Heaviness of the body · shen zhong

Also rendered: Heaviness of the body (Clinical) · Body heaviness (Literal)

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin: shēn zhòng
Simplified: 身重
Literal: 身 shēn is the trunk and by extension the whole person; 重 zhòng is heavy. Not fatigue and not weakness: the body is felt as a weight that must be carried, and in this book it belongs to two different evils — dampness pressing on the flesh, and heat clouding the spirit.
Shuowen: **《說文》：「身，躬也。」「重，厚也。」** **底本二見**（4-17、5-07），一在暍，一在風温。**同為身重而所因相反**：暍之身重，暑濕傷形，故兼疼痛而脉微弱；風温之身重，熱盛神昏，故兼多眠、息鼾、語難。**一實一熱，治法懸殊**，不可見身重而概以為濕。**身重與體重之别**：體重謂一身之輕重，身重謂自覺沉重，本書無「體重」之文。

In brief

The body felt as heavy. The book gives it two causes that pull in opposite directions: in heatstroke it is damp-heat injuring the form, and comes with aching and a faint weak pulse; in wind warmth it is heat at its height clouding the spirit, and comes with drowsiness, snoring and difficulty speaking. The same word, and the treatment could hardly be more different — which is why the book never treats a sign alone.

Senses in the classical corpus

The heaviness of heatstroke 身重而疼痛

暑邪傷形，故身重而疼痛；脉弦細芤遲，暑傷氣而不傷形，故脉不洪

Heat with aversion to cold, heaviness and aching of the body, and a pulse that is string-like, fine, hollow and slow: summer heat injures the qi and not the form, which is why the pulse is not surging.

太陽中暍者，發熱惡寒，身重而疼痛，其脉弦、細、芤、遲 — 傷寒論·辨痓濕暍脉證第四

The heaviness of wind warmth 身重，多眠睡

熱盛則神昏，故身重而多眠、息鼾、語難；此重非濕，乃熱

Heat at its height clouds the spirit: the body is heavy, the patient sleeps much, snores, and cannot get words out. This heaviness is not dampness but heat.

風温爲病，脉陰陽俱浮，自汗出，身重，多眠睡，息必鼾，語言難出 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

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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2 passages

傷寒論·辨痓濕暍脉證第四 Read in context →

太陽中暍者，發熱惡寒，身重而疼痛，其脉弦、細、芤、遲，小便已，灑灑然毛聳，手足逆冷，小有勞，身即熱，口開，前板齒燥。太阳中暍者，发热恶寒，身重而疼痛，其脉弦、细、芤、迟，小便已，洒洒然毛耸，手足逆冷，小有劳，身即热，口开，前板齿燥。

tài yáng zhòng yē zhě fā rè wù hán shēn zhòng ér téng tòng qí mài xián xì kōu chí xiǎo biàn yǐ sǎ sǎ rán máo sǒng shǒu zú nì lěng xiǎo yǒu láo shēn jí rè kǒu kāi qián bǎn chǐ zào

In taiyang heatstroke with fever and aversion to cold, a heavy aching body and a pulse that is wiry, thin, hollow and slow, the patient shivers with bristling hair after passing urine, has cold hands and feet, and grows hot on the least exertion, with the mouth held open and the front teeth dry.

**「身重」五篇共2見**（經文，不含成注），本文引第4篇第17段、第5篇第07段。

傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →

若發汗已，身灼熱者，名曰風温。風温爲病，脉陰陽俱浮，自汗出，身重，多眠睡，息必鼾，語言難出。若被下者，小便不利，直視失溲。若被火者，微發黃色，劇則如驚癇，時瘈瘲，若火熏之，一逆尚引日，再逆促命期。若发汗已，身灼热者，名曰风温。风温为病，脉阴阳俱浮，自汗出，身重，多眠睡，息必鼾，语言难出。若被下者，小便不利，直视失溲。若被火者，微发黄色，剧则如惊痫，时瘈疭，若火熏之，一逆尚引日，再逆促命期。

ruò fā hàn yǐ shēn zhuó rè zhě míng yuē fēng wēn fēng wēn wéi bìng mài yīn yáng jù fú zì hàn chū shēn zhòng duō mián shuì xī bì hān yǔ yán nán chū ruò bèi xià zhě xiǎo biàn bù lì zhí shì shī sōu ruò bèi huǒ zhě wēi fā huáng sè jù zé rú jīng xián shí chì zòng ruò huǒ xūn zhī yī nì shàng yǐn rì zài nì cù mìng qī

If after sweating the body is scorching hot, it is called wind-warmth. In wind-warmth both the yin and yang pulses float, there is spontaneous sweating, heaviness of body, much sleep, snoring breath and difficulty in speaking. If purged, urine is blocked, the eyes stare straight and there is incontinence. If treated with fire, a faint yellowing appears; in severe cases there are convulsions like fright epilepsy and repeated twitching, or fumigation with fire. One mistreatment still leaves time; a second shortens the term of life.

身重二見，一因暑濕，一因熱盛；同字而異因，正是本書辨證之所在。

Compounds built on this term

身重而疼痛

shēn zhòng ér téng tòng

the body heavy and aching

辨痓濕暍脉證第四

身重，多眠睡

shēn zhòng, duō mián shuì

heavy body and much sleep

辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

身灼熱

shēn zhuó rè

the body burns

辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

How it has been translated

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

This site	heaviness of the body	keeps it a sensation, not a sign of damp alone
Literal	body heavy	exact, and invites the wrong conclusion
Clinical	subjective heaviness	clear, and loses the trunk

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-28

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