Classica Sinica Medica

病能

bìng néng

The condition of the illness · bing neng

Also rendered: The illness's bearing (exact, and it is awkward English) · The disease state (clinical, and it is a modern term of art)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-10-18

At a glance

Pinyin
bìng néng
Simplified
病能
Literal
病 bìng — illness; 能 néng — here read as 態, the bearing, the condition. The shape an illness takes, not the ability to be ill.
Shuowen
《說文》：病，疾加也，從疒，丙聲。《說文》：能，熊屬，足似鹿，從肉，㠯聲；能為態之省借，《素問》有《病能論》，即用此義。本篇「病能」1見，即「合之病能」；「能」字2見，另一為「故能長久」，彼為才能之能，此為病態之能，同字而異讀異義。

In brief

The condition or bearing of an illness: 能 read as 態, not the ordinary 能. The chapter’s great method runs 循尺滑濇寒溫之意，視其大小，合之病能，逆從以得，復知病名 — follow the cubit’s smooth and rough, cold and warm, look at its great and small, join it to the condition of the illness; the contrary and the compliant being obtained, the name of the illness is known again. So 病能 is what the signs are joined to before the name is pronounced: the illness as it presents, not yet named. The Suwen has a whole discourse under this title (病能論, ch46), and the usage there is the same.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The name 合之病能
病能即病態，能通態
'Disease neng' means disease states; neng stands in for tai, 'state'.
合之病能 — 素問·方盛衰論
2
Not ability 故能長久
彼為才能，此為病態，同字異義
There it means ability, here a morbid state: one graph, two senses.
故能長久 — 素問·方盛衰論
3
Joined to the signs 視其大小
大小者，脈之大小
Great and small refers to the size of the pulse.
視其大小 — 素問·方盛衰論
4
Before the name 復知病名
先合病能，後知病名
First match the disease state, then know the disease name.
復知病名 — 素問·方盛衰論
5
With contrary and compliant 逆從以得
病能既合，逆從乃得
Once the disease state is matched, contrary and compliant are found.
逆從以得 — 素問·方盛衰論
6
A discourse title 病能
本篇與第四十六篇同名，皆用此義
This chapter shares its title with chapter forty-six, and both use the word in this sense.
病能 — 素問·方盛衰論

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
2 passages
素問·方盛衰論 Read in context →
循尺滑濇寒温之意，視其大小，合之病能，逆從以得，復知病名。 循尺滑涩寒温之意，视其大小，合之病能，逆从以得，复知病名。
Xún chǐ huá sè hán wēn zhī yì, shì qí dà xiǎo, hé zhī bìng néng, nì cóng yǐ dé, fù zhī bìng míng.
“follow the meaning of the cubit’s smooth and rough, cold and warm, look at its great and small, join it to the condition of the illness; the contrary and the compliant being obtained, the name of the illness is known again.”
「病能」本篇1見，即「合之病能」；「能」字2見，另一為「故能長久」，彼為才能，此通「態」，同字而異讀異義。「視其大小，合之病能」，謂以脈之大小合於病之形態；「逆從以得，復知病名」，則合病能而後病名可定。
素問·厥論 Read in context →
帝曰：善。願聞六經脉之厥狀病能也。 帝曰：善。愿闻六经脉之厥状病能也。
Dì yuē: shàn. Yuàn wén liù jīng mài zhī jué zhuàng bìng tài yě.
The Emperor says: good. I wish to hear the signs inversion takes in the vessels of the six conduits, and the forms the illness assumes.
「願聞六經脉之厥狀病能也」；能讀態，病能即病態；與 80 篇病能之為篇名同一讀

Compounds built on this term

合之病能
hé zhī bìng néng
join it to the condition of the illness
本篇本文
病能
bìng néng
the condition of the illness
能讀如態
視其大小
shì qí dà xiǎo
look at its great and small
合病能之一端
復知病名
fù zhī bìng míng
the name of the illness is known again
合病能之效

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe condition of the illnessthe illness as it presents
Literalillness abilityexact for the graph, and wrong for the sense
Clinicalthe disease pictureclear, and it is modern in a way the text is not

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-18

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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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