骨痺 简体 骨痹

gǔ bì

Bone impediment · gu bi

Also rendered: bone bi (Honest to the text, unhelpful to a reader with no Chinese) · bone blockage (Too mechanical; the chapter is describing an illness, not a plumbing failure)

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
gǔ bì
Simplified
骨痹
Literal
骨 gǔ, bone; 痺 bì, obstructed. The chapter's name for the person whose body cannot be warmed by hot water, fire or thick clothing, and who nevertheless does not shiver. The reason given is one of the most striking pieces of reasoning in the Suwen: the kidney is water and generates bone, so when the kidney does not generate, the marrow does not fill and the cold reaches the bone — and the absence of shivering is itself explained by arithmetic, one water against two fires.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:骨,肉之覈也,从冎有肉——骸骨之總名。「骨」讀 gǔ,本篇 3 見(骨痺、於骨、至骨);「痺」讀 bì,本篇 2 見;**「骨痺」二字,本篇一見,即為病名**:「病」讀 bìng,本篇 3 見;「名」讀 míng,本篇惟此一見;「曰」讀 yuē;「寒」讀 hán;「腎」讀 shèn,本篇 6 見;「者」讀 zhě;「水」讀 shuǐ;「也」讀 yě;「而」讀 ér,本篇 20 見;「生」讀 shēng,本篇 4 見;「於」讀 yú,本篇惟此一見,不作「于」(「于」);「不」讀 bù,本篇 30 見;「則」讀 zé,本篇 6 見;「髓」讀 suǐ,本篇惟此一見;「能」讀 néng,本篇 10 見;「滿」讀 mǎn,本篇 3 見;「故」讀 gù;「甚」讀 shèn,本篇惟此一見;「至」讀 zhì,本篇惟此一見。**此證是本篇最難之一證**:寒甚至骨而反不凍慄,故帝以「是爲何病」問之,而歧伯答以腎脂、髓、一水二火三段。**「腎者水也,而生於骨」八字是其根據**:腎屬水而生骨,腎不生則髓不滿,髓不滿則骨失其養,故曰「寒甚至骨也」。**與上文「肉爍」恰成對照**:一則熱爍其肉,一則寒痺其骨,本篇寒熱二證各舉其一。

In brief

Cold that has got into the bone. It is diagnosed by two negatives that do not look like a pair: the body cannot be warmed from outside, and it does not shiver. The chapter explains both at once — the kidney, which is water and makes bone, has stopped generating, so the marrow does not fill; and there is no shivering because the liver is one yang and the heart a second, while the kidney is a solitary store, so one water cannot overcome two fires.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The name 病名曰骨痺
本篇四問之中,惟此一問得病名
病名曰骨痺 — Suwen 34
2
Cold that reaches the bone 故寒甚至骨也
甚至骨者,非肌膚、非藏府
故寒甚至骨也 — Suwen 34
3
Why: the kidney generates bone 腎者水也,而生於骨
腎屬水而生骨,是其根據
腎者水也,而生於骨 — Suwen 34
4
Why: the marrow does not fill 腎不生則髓不能滿
骨者髓之府,髓不滿則骨失養
腎不生則髓不能滿 — Suwen 34
5
The two negatives 然不凍慄
外不能溫而內不戰抖,故為難證
然不凍慄 — Suwen 34
6
The outcome 是人當攣節也
痺在骨則節為之攣
是人當攣節也 — Suwen 34

