惡寒 简体 恶寒

wù hán

Aversion to cold · wu han

Also rendered: Aversion to cold (Clinical) · Shrinking from cold (Literal)

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin
wù hán
Simplified
恶寒
Literal
惡 wù is to hate or shrink from, not 惡 è, bad; 寒 hán is cold. The phrase is not feeling cold and not being cold, but turning away from cold: the patient wants covers and still feels cold, and the dislike is the sign. It is the one symptom the book will not do without in the exterior pattern.
Shuowen
**《說文》:「惡,過也。」憎惡之義為其引申,讀去聲 wù。****底本二十五見**,分佈卷一八、卷二一、卷四五、卷五十一。**惡寒與惡風之别**:惡寒者無風亦寒,雖覆被而不解;惡風者當風則惡,無風則安。5-13「嗇嗇惡寒,淅淅惡風」二語並舉,最見其分。**惡寒亦有陰陽之别**:5-08 發熱惡寒者發於陽,無熱惡寒者發於陰,此一語為全篇辨證之綱。**「惡」不讀 è**,讀 è 則為醜惡,與證無涉。

In brief

Shrinking from cold, with covers piled on and no relief. It is the constant in the exterior pattern: fever may be present or absent, but the book says 必惡寒 — there must be aversion to cold. Where it comes with fever the illness rises from yang; where it comes without fever it rises from yin, and that one distinction governs the chapter. It differs from aversion to wind in that wind is not needed to bring it on.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
Beside the floating pulse 頭項強痛而惡寒
太陽提綱三證之一;惡寒者,雖覆被向火而不解
One of the three signs that define taiyang: the patient turns from cold and covers do not relieve it.
太陽之爲病,脉浮,頭項強痛而惡寒 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
2
The fork between yang and yin 發熱惡寒者,發於陽也
有熱而惡寒者病起於陽經,無熱而惡寒者病起於陰經;此一語分全篇之陰陽
Fever with aversion to cold rises from yang; aversion to cold without fever rises from yin. One sentence, and the whole chapter divides along it.
病有發熱惡寒者,發於陽也;無熱惡寒者,發於陰也 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
3
Cold that comes from yang failing 陽微則惡寒
誤汗之後陽氣微,故惡寒;此非外寒,乃内陽之虚
When the yang is faint there is aversion to cold; after wrongful sweating the cold the patient feels is not outside but the failing of yang within.
陽微則惡寒,陰弱則發熱 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
3 passages
傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →
太陽之爲病,脉浮,頭項強痛而惡寒。 太阳之为病,脉浮,头项强痛而恶寒。
tài yáng zhī wéi bìng mài fú tóu xiàng qiáng tòng ér wù hán
When the taiyang falls ill, the pulse is floating, the head and nape are stiff and painful, and there is aversion to cold.
**「惡寒」五篇共25見**(經文,不含成注),本文引第5篇第01段、第5篇第08段、第1篇第30段。
傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →
病有發熱惡寒者,發於陽也;無熱惡寒者,發於陰也。發於陽者七日愈,發於陰者六日愈,以陽數七、陰數六故也。 病有发热恶寒者,发于阳也;无热恶寒者,发于阴也。发于阳者七日愈,发于阴者六日愈,以阳数七、阴数六故也。
bìng yǒu fā rè wù hán zhě fā yú yáng yě wú rè wù hán zhě fā yú yīn yě fā yú yáng zhě qī rì yù fā yú yīn zhě liù rì yù yǐ yáng shù qī yīn shù liù gù yě
Illness with fever and aversion to cold arises from yang; illness with aversion to cold but no fever arises from yin. Yang cases heal in seven days, yin cases in six, because the yang number is seven and the yin number six.
惡寒一證,在表為衛氣與邪爭,在裏為陽氣之虚;同名而異治,全在脉與有熱無熱上分。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
師曰:病人脉微而濇者,此爲醫所病也。大發其汗,又數大下之,其人亡血。病當惡寒,後乃發熱,無休止時。夏月盛熱,欲著複衣,冬月盛寒,欲裸其身。所以然者,陽微則惡寒,陰弱則發熱。此醫發其汗,令陽氣微,又大下之,令陰氣弱。五月之時,陽氣在表,胃中虚冷,以陽氣内微,不能勝冷,故欲著複衣。十一月之時,陽氣在裏,胃中煩熱,以陰氣内弱,不能勝熱,故欲祼其身。又陰脉遲濇,故知血亡也。 师曰:病人脉微而涩者,此为医所病也。大发其汗,又数大下之,其人亡血。病当恶寒,后乃发热,无休止时。夏月盛热,欲著复衣,冬月盛寒,欲裸其身。所以然者,阳微则恶寒,阴弱则发热。此医发其汗,令阳气微,又大下之,令阴气弱。五月之时,阳气在表,胃中虚冷,以阳气内微,不能胜冷,故欲著复衣。十一月之时,阳气在里,胃中烦热,以阴气内弱,不能胜热,故欲祼其身。又阴脉迟涩,故知血亡也。
shī yuē bìng rén mài wēi ér sè zhě cǐ wéi yī suǒ bìng yě dà fā qí hàn yòu shuò dà xià zhī qí rén wáng xuè bìng dāng wù hán hòu nǎi fā rè wú xiū zhǐ shí xià yuè shèng rè yù zhuó fù yī dōng yuè shèng hán yù luǒ qí shēn suǒ yǐ rán zhě yáng wēi zé wù hán yīn ruò zé fā rè cǐ yī fā qí hàn lìng yáng qì wēi yòu dà xià zhī lìng yīn qì ruò wǔ yuè zhī shí yáng qì zài biǎo wèi zhōng xū lěng yǐ yáng qì nèi wēi bù néng shèng lěng gù yù zhuó fù yī shí yī yuè zhī shí yáng qì zài lǐ wèi zhōng fán rè yǐ yīn qì nèi ruò bù néng shèng rè gù yù luǒ qí shēn yòu yīn mài chí sè gù zhī xuè wáng yě
The master said: “When a patient’s pulse is faint and astringent, he has been harmed by the physician. Sweating him greatly and purging him repeatedly, the man loses blood. The illness should bring aversion to cold and afterwards fever, without cease.” In summer’s great heat he wants thick garments; in winter’s great cold he wants to go bare. The reason is that faint yang means aversion to cold and weak yin means fever. The physician sweated him and made the yang qi faint, then purged him greatly and made the yin qi weak. In the fifth month the yang qi is in the exterior and the stomach is cold within; because the yang qi is faint inside it cannot master the cold, so he wants thick garments. In the eleventh month the yang qi is in the interior and the stomach is hot and restless; because the yin qi is weak inside it cannot master the heat, so he wants to go bare. Moreover the yin pulse is slow and astringent, so one knows the blood is lost.
惡寒一證,在表為衛氣與邪爭,在裏為陽氣之虚;同名而異治,全在脉與有熱無熱上分。

Compounds built on this term

惡寒
wù hán
aversion to cold
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
嗇嗇惡寒
sè sè wù hán
a shivering aversion to cold
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
微惡寒
wēi wù hán
slight aversion to cold
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

How it has been translated

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

This siteaversion to coldkeeps the dislike, which is the sign
Literalhating coldexact, and too strong for English
Clinicalchilliness with covers unrelievedclear, and longer than a headword

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-28

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