膂筋

lǚ jīn

The spine sinew · lü jin

Also rendered: The spine sinew (literal, and it keeps 膂) · The paraspinal sinew (anatomical, and modern) · The sinew beside the spine (clear, and longer)

Reviewed · 2026-10-25

At a glance

Pinyin
lǚ jīn
Simplified
膂筋
Literal
膂 lǚ — the muscle alongside the spine; 筋 jīn — sinew. Together: the sinew that runs beside the backbone.
Shuowen
《說文》:膂,呂也。呂,脊骨也。从肉旅聲。膂筋者,脊兩旁之筋,行列如旅。

In brief

The sinew beside the spine, and the seat of one of the chapter’s seven accumulations. Its signs are the most paradoxical of the set: hunger makes the mass appear, food makes it vanish, and pressure cannot find it — because it lies behind the intestine, so an empty gut lets it show and a full one hides it. The name’s 膂 is the spine itself; 旅 in the graph gives the image of a column drawn up in ranks.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
Where it lies 其著於膂筋
它附著在膂筋
It settles on the spine sinew.
其著於膂筋 — 靈樞·百病始生
2
Its sign 饑則積見,飽則積不見
饑時積可見,飽時積不見
Hungry, the mass shows; full, it does not.
饑則積見,飽則積不見 — 靈樞·百病始生
3
Palpation 按之不得
按之不得
Press for it and it cannot be found.
按之不得 — 靈樞·百病始生
4
Its position 在腸後者
在腸之後的
Behind the intestine — the reason for all three signs.
在腸後者 — 靈樞·百病始生

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
2 passages
靈樞·百病始生 Read in context →
其著於膂筋,在腸後者,饑則積見,飽則積不見,按之不得。 其著于膂筋,在肠后者,饥则积见,饱则积不见,按之不得。
qí zhuó yú lǚ jīn, zài cháng hòu zhě, jī zé jī jiàn, bǎo zé jī bù xiàn, àn zhī bù dé.
When it lodges in the spinal sinew behind the intestines, the accumulation appears with hunger and disappears after eating, and cannot be found by pressing.
「膂筋」本篇2見,爲七積之一。因其在腸後,故饑則積見、飽則不見、按之不得,三證皆由位置而生。
靈樞·九宫八風 Read in context →
風從南方來,名曰大弱風,其傷人也,内舍於心,外在於脉,氣主𤍠。風從西南方來,名曰謀風,其傷人也,内舍於脾,外在於肌,其氣主爲弱。風從西方來,名曰剛風,其傷人也,内舍於肺,外在於皮膚,其氣主爲燥。風從西北方來,名曰折風,其傷人也,内舍於小腸,外在於手太陽脉,脉絶則溢,脉閉則結不通,善暴死。風從北方來,名曰大剛風,其傷人也,内舍於腎,外在於骨與肩背之膂筋,其氣主爲寒也。風從東北方來,名曰凶風,其傷人也,内舍於大腸,外在於兩脅腋骨下及肢節;風從東方來,名曰嬰兒風,其傷人也,内舍於肝,外在於筋紐,其氣主爲身濕。風從東南方來,名曰弱風,其傷人也,内舍於胃,外在肌肉,其氣主體重。 风从南方来,名曰大弱风,其伤人也,内舍于心,外在于脉,气主𤍠。风从西南方来,名曰谋风,其伤人也,内舍于脾,外在于肌,其气主为弱。风从西方来,名曰刚风,其伤人也,内舍于肺,外在于皮肤,其气主为燥。风从西北方来,名曰折风,其伤人也,内舍于小肠,外在于手太阳脉,脉绝则溢,脉闭则结不通,善暴死。风从北方来,名曰大刚风,其伤人也,内舍于肾,外在于骨与肩背之膂筋,其气主为寒也。风从东北方来,名曰凶风,其伤人也,内舍于大肠,外在于两胁腋骨下及肢节;风从东方来,名曰婴儿风,其伤人也,内舍于肝,外在于筋纽,其气主为身湿。风从东南方来,名曰弱风,其伤人也,内舍于胃,外在肌肉,其气主体重。
fēng cóng nán fāng lái, míng yuē dà ruò fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú xīn, wài zài yú mài, qì zhǔ rè. fēng cóng xī nán fāng lái, míng yuē móu fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú pí, wài zài yú jī, qí qì zhǔ wéi ruò. fēng cóng xī fāng lái, míng yuē gāng fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú fèi, wài zài yú pí fū, qí qì zhǔ wéi zào. fēng cóng xī běi fāng lái, míng yuē zhé fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú xiǎo cháng, wài zài yú shǒu tài yáng mài, mài jué zé yì, mài bì zé jié bù tōng, shàn bào sǐ. fēng cóng běi fāng lái, míng yuē dà gāng fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú shèn, wài zài yú gǔ yǔ jiān bèi zhī lǚ jīn, qí qì zhǔ wéi hán yě. fēng cóng dōng běi fāng lái, míng yuē xiōng fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú dà cháng, wài zài yú liǎng xié yè gǔ xià jí zhī jié; fēng cóng dōng fāng lái, míng yuē yīng ér fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú gān, wài zài yú jīn niǔ, qí qì zhǔ wéi shēn shī. fēng cóng dōng nán fāng lái, míng yuē ruò fēng, qí shāng rén yě, nèi shè yú wèi, wài zài jī ròu, qí qì zhǔ tǐ zhòng.
Wind from the south is called the great weak wind; when it injures a man it lodges in the heart, appears in the vessels, and its qi governs heat. Wind from the southwest is called the plotting wind; it lodges in the spleen, appears in the flesh, and its qi governs weakness. Wind from the west is called the hard wind; it lodges in the lung, appears in the skin, and its qi governs dryness. Wind from the northwest is called the breaking wind; it lodges in the small intestine, appears in the hand greater yang vessel; if the vessel is cut off it overflows, if closed it knots and does not pass, and men often die suddenly. Wind from the north is called the great hard wind; it lodges in the kidney, appears in the bone and in the spinal sinews of shoulder and back, and its qi governs cold. Wind from the northeast is called the fierce wind; it lodges in the large intestine, and appears below the ribs and armpits and in the joints of the limbs. Wind from the east is called the infant wind; it lodges in the liver, appears at the sinew knots, and its qi governs dampness of the body. Wind from the southeast is called the weak wind; it lodges in the stomach, appears in the flesh, and its qi governs heaviness of body.
「膂筋」九宫八風第8段見,義與本條相合,引全段為證。

Compounds built on this term

積
jī
accumulation
邪氣留聚而成
募原
mù yuán
membrane source
腸胃之外膜

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe spine sinewthe graph, plainly
Literalthe backbone-muscle sinewexact, and heavy
Clinicalthe paraspinal fasciaclear, and interpretive

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-25

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Reading path

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