé rú?
Huang Di said: does the degree have a number? Qi Bo said: about thirty degrees in all. Huang Di said: what of the responses of the pulse? Qi Bo said: the degree is the same as the upright law, waiting for the season to go. The Pulse Essentials says: in spring not sunken, in summer not taut, in winter not rough, in autumn not frequent — this is called the four blockings. If it is sunken in excess, it is illness; taut in excess, illness; rough in excess, illness; frequent in excess, illness; if it appears mixed, illness; if it appears again, illness; to go before going is illness; to go and not go is illness; if it reverses, death. Hence it is said: the qi keeps watch over one another, as the balance-beam cannot lose the other. The qi of yin and yang, when clear and still, generates and transforms and is governed; when moved, severe illness arises. This is what is meant. Huang Di said: what of the dark and the bright?
「苛疾」本篇1見,止在此句;此段「動則苛疾起」,與上文「清靜則生化治」相對;二字《素問》他篇作「奇」,二讀並存

Compounds built on this term

疾
jí
illness
The general word; 病 is the heavier state
奇病
qí bìng
strange illness
The variant reading in the same chapter

How it has been translated

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

This sitegrievous illnessKeeps the weight without specifying a disease.
Common Englishserious illness, severe diseaseEither is acceptable.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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Reading path

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