Classica Sinica Medica

心下悸

xīn xià jì

Palpitation below the heart · xin xia ji

Also rendered: Palpitation below the heart (This site) · Throbbing below the heart (Literal) · Epigastric pulsation (Clinical)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-10-31

At a glance

Pinyin
xīn xià jì
Simplified
心下悸
Literal
心 xīn is the heart; 下 xià is below; 悸 jì is the heart leaping — the old dictionary defines it as the heart in motion. The phrase does not name the organ but the place: a throbbing felt in the pit of the stomach, under the heart, which the patient may press with the hand to quiet.
Shuowen
**《說文》：「心，人心，土藏。」「下，底也。」「悸，心動也。」** 心下者，胃脘之上、心之下；悸者，築築然動而不安。**六至十篇四見，俱在第六篇**（行96、172、196、303）。**三因**：**心陽虛**，發汗過多、叉手自冒心、欲得按，桂枝甘草湯；**陽虛水泛**，心下悸、頭眩、身瞤動、振振欲擗地，真武湯；**水停**，飲水多而心下悸，小便少則苦裏急。**與「心悸」「臍下悸」之别**：悸在不同位，則病在不同經。

In brief

A throbbing felt below the heart, in the pit of the stomach, often eased by pressing there with both hands. The chapters give it three causes. Where sweating has been excessive and the patient folds his hands over his heart and wants them pressed down, the heart yang is vacuous and the answer is cinnamon and licorice. Where there is dizziness, twitching of the flesh and a feeling of being about to fall, the yang is vacuous and water is overflowing, and the answer is the true warrior decoction. Where the patient has drunk a great deal and the urine is scanty, water is simply stalled below the heart. The location of the throbbing matters: below the heart, below the navel, and at the heart itself point to different channels and different treatments.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
心陽虛 心下悸，欲得按者
發汗過多，其人叉手自冒心、心下悸而欲得按，是心陽虚而無以自持，桂枝甘草湯主之
Too much sweating, the patient folding both hands over his heart, throbbing below it, and relief from pressure: the heart yang is vacuous and cannot hold itself. Cinnamon and licorice decoction governs.
發汗過多，其人叉手自冒心，心下悸，欲得按者，桂枝甘草湯主之。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
2
陽虛水泛 心下悸，頭眩，身瞤動
太陽發汗而汗出不解，仍發熱、心下悸、頭眩、身瞤動、振振欲擗地，是陽虚而水氣上泛，真武湯
Taiyang sweated and the sweat does not resolve it: fever persists, there is throbbing below the heart, dizziness, twitching of the flesh and a shaking as though about to fall. Yang is vacuous and water rises; the true warrior decoction governs.
太陽病發汗，汗出不解，其人仍發熱，心下悸，頭眩，身瞤動，振振欲擗地者，真武湯主之。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
3
水停心下 飲水多，必心下悸
小便利而飲水多者，水停心下必悸；小便少者，水蓄下焦必苦裏急，一上一下，皆水爲患
Where urine passes freely and much water is drunk, water stalls below the heart and there is throbbing; where urine is scanty, water gathers in the lower burner and cramping urgency follows. Above or below, the culprit is water.
太陽病，小便利者，以飲水多，必心下悸，小便少者，必苦裏急也。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治中第六

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
3 passages
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六·辨太陽病脉證并治中第六 Read in context →
發汗過多，其人叉手自冒心，心下悸，欲得按者，桂枝甘草湯主之。 发汗过多，其人叉手自冒心，心下悸，欲得按者，桂枝甘草汤主之。
fā hàn guò duō qí rén chā shǒu zì mào xīn xīn xià jì yù dé àn zhě guì zhī gān cǎo tāng zhǔ zhī
When sweating has been excessive and the patient crosses the hands over the heart, with palpitation below the heart and a wish to press upon it, Cinnamon Twig and Liquorice Decoction governs it.
叉手自冒心、欲得按，是虚證喜按之典型，與實證拒按正反。
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六·辨太陽病脉證并治中第六 Read in context →
太陽病發汗，汗出不解，其人仍發熱，心下悸，頭眩，身瞤動，振振欲擗地者，真武湯主之。 太阳病发汗，汗出不解，其人仍发热，心下悸，头眩，身𥆧动，振振欲擗地者，真武汤主之。
tài yáng bìng fā hàn hàn chū bù jiě qí rén réng fā rè xīn xià jì tóu xuàn shēn shùn dòng zhèn zhèn yù pǐ dì zhě zhēn wǔ tāng zhǔ zhī
In taiyang disease, sweating is induced and the sweat comes but the illness is not resolved. The patient still has fever, palpitation below the heart, dizziness, leaping of the flesh, and shakes as though about to fall to the ground; True Warrior Decoction governs it.
心下悸而兼頭眩、身瞤動、欲擗地，是水氣，不是單純心虛。
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六·辨太陽病脉證并治中第六 Read in context →
太陽病，小便利者，以飲水多，必心下悸，小便少者，必苦裏急也。 太阳病，小便利者，以饮水多，必心下悸，小便少者，必苦里急也。
tài yáng bìng xiǎo biàn lì zhě yǐ yǐn shuǐ duō bì xīn xià jì xiǎo biàn shǎo zhě bì kǔ lǐ jí yě
In taiyang disease, if urination is free, drinking much water will surely bring palpitation below the heart; if urine is scanty, there will surely be distress from interior urgency.
以小便之多少定水之上停下蓄，是最簡的辨法。

Compounds built on this term

心下悸
xīn xià jì
palpitation below the heart
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
叉手自冒心
chā shǒu zì mào xīn
folding the hands over the heart
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
身瞤動
shēn shùn dòng
twitching of the flesh
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
真武湯
zhēn wǔ tāng
true warrior decoction
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六

How it has been translated

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

This sitepalpitation below the heartkeeps the location, which is the diagnosis
Literalheart-below throbbingexact, ungrammatical
Clinicalepigastric pulsationprecise, but loses the heart

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-31

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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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