Classica Sinica Medica

身疼痛

shēn téng tòng

Aching of the body · shen teng tong

Also rendered: Aching of the body (This site) · Body pain (Literal) · Generalised myalgia (Clinical)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-10-31

At a glance

Pinyin
shēn téng tòng
Simplified
身疼痛
Literal
身 shēn is the body, the trunk and limbs taken together; 疼 téng is the dull ache of obstruction, 痛 tòng the sharper pain. Doubled, the two cover ache of every degree. The phrase names pain that is felt everywhere at once rather than in one place, and in these chapters it is almost always a question of the exterior.
Shuowen
**《說文》：「身，躬也。」「疼，痹也。」「痛，病也。」** 疼主痹而不通，痛主痛楚，連言則通指一身之苦。**六至十篇七見，俱在第六篇**（行30、56、63、88、177、186 二見）。**三義**：**表實無汗**，脉浮緊而身疼痛，宜麻黄湯；**汗後營虛**，發汗後身疼痛而脉沉遲，宜桂枝新加湯；**緩急先後**，下利清榖不止而身疼痛，先救裏，後身疼痛而清便自調，乃救表。**與「骨節煩疼」之别**：身疼痛者一身皆痛，骨節煩疼者痛在關節，屬風濕。

In brief

Pain throughout the body rather than at one joint. In the taiyang chapters it is read three ways. With a floating tight pulse, no sweat and fever, it belongs to exterior repletion and calls for ephedra decoction. After sweating, with the pulse deep and slow, it means the constructive qi has been injured and the answer is a decoction of cinnamon with added peony, ginger and ginseng. And when looseness with undigested grain will not stop and the body aches, the interior must be saved first; only when the stool has come right does one turn to the exterior. The phrase is thus never treated on its own — it is weighed against the pulse, the sweat, and the state of the bowels.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
表實無汗 無汗，發熱，身疼痛
脉浮緊、無汗、發熱而身疼痛，八九日表證仍在，宜麻黄湯發其汗
A floating tight pulse, no sweat, fever and aching throughout; on the eighth or ninth day the exterior sign is still there. Ephedra decoction releases the sweat.
太陽病，脉浮緊，無汗，發熱，身疼痛，八九日不解，表證仍在，此當發其汗，服藥已微除，其人發煩目瞑，劇者必衄，衄乃解。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
2
汗後營虛 發汗後，身疼痛，脉沉遲者
已發汗而身疼痛不去，脉反沉遲，是營氣不足、血少而痛，宜桂枝新加湯，不可再汗
After sweating the aching remains and the pulse turns deep and slow: the constructive qi is insufficient and the blood is scanty, which is why it aches. Cinnamon with added peony, ginger and ginseng; do not sweat again.
發汗後，身疼痛，脉沉遲者，桂枝加芍藥、生薑各一兩、人參三兩，新加湯主之。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
3
先裏後表 身疼痛者，急當救裏
醫下之而續得下利清榖不止、身疼痛，先救裏；後身疼痛而清便自調，乃救表
Purged, then looseness with undigested grain that will not stop, and the body aches: save the interior first. Afterwards, if the body still aches but the stool is regulated, save the exterior.
傷寒醫下之，續得下利，清榖不止，身疼痛者，急當救裏。 — 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 →
太陽病，脉浮緊，無汗，發熱，身疼痛，八九日不解，表證仍在，此當發其汗，服藥已微除，其人發煩目瞑，劇者必衄，衄乃解。所以然者，陽氣重故也，麻黄湯主之。 太阳病，脉浮紧，无汗，发热，身疼痛，八九日不解，表证仍在，此当发其汗，服药已微除，其人发烦目瞑，剧者必衄，衄乃解。所以然者，阳气重故也，麻黄汤主之。
tài yáng bìng mài fú jǐn wú hàn fā rè shēn téng tòng bā jiǔ rì bù jiě biǎo zhèng réng zài cǐ dāng fā qí hàn fú yào yǐ wēi chú qí rén fā fán mù míng jù zhě bì nǜ nǜ nǎi jiě suǒ yǐ rán zhě yáng qì zhòng gù yě má huáng tāng zhǔ zhī
In taiyang disease with a floating, tight pulse, no sweat, fever and bodily pain lasting eight or nine days without resolution, the exterior signs are still present and sweating should be induced. After the draught the illness eases somewhat, yet the patient becomes restless and keeps the eyes closed; in severe cases there is sure to be nosebleed, and with the bleeding the illness resolves. The reason is that the yang qi is heavily congested; Ephedra Decoction governs it.
身疼痛而無汗脉浮緊，是表實；有汗而脉緩，便不是此證。
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 →
發汗後，身疼痛，脉沉遲者，桂枝加芍藥、生薑各一兩、人參三兩，新加湯主之。 发汗后，身疼痛，脉沉迟者，桂枝加芍药、生姜各一两、人参三两，新加汤主之。
fā hàn hòu shēn téng tòng mài chén chí zhě guì zhī jiā sháo yào shēng jiāng gè yī liǎng rén shēn sān liǎng xīn jiā tāng zhǔ zhī
After sweating, with bodily pain and a deep, slow pulse, Cinnamon Twig Decoction with peony root and fresh ginger one liang each, and ginseng three liang, known as the Newly Added Decoction, governs it.
汗後身痛而脉沉遲，是營虛非表實，新加湯所以異於桂枝湯。
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 →
傷寒醫下之，續得下利，清榖不止，身疼痛者，急當救裏。後身疼痛，清便自調者，急當救表。救裏宜四逆湯，救表宜桂枝湯。 伤寒医下之，续得下利，清谷不止，身疼痛者，急当救里。后身疼痛，清便自调者，急当救表。救里宜四逆汤，救表宜桂枝汤。
shāng hán yī xià zhī xù dé xià lì qīng gǔ bù zhǐ shēn téng tòng zhě jí dāng jiù lǐ hòu shēn téng tòng qīng biàn zì tiáo zhě jí dāng jiù biǎo jiù lǐ yí sì nì tāng jiù biǎo yí guì zhī tāng
In cold damage, when a physician purges and diarrhoea follows with undigested food and does not stop, while the body aches, the interior must be rescued first. If afterwards the body still aches but the stool has become regular of itself, the exterior must be rescued urgently. Four-Reversal Decoction is right for the interior, Cinnamon Twig Decoction for the exterior.
先救裏後救表，是傷寒論治則之綱，身疼痛一證最見其用。

Compounds built on this term

身疼痛
shēn téng tòng
aching of the body
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
骨節煩疼
gǔ jié fán téng
vexing pain in the joints
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
清榖
qīng gǔ
undigested grain
辨太陽病脉證并治中第六
桂枝新加湯
guì zhī xīn jiā tāng
cinnamon decoction with additions
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 siteaching of the bodykeeps 疼 as ache and 痛 as pain
Literalbody ache-painexact, but doubled English is clumsy
Clinicalgeneralised myalgiaclear, but imports a modern category

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-31

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