逆厥

nì jué

Adverse inversion · ni jue

Also rendered: Adverse inversion (literal, and it keeps 逆 as a turning against) · Counterflow inversion (smooth, and it is already the slug of 厥逆)

Reviewed · 2026-10-24

At a glance

Pinyin
nì jué
Simplified
逆厥
Literal
逆 nì — to go against, to meet head-on; 厥 jué — the qi failing at its root and showing at the extremities. The inversion that turns the wrong way.
Shuowen
**《說文》:逆,迎也**,从辵屰聲;**厥,發石也**,从厂欮聲,經傳借為其、為蹶。**「逆厥」本篇2見**,皆在「是謂逆厥,逆厥則必死」二句;**「厥」字2見**,僅此二處,與素問諸篇屢言厥者不同。

In brief

五藏之氣已絶於外,而用鍼者反實其内,是謂逆厥 — when the qi of the five viscera is cut off at the outside and the needler instead repletes the inside, this is called adverse inversion. 逆厥則必死,其死也躁 — death, and the death is agitated, because what was shut in turns and struggles. It is the exact mirror of 重竭: there the inside was gone and the outside was filled; here the outside is gone and the inside is filled. The correction: 反取四末刺之 — needle the four extremities instead. It is not 厥逆 (id 925), the general term for qi reversing upward.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The name 是謂逆厥
外絶而反實其内,氣逆而厥
The outside cut off and the inside filled: the qi turns and fails.
是謂逆厥 — 靈樞·九鍼十二原
2
The condition 五藏之氣已絶於外
外氣已絶,陽不在表
The qi of the five viscera is cut off at the outside.
五藏之氣已絶於外 — 靈樞·九鍼十二原
3
The wrong move 反實其内
外已絶而復實其内,内實則外愈絶
The inside is made replete, and the outside is cut off further.
而用鍼者反實其内 — 靈樞·九鍼十二原
4
The death 其死也躁
氣閉於内,故死而躁擾
The death is agitated, because the qi is shut in and turns.
逆厥則必死,其死也躁 — 靈樞·九鍼十二原
5
The correction 反取四末刺之
四末者手足之端,取其外以通其陽
Needle the four extremities, to open the yang at the surface.
治之者反取四末刺之 — 靈樞·九鍼十二原
6
Not 厥逆 厥逆
厥逆為氣之上逆,此為治之失所致
Not the general 厥逆: this one is made by the needle.
是謂逆厥 — 靈樞·九鍼十二原

