𩩲骬

hé yú

The sword bone · he yu

Also rendered: Sword bone (plain, and it keeps the image) · Xiphoid (the modern anatomical name) · Breastbone point (clear, and it loses the blade)

Reviewed · 2026-10-24

At a glance

Pinyin
hé yú
Simplified
𩩲骬
Literal
𩩲 hé and 骬 yú are bound forms that occur only together. The thing named is the lower end of the breastbone, whose shape suggested a sword or a halberd blade to the men who named it.
Shuowen
《說文》無𩩲、骬二字,蓋後起之形聲字,从骨。「𩩲骬」本篇2見,皆為量骨之準:缺盆以下至𩩲骬九寸,𩩲骬以下至天樞八寸。

In brief

The point of the breastbone, used in this chapter as the middle landmark of the trunk. Two measurements hang on it: from the supraclavicular fossa down to it is nine cun, and from it down to the heavenly pivot is eight cun. Each length carries a consequence — over nine the lung is large, under it the lung is small; over eight the stomach is large, under it the stomach is small. The bone is thus not only a landmark but a gauge of the organs behind it.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The landmark 缺盆以下至𩩲骬長九寸
缺盆以下到𩩲骬长九寸
From the fossa to the sword bone is nine cun.
缺盆以下至𩩲骬長九寸 — 靈樞·骨度
2
What it measures 𩩲骬以下至天樞長八寸
𩩲骬以下到天枢长八寸
From the sword bone to the heavenly pivot is eight cun.
𩩲骬以下至天樞長八寸 — 靈樞·骨度

