真武湯简体真武汤

zhēn wǔ tāng

True Martial Decoction · zhen wu tang

Also rendered: True Martial Decoction (This site) · True Warrior Decoction (Literal, keeps the northern god) · Zhen Wu Tang (Pinyin, as the formula is cited)

Formulae

Reviewed · 2026-10-31

At a glance

Pinyin: zhēn wǔ tāng
Simplified: 真武汤
Literal: 真 zhēn is true, genuine; 武 wǔ is martial, and here names the northern warrior, the dark tortoise-and-serpent of the north, who governs water. 湯 tāng is a decoction. The formula is named for the power that rules water: it is given when water, no longer controlled, moves wrongly through the body. The name is a promise about what the decoction does rather than a description of what is in it.
Shuowen: **《說文》：「真，僊人變形而登天也。」「武，止戈為武。」「湯，熱水也。」** 真武即北方玄武，主水；方以之名，取鎮水之義。**凡二見**：第六篇一（行172 汗出不解、心下悸、頭眩、身瞤動、振振欲擗地）、第十一篇一（行96 腹痛、小便不利、四肢沉重、自下利）。**方見影印葉 11-20**：茯苓三兩、芍藥三兩、生薑三兩（切）、白術二兩、附子一枚（炮，去皮，破八片），水八升煮取三升，温服七合，日三服；加減五條。

In brief

A formula of five drugs for water that has escaped its course because the kidney yang can no longer govern it. Poria and atractylodes move the dampness, peony and fresh ginger harmonise what has been disturbed, and a single prepared aconite restores the fire below so that water will once more follow its proper path. The chapter gives it twice. In taiyang, sweating did not resolve the disease and instead shook the yang loose: fever persists, the heart palpitates, the head is dizzy, the flesh twitches and the patient feels about to fall. In lesser yin, water collects with cold: abdominal pain, difficult urination, heavy aching limbs and spontaneous diarrhoea, with cough, vomiting or free urination appearing among the options. The same failure of the water office, seen from two sides.

Senses in the classical corpus

太陽誤汗水氣真武湯主之

汗出不解而仍發熱，心下悸、頭眩、身瞤動、振振欲擗地，是陽虚而水氣上泛，非表未解

Sweating did not resolve the disease and fever persists, with palpitation, dizziness, twitching flesh and a feeling of being about to fall: the yang is deficient and water qi rises. It is not an unresolved exterior.

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

少陰水氣真武湯主之

腹痛、小便不利、四肢沉重疼痛、自下利，此爲有水氣；腎陽不化，水寒浸漬，故温腎以利水

Abdominal pain, difficult urination, heavy aching limbs and spontaneous diarrhoea: this is water qi. The kidney yang does not transform it and cold water soaks the interior, so the kidney is warmed and the water led away.

其人或欬，或小便利，或下利，或嘔者，真武湯主之。 — 辨少陰病脉證并治第十一

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display

2 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 →

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.

汗出不解而心悸頭眩身瞤動，是汗傷陽而水動，故真武；若仍作表治，必壞。

辨少陰病脉證并治第十一·辨少陰病脉證并治第十一 Read in context →

少陰病，二三日不已，至四五日，腹痛，小便不利，四肢沉重疼痛，自下利者，此爲有水氣。其人或欬，或小便利，或下利，或嘔者，真武湯主之。少阴病，二三日不已，至四五日，腹痛，小便不利，四肢沉重疼痛，自下利者，此为有水汽。其人或咳，或小便利，或下利，或呕者，真武汤主之。

shào yīn bìng èr sān rì bù yǐ zhì sì wǔ rì fù tòng xiǎo biàn bù lì sì zhī chén zhòng téng tòng zì xià lì zhě cǐ wéi yǒu shuǐ qì qí rén huò kài huò xiǎo biàn lì huò xià lì huò ǒu zhě zhēn wǔ tāng zhǔ zhī

In shaoyin disease that does not resolve in two or three days, by the fourth or fifth day there is abdominal pain, difficult urination, heaviness and pain of the limbs, and spontaneous diarrhoea: this is water qi. Whether the patient coughs, or urine flows freely, or there is diarrhoea, or vomiting, True Warrior Decoction governs.

腹痛小便不利四肢沉重自下利，水氣之證悉具；或欬或嘔或小便利，皆水之旁溢。

Compounds built on this term

茯苓

fú líng

poria

辨少陰病脉證并治第十一

芍藥

sháo yào

peony

辨少陰病脉證并治第十一

白術

bái zhú

atractylodes

辨少陰病脉證并治第十一

附子

fù zǐ

aconite

辨少陰病脉證并治第十一

How it has been translated

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

This site	true martial decoction	keeps the name of the northern power
Literal	true warrior decoction	readable, loses the water god
Clinical	Zhen Wu Tang	how the formula is cited

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-31

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