七診简体七诊

qī zhěn

The seven signs · qi zhen

Also rendered: the seven signs (Literal, and keeps 診 as a reading) · the seven diagnostics (Reads as a list of tests, which it is not) · the seven solitary signs (Adds what the text adds: each one is 獨) · qi zhen (Bare transliteration)

Vessels

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin: qī zhěn
Simplified: 七诊
Literal: 診 to examine, to read (《說文》: 診，視也 — to look at closely; 段注: 引申爲診脈). 七診 the seven readings: among the nine probes, the one that stands out — small, large, swift, slow, hot, cold or sunken — is itself the diagnosis.
Shuowen: 《說文解字》：診，視也（段玉裁注：視者，瞻也；醫家診脈之診由此引申）。

In brief

The seven things that single a probe out. Examine the nine probes and ask which one is unlike the rest: the one that is alone small is diseased, alone large is diseased, alone swift is diseased, alone slow is diseased, alone hot is diseased, alone cold is diseased, alone sunken is diseased. The chapter then does something unusual — it admits that these signs can lie. If the seven signs appear but the nine probes still follow one another, the patient does not die; the diseases of wind and the monthly disease look like the seven signs and are not them. It is only when a seven-sign disease is joined by probes that have themselves gone bad that death follows, and then with hiccup and belching.

Senses in the classical corpus

The seven 獨小、獨大、獨疾、獨遟、獨熱、獨寒、獨陷下

九候之中一候獨異者即為病

察九候，獨小者病，獨大者病，獨疾者病，獨遟者病，獨熱者病，獨寒者病，獨陷下者病 — Suwen 20

What the nine should look like 上下若一，不得相失

九候本應上下若一，有一獨異即為失

九候之相應也，上下若一，不得相失 — Suwen 20

When the signs do not kill 七診雖見，九候皆從者，不死

七診見而九候尚從，則不死

形肉已脱，九候雖調，猶死，七診雖見，九候皆從者，不死 — Suwen 20

The diseases that mimic them 風氣之病，及經月之病

似七診之病而非，故言不死

所言不死者，風氣之病，及經月之病，似七診之病而非也，故言不死 — Suwen 20

When they do kill 其脉候亦敗者，死矣

既有七診而脈候亦敗則死，必發噦噫

若有七診之病，其脉候亦敗者，死矣。必發噦噫 — Suwen 20

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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1 passages

素問·三部九候論 Suwen 20 · 三部九候論 Read in context →

形肉已脱，九候雖調，猶死，七診雖見，九候皆從者，不死。所言不死者，風氣之病，及經月之病，似七診之病而非也，故言不死。若有七診之病，其脉候亦敗者，死矣。必發噦噫。形肉已脱，九候虽调，犹死，七诊虽见，九候皆从者，不死。所言不死者，风气之病，及经月之病，似七诊之病而非也，故言不死。若有七诊之病，其脉候亦败者，死矣。必发哕噫。

Xíng ròu yǐ tuō, jiǔ hòu suī tiáo, yóu sǐ, qī zhěn suī xiàn, jiǔ hòu jiē cóng zhě, bù sǐ. Suǒ yán bù sǐ zhě, fēng qì zhī bìng, jí jīng yuè zhī bìng, sì qī zhěn zhī bìng ér fēi yě, gù yán bù sǐ. Ruò yǒu qī zhěn zhī bìng, qí mài hòu yì bài zhě, sǐ yǐ. Bì fā yuě ài.

Once the flesh of the form is gone, death follows even if the nine probes are in harmony. Though the seven signs appear, if all nine probes follow along, there is no death. What is called “no death” is wind-qi disease and monthly disease: they resemble the disease of the seven signs but are not it, hence they are said not to kill. If there truly is disease of the seven signs and the pulse-probes too are ruined, it is death — and hiccup and belching are sure to break out.

七診者，九候之中有一候獨異於眾之謂——獨小、獨大、獨疾、獨遟、獨熱、獨寒、獨陷下，凡七。本篇於此獨下一轉語：七診雖見，若九候皆從，則不死；蓋風氣之病與經月之病，其脈有似七診而實非者。必七診之病而脈候亦敗，然後死，且必發噦噫。與上文「九候之相應也，上下若一，不得相失」及「一候後則病，二候後則病甚，三候後則病危」同讀：九候重在相應，七診則重其獨，二者相須而不可偏執。

Compounds built on this term

獨小

dú xiǎo

alone small

一候獨小於眾候

獨大

dú dà

alone large

一候獨大於眾候

獨遟

dú chí

alone slow

遟，遲之異體，音 chí

獨陷下

dú xiàn xià

alone sunken

應指而沉陷不起

噦噫

yuě ài

hiccup and belching

噦音 yuě，噫音 ài

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Feng	the seven [pulse] signs	診 is examination throughout their work; the seven are enumerated at the pulse.
Unschuld	the seven [types of] examination	He keeps the verbal noun, leaving what is counted to the context.
This site	the seven signs	診 in 說文 is 視 — a close looking — and the seven are not procedures but findings: each is a probe that has stepped out of line with the other eight. Sign is the ordinary word for a finding and lets the chapter's own twist survive, which a word like diagnostic would flatten — namely that these signs can be present and still mean nothing, because wind disease and the monthly disease mimic them. What kills is not the sign but the sign plus probes that have themselves gone bad.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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