膚脹 简体 肤胀

fū zhàng

Skin distension · fu zhang

Also rendered: Skin distension (keeps the site) · Cutaneous swelling (modern, and it suggests oedema) · Flesh distension (close, and 膚 is the surface)

Reviewed · 2026-10-25

At a glance

Pinyin
fū zhàng
Simplified
肤胀
Literal
膚 fū — the skin and what lies just under it; 脹 zhàng — distension. The swelling that shows on the surface because the qi has left the vessels.
Shuowen
《說文》:膚,皮也。脹,皮肉膨脹也。「膚脹」本篇1見,與「脉脹」同段而生,一内一外。

In brief

The second of the chapter’s two primary distensions. When the defensive qi does not run counter inside the vessels but instead runs beside them, through the spaces of the flesh, the swelling appears in the skin rather than in the channel. The chapter names it in the same breath as vessel distension and gives it no separate treatment: Sanli, drained quickly, near cases once and far cases three times, without asking whether the case is vacuous or replete. The distinction is therefore diagnostic rather than therapeutic — what changes is where the qi is, not what the needle does.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The name 爲膚脹
成为肤胀
It becomes skin distension.
爲膚脹 — 靈樞·脹論
2
Its cause 衛氣並脉,循分
卫气并入脉外,循分肉而行
The defensive runs beside the vessels, through the spaces.
衛氣並脉,循分 — 靈樞·脹論
3
The contrast 營氣循脉,衛氣逆,爲脉脹
营气循脉,卫气逆行,成为脉胀
Nutrient in the vessels and defensive running counter makes vessel distension.
營氣循脉,衛氣逆,爲脉脹 — 靈樞·脹論
4
The treatment 無問虚實,工在疾寫
不必问虚实,关键在于快速泻
Do not ask vacuity or repletion; the skill lies in draining quickly.
無問虚實,工在疾寫 — 靈樞·脹論

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
3 passages
靈樞·脹論 Read in context →
營氣循脉,衛氣逆,爲脉脹;衛氣並脉,循分,爲膚脹。 营气循脉,卫气逆,为脉胀;卫气并脉,循分,为肤胀。
yíng qì xún mài, wèi qì nì, wéi mài zhàng; wèi qì bìng mài, xún fēn, wéi fū zhàng.
When camp qi follows the vessels and guard qi runs counter, there is vessel distension; when guard qi joins the vessels and follows the interstices, there is skin distension.
「膚脹」本篇1見,與脉脹同段:衛氣不逆于脉中而並行于分,故脹見于皮膚。
靈樞·水脹 Read in context →
黃帝問于歧伯曰:水與膚脹、鼓脹、腸覃、石瘕、石水,何以别之? 黄帝问于歧伯曰:水与肤胀、鼓胀、肠覃、石瘕、石水,何以别之?
Huáng Dì wèn yú Qí Bó yuē: shuǐ yǔ fū zhàng, gǔ zhàng, cháng tán, shí jiǎ, shí shuǐ, hé yǐ bié zhī?
The Yellow Emperor asked Qi Bo: How are water disease, skin distension, drum distension, intestinal swelling, stone concretion and stone water distinguished?
「膚脹」水脹第1段見,義與本條相合,引全段為證。
靈樞·論疾診尺 Read in context →
視人之目窠上微癰,如新卧起狀,其頸脉動,時欬,按其手足上,窅而不起者,風水膚脹也。人膚滑,其淖澤者,風也。尺肉弱者,解㑊安卧脱肉者,寒𤍠不治。尺膚滑而澤脂者,風也。尺膚濇者,風痺也。尺膚麤如枯魚之鱗者,水泆飲也。尺膚𤍠甚,脉盛躁者,病温也。其脉盛而滑者,病且出也。尺膚寒,其脉小者,泄少氣。尺膚炬然,先𤍠後寒者,寒𤍠也。尺膚先寒,久大之而𤍠者,亦寒𤍠也。 视人之目窠上微痈,如新卧起状,其颈脉动,时欬,按其手足上,窅而不起者,风水肤胀也。人肤滑,其淖泽者,风也。尺肉弱者,解㑊安卧脱肉者,寒𤍠不治。尺肤滑而泽脂者,风也。尺肤涩者,风痹也。尺肤麤如枯鱼之鳞者,水泆饮也。尺肤𤍠甚,脉盛躁者,病温也。其脉盛而滑者,病且出也。尺肤寒,其脉小者,泄少气。尺肤炬然,先𤍠后寒者,寒𤍠也。尺肤先寒,久大之而𤍠者,亦寒𤍠也。
shì rén zhī mù kē shàng wēi yōng, rú xīn wò qǐ zhuàng, qí jǐng mài dòng, shí kài, àn qí shǒu zú shàng, yǎo ér bù qǐ zhě, fēng shuǐ fū zhàng yě. rén fū huá, qí nào zé zhě, fēng yě. chǐ ròu ruò zhě, xiè yì ān wò tuō ròu zhě, hán rè bù zhì. chǐ fū huá ér zé zhī zhě, fēng yě. chǐ fū sè zhě, fēng bì yě. chǐ fū cū rú kū yú zhī lín zhě, shuǐ yì yǐn yě. chǐ fū rè shèn, mài shèng zào zhě, bìng wēn yě. qí mài shèng ér huá zhě, bìng qiě chū yě. chǐ fū hán, qí mài xiǎo zhě, xiè shǎo qì. chǐ fū jù rán, xiān rè hòu hán zhě, hán rè yě. chǐ fū xiān hán, jiǔ dà zhī ér rè zhě, yì hán rè yě.
When the hollow above the eye is slightly swollen, as after first rising from sleep, when the neck pulse beats and there is occasional cough, and when pressing the hands and feet leaves a pit that does not rise, it is wind-water and skin swelling. If the skin is slippery and glossy, it is wind. If the flesh of the cubit is weak, with laziness, lying down and wasting, cold and heat will not be cured. If the cubit skin is slippery and oily, it is wind; if rough, it is wind obstruction. If the cubit skin is coarse like the scales of a dried fish, it is water overflowing as drink. If the cubit skin is very hot and the pulse full and restless, it is a warm disease; if the pulse is full and slippery, the illness is about to come out. If the cubit skin is cold and the pulse small, there is diarrhoea and lack of qi. If the cubit skin burns and there is heat first and cold after, it is cold and heat; if the cubit skin is cold first and grows hot under long pressure, it is also cold and heat.
「膚脹」論疾診尺第3段見,義與本條相合,引全段為證。

Compounds built on this term

脉脹
mài zhàng
vessel distension
膚脹之所對
循分
xún fèn
along the spaces
衛氣所行

How it has been translated

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

This siteskin distensionthe surface is what shows
Literalfu distensionexact, and it needs the graph
Clinicaldistension of the skin and spacesclear, and it is a description

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-25

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Reading path

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