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
靈樞·九鍼十二原 Read in context →
凡將用鍼,必先診脉,視氣之劇易,乃可以治也。五藏之氣已絶於内,而用鍼者反實其外,是謂重竭,重竭必死,其死也靜。治之者輒反其氣,取腋與膺。五藏之氣已絶於外,而用鍼者反實其内,是謂逆厥,逆厥則必死,其死也躁。治之者反取四末刺之。害中而不去則精泄,害中而去則致氣,精泄則病益甚而恇,致氣則生爲癰瘍。五藏有六府,六府有十二原,十二原出於四關,四關主治五藏。五藏有疾,當取之十二原。十二原者,五藏之所以禀三百六十五節氣味也。五藏有疾也,應出十二原,二原各有所出,明知其原,覩其應,而知五藏之害矣。陽中之少陰,肺也,其原出於大淵,大淵二。陽中之太陽,心也,其原出於大陵,大陵二。陰中之少陽,肝也,其原出於太衝,太衝二。陰中之至陰,脾也,其原出於太白,太白二。陰中之太陰,腎也,其原出於太谿,太谿二。膏之原出於鳩尾,鳩尾一。肓之原出於脖胦,脖胦一。凡此十二原者,主治五藏六府之有疾者也。 凡将用针,必先诊脉,视气之剧易,乃可以治也。五藏之气已绝于内,而用针者反实其外,是谓重竭,重竭必死,其死也静。治之者辄反其气,取腋与膺。五藏之气已绝于外,而用针者反实其内,是谓逆厥,逆厥则必死,其死也躁。治之者反取四末刺之。害中而不去则精泄,害中而去则致气,精泄则病益甚而恇,致气则生为痈疡。五藏有六府,六府有十二原,十二原出于四关,四关主治五藏。五藏有疾,当取之十二原。十二原者,五藏之所以禀三百六十五节气味也。五藏有疾也,应出十二原,二原各有所出,明知其原,睹其应,而知五藏之害矣。阳中之少阴,肺也,其原出于大渊,大渊二。阳中之太阳,心也,其原出于大陵,大陵二。阴中之少阳,肝也,其原出于太冲,太冲二。阴中之至阴,脾也,其原出于太白,太白二。阴中之太阴,肾也,其原出于太溪,太溪二。膏之原出于鸠尾,鸠尾一。肓之原出于脖胦,脖胦一。凡此十二原者,主治五藏六府之有疾者也。
Fán jiāng yòng zhēn, bì xiān zhěn mài, shì qì zhī jù yì, nǎi kě yǐ zhì yě. wǔ zàng zhī qì yǐ jué yú nèi, ér yòng zhēn zhě fǎn shí qí wài, shì wèi chóng jié, chóng jié bì sǐ, qí sǐ yě jìng. zhì zhī zhě zhé fǎn qí qì, qǔ yè yǔ yīng. wǔ zàng zhī qì yǐ jué yú wài, ér yòng zhēn zhě fǎn shí qí nèi, shì wèi nì jué, nì jué zé bì sǐ, qí sǐ yě zào. zhì zhī zhě fǎn qǔ sì mò cì zhī. hài zhòng ér bù qù zé jīng xiè, hài zhòng ér qù zé zhì qì, jīng xiè zé bìng yì shèn ér kuāng, zhì qì zé shēng wéi yōng yáng. wǔ zàng yǒu liù fǔ, liù fǔ yǒu shí èr yuán, shí èr yuán chū yú sì guān, sì guān zhǔ zhì wǔ zàng. wǔ zàng yǒu jí, dāng qǔ zhī shí èr yuán. shí èr yuán zhě, wǔ zàng zhī suǒ yǐ bǐng sān bǎi liù shí wǔ jié qì wèi yě. wǔ zàng yǒu jí yě, yìng chū shí èr yuán, èr yuán gè yǒu suǒ chū, míng zhī qí yuán, dǔ qí yìng, ér zhī wǔ zàng zhī hài yǐ. yáng zhōng zhī shào yīn, fèi yě, qí yuán chū yú dà yuān, dà yuān èr. yáng zhōng zhī tài yáng, xīn yě, qí yuán chū yú dà líng, dà líng èr. yīn zhōng zhī shào yáng, gān yě, qí yuán chū yú tài chōng, tài chōng èr. yīn zhōng zhī zhì yīn, pí yě, qí yuán chū yú tài bái, tài bái èr. yīn zhōng zhī tài yīn, shèn yě, qí yuán chū yú tài xī, tài xī èr. gāo zhī yuán chū yú jiū wěi, jiū wěi yī. huāng zhī yuán chū yú bó yāng, bó yāng yī. fán cǐ shí èr yuán zhě, zhǔ zhì wǔ zàng liù fǔ zhī yǒu jí zhě yě.
Whenever one is about to use the needle, one must first diagnose the pulse and see whether the qi is urgent or gentle; only then may one treat. When the qi of the five viscera has already been cut off within, and the needler instead fills its outside, this is called double exhaustion, and double exhaustion means certain death; the death is quiet. Those who treat it often turn the qi back and take points at the armpit and the chest. When the qi of the five viscera has been cut off outside, and the needler instead fills its inside, this is called reverse inversion, and reverse inversion means certain death; the death is restless. Those who treat it instead take the four extremities and needle them. If one strikes the harm and does not withdraw, the essence drains; if one strikes the harm and withdraws, qi is drawn on. When the essence drains the illness worsens and the patient weakens; when qi is drawn on, abscesses and sores arise. The five viscera have six bowels, the six bowels have twelve sources; the twelve sources issue from the four gates, and the four gates govern the five viscera. When the five viscera are ill, one should take the twelve sources. The twelve sources are where the five viscera receive the qi and flavour of the three hundred and sixty-five joints. When the five viscera are ill, the response issues at the twelve sources; each of the two sources has its own issuing place. Know clearly their source and observe their response, and one knows the harm to the five viscera. The lesser yin within yang is the lung; its source issues at Great Abyss, two points at Great Abyss. The greater yang within yang is the heart; its source issues at Great Mound, two points at Great Mound. The lesser yang within yin is the liver; its source issues at Great Surge, two points at Great Surge. The utmost yin within yin is the spleen; its source issues at Great White, two points at Great White. The greater yin within yin is the kidney; its source issues at Great Torrent, two points at Great Torrent. The source of the fat issues at Turtle Tail, one point at Turtle Tail. The source of the membrane issues at Neck Navel, one point at Neck Navel. All these twelve sources govern the illnesses of the five viscera and six bowels.
**「逆厥」本篇2見**、**「厥」字2見**,皆在此段。**與「重竭」相對而成文**:重竭内絶實外而死靜,逆厥外絶實内而死躁;**一靜一躁,即陰陽各從其類之驗**。**此非素問「厥逆」之厥**,本站 id 925 別為一目,勿混。

Compounds built on this term

逆厥
nì jué
adverse inversion
本篇本文
重竭
zhòng jié
double exhaustion
與此對舉
四末
sì mò
the four extremities
救之之法
厥逆
jué nì
inversion and counterflow
本站 id 925,與此別

How it has been translated

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

This siteadverse inversionthe outside cut off and the inside filled, the mirror of double exhaustion
Literalrebellious inversionexact, and it sounds moral rather than medical
Clinicaliatrogenic collapsetrue to the mechanism, and it is not a name the text uses

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2026-10-24

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