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
4 passages
靈樞·骨度 Read in context →
結喉以下至缺盆中長四寸,缺盆以下至𩩲骬長九寸,過則肺大,不滿則肺小。𩩲骬以下至天樞長八寸,過則胃大,不及則胃小。天樞以下至横骨長六寸半,過則迴腸廣長,不滿則狹短。横骨長六寸半。横骨上廉以下至内輔之上廉長一尺八寸,内輔之上廉以下至下廉長三寸半,内輔下廉下至内踝長一尺三寸,内踝以下至地長三寸。膝膕以下至跗屬長一尺六寸,跗屬以下至地長三寸。故骨圍大則大過,小則不及。 结喉以下至缺盆中长四寸,缺盆以下至𩩲骬长九寸,过则肺大,不满则肺小。𩩲骬以下至天枢长八寸,过则胃大,不及则胃小。天枢以下至横骨长六寸半,过则回肠广长,不满则狭短。横骨长六寸半。横骨上廉以下至内辅之上廉长一尺八寸,内辅之上廉以下至下廉长三寸半,内辅下廉下至内踝长一尺三寸,内踝以下至地长三寸。膝腘以下至跗属长一尺六寸,跗属以下至地长三寸。故骨围大则大过,小则不及。
jié hóu yǐ xià zhì quē pén zhōng cháng sì cùn, quē pén yǐ xià zhì hé yú cháng jiǔ cùn, guò zé fèi dà, bù mǎn zé fèi xiǎo. hé yú yǐ xià zhì tiān shū cháng bā cùn, guò zé wèi dà, bù jí zé wèi xiǎo. tiān shū yǐ xià zhì héng gǔ cháng liù cùn bàn, guò zé huí cháng guǎng cháng, bù mǎn zé xiá duǎn. héng gǔ cháng liù cùn bàn. héng gǔ shàng lián yǐ xià zhì nèi fǔ zhī shàng lián cháng yī chǐ bā cùn, nèi fǔ zhī shàng lián yǐ xià zhì xià lián cháng sān cùn bàn, nèi fǔ xià lián xià zhì nèi huái cháng yī chǐ sān cùn, nèi huái yǐ xià zhì dì cháng sān cùn. xī guó yǐ xià zhì fū zhǔ cháng yī chǐ liù cùn, fū zhǔ yǐ xià zhì dì cháng sān cùn. gù gǔ wéi dà zé dà guò, xiǎo zé bù jí.
From the Adam’s apple down to the middle of the supraclavicular fossa is four cun. From the fossa down to the sword bone is nine cun: beyond that the lung is large, short of it the lung is small. From the sword bone down to the heavenly pivot is eight cun: beyond that the stomach is large, short of it the stomach is small. From the heavenly pivot down to the pubic bone is six cun and a half: beyond that the returning intestine is wide and long, short of it narrow and short. The pubic bone is six cun and a half long. From the upper edge of the pubic bone down to the upper edge of the inner shin bone is one chi eight cun; from the upper to the lower edge of the inner shin bone is three cun and a half; from the lower edge of the inner shin bone down to the inner ankle is one chi three cun; from the inner ankle down to the ground is three cun. From below the knee hollow to the instep is one chi six cun; from the instep to the ground is three cun. Thus where the bone measure is large it is excessive, and where small it falls short.
「𩩲骬」本篇2見,皆為量骨之準,一在上、一在下,而各系以肺胃大小之候。
靈樞·師傳 Read in context →
歧伯曰:五藏六府,心爲之主,缺盆爲之道,骷骨有餘,以候𩩲骬。 歧伯曰:五藏六府,心为之主,缺盆为之道,骷骨有余,以候𩩲骬。
Qí Bó yuē: wǔ zàng liù fǔ, xīn wéi zhī zhǔ, quē pén wéi zhī dào, kū gǔ yǒu yú, yǐ hòu hé yú.
Qibo said: among the five viscera and six receptacles, the heart is the master and the supraclavicular fossa is its road; where the breastbone is full, one may read the xin yu.
「𩩲骬」師傳第18段見,義與本條相合,引全段為證。
靈樞·本藏 Read in context →
歧伯曰:赤色小理者,心小;麤理者,心大;無𩩲骬者,心高;𩩲骬小短舉者,心下;𩩲骬長者,心下堅;𩩲骬弱小以薄者,心脆;𩩲骬直下不舉者,心端正;𩩲骬倚一方者,心偏傾也。 歧伯曰:赤色小理者,心小;麤理者,心大;无𩩲骬者,心高;𩩲骬小短举者,心下;𩩲骬长者,心下坚;𩩲骬弱小以薄者,心脆;𩩲骬直下不举者,心端正;𩩲骬倚一方者,心偏倾也。
Qí Bó yuē: chì sè xiǎo lǐ zhě, xīn xiǎo; cū lǐ zhě, xīn dà; wú hé yú zhě, xīn gāo; hé yú xiǎo duǎn jǔ zhě, xīn xià; hé yú cháng zhě, xīn xià jiān; hé yú ruò xiǎo yǐ bó zhě, xīn cuì; hé yú zhí xià bù jǔ zhě, xīn duān zhèng; hé yú yǐ yī fāng zhě, xīn piān qīng yě.
Qi Bo said: Where the colour is red and the grain fine, the heart is small; where the grain is coarse, the heart is large. Where there is no breastbone point, the heart is high; where the point is small, short and raised, the heart is low; where it is long, the heart is firm below; where it is weak, small and thin, the heart is brittle; where it runs straight down without rising, the heart is upright; where it leans to one side, the heart is leaning.
「𩩲骬」本藏第12段見,義與本條相合,引全段為證。
靈樞·論勇 Read in context →
少俞曰:怯士者,目大而不減,陰陽相失,其焦理縱,𩩲骬短而小,肝系緩,其膽不滿而縱,腸胃挺,脅下空,雖方大怒,氣不能滿其胸,肝肺雖舉,氣衰復下,故不能久怒,此怯士之所由然者也。 少俞曰:怯士者,目大而不减,阴阳相失,其焦理纵,𩩲骬短而小,肝系缓,其胆不满而纵,肠胃挺,胁下空,虽方大怒,气不能满其胸,肝肺虽举,气衰复下,故不能久怒,此怯士之所由然者也。
shào yú yuē: qiè shì zhě, mù dà ér bù jiǎn, yīn yáng xiāng shī, qí jiāo lǐ zòng, hé yú duǎn ér xiǎo, gān xì huǎn, qí dǎn bù mǎn ér zòng, cháng wèi tǐng, xié xià kōng, suī fāng dà nù, qì bù néng mǎn qí xiōng, gān fèi suī jǔ, qì shuāi fù xià, gù bù néng jiǔ nù, cǐ qiè shì zhī suǒ yóu rán zhě yě.
Shao Yu said: In the coward the eyes are large but not deep-set, yin and yang lose their correspondence, the texture of his burner runs lengthwise, the breastbone is short and small, the liver system is slack, the gallbladder is not full but hangs loose, stomach and intestines stand out, and beneath the ribs there is emptiness. Even in great anger his qi cannot fill his chest; though liver and lung rise, when the qi fails they sink again, and so he cannot be angry for long. This is what makes the coward.
「𩩲骬」論勇第13段見,義與本條相合,引全段為證。

Compounds built on this term

𩩲骬
hé yú
the sword bone
胸骨下端

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe sword bonethe text's own image
Literalhe-yu boneexact, and it means nothing in English
Clinicalthe xiphoid processprecise, and it is later anatomy

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-24

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