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
5 passages
素問·逆調論 Suwen 34 · 逆調論 Read in context →
腎者水也,而生於骨,腎不生則髓不能滿,故寒甚至骨也。所以不能凍慄者,肝一陽也,心二陽也,腎孤藏也,一水不能勝二火,故不能凍慄,病名曰骨痺,是人當攣節也。 肾者水也,而生于骨,肾不生则髓不能满,故寒甚至骨也。所以不能冻栗者,肝一阳也,心二阳也,肾孤藏也,一水不能胜二火,故不能冻栗,病名曰骨痹,是人当挛节也。
Shèn zhě shuǐ yě, ér shēng yú gǔ, shèn bù shēng zé suǐ bù néng mǎn, gù hán shèn zhì gǔ yě.Suǒ yǐ bù néng dòng lì zhě, gān yī yáng yě, xīn èr yáng yě, shèn gū zàng yě, yī shuǐ bù néng shèng èr huǒ, gù bù néng dòng lì, bìng míng yuē gǔ bì, shì rén dāng luán jié yě.
The kidney is water, and it generates bone; if the kidney does not generate, the marrow cannot fill, and so the cold reaches even to the bone. The reason there is no shivering: the liver is one yang, the heart a second yang, and the kidney a solitary store — one water cannot overcome two fires, hence no shivering. The disease is called bone impediment, and such a person will have contracted joints.
第三答之後半,自「腎者水也」至「是人當攣節也」。「腎」讀 shèn;「者」讀 zhě;「水」讀 shuǐ;「也」讀 yě;「而」讀 ér;「生」讀 shēng;「於」讀 yú;「骨」讀 gǔ;「不」讀 bù;「則」讀 zé;「髓」讀 suǐ;「能」讀 néng;「滿」讀 mǎn;「故」讀 gù;「寒」讀 hán;「甚」讀 shèn;「至」讀 zhì;「所」讀 suǒ,本篇惟此一見;「以」讀 yǐ;「凍」讀 dòng,本篇 3 見;「慄」讀 lì,本篇 3 見;「肝」讀 gān,本篇惟此一見;「一」讀 yī,本篇 3 見;「陽」讀 yáng;「心」讀 xīn,本篇惟此一見;「二」讀 èr,本篇 2 見;「孤」讀 gū,本篇惟此一見;「藏」讀 zàng,本篇 3 見,皆讀 zàng;「病」讀 bìng;「名」讀 míng;「曰」讀 yuē;「痺」讀 bì;「是」讀 shì;「人」讀 rén;「當」讀 dāng,本篇 2 見;「攣」讀 luán,本篇惟此一見;「節」讀 jié,本篇惟此一見。**此節以「一水不能勝兩火」凡二見**(兩火、二火),而「兩」「二」異字——**《素問》一篇之中二字互見,各從底本**。又「所以不能凍慄者」一句,是先舉其疑而後釋之,**本篇三、四兩問皆用此法:先設一非常之情,而後以陰陽多少解之**。
素問·痺論 Suwen 43 · 痺論 Read in context →
故骨痺不已,復感於邪,内舍於腎;筋痺不已,復感於邪,内舍於肝;脉痺不已,復感於邪,内舍於心;肌痺不已,復感於邪,内舍於脾;皮痺不已,復感於邪,内舍於肺。 故骨痹不已,复感于邪,内舍于肾;筋痹不已,复感于邪,内舍于肝;脉痹不已,复感于邪,内舍于心;肌痹不已,复感于邪,内舍于脾;皮痹不已,复感于邪,内舍于肺。
Gù gǔ bì bù yǐ, fù gǎn yú xié, nèi shè yú shèn; jīn bì bù yǐ, fù gǎn yú xié, nèi shè yú gān; mài bì bù yǐ, fù gǎn yú xié, nèi shè yú xīn; jī bì bù yǐ, fù gǎn yú xié, nèi shè yú pí; pí bì bù yǐ, fù gǎn yú xié, nèi shè yú fèi.
Thus bone obstruction that does not mend, meeting evil again, lodges in the kidney; sinew obstruction in the liver; vessel obstruction in the heart; flesh obstruction in the spleen; skin obstruction in the lung.
「故骨痺不已,復感於邪,内舍於腎」——**骨痺為五痺之首,得之於冬**;「骨」讀 gǔ,**本篇「骨」4見**;「已」讀 yǐ,**「已」9見,止也**——**下文「諸痺不已,亦益内也」「其留連筋骨間者疼久」同一用法**;「腎」讀 shèn,**骨合於腎,故久而不去則舍焉**。
素問·長刺節論 Suwen 55 · 長刺節論 Read in context →
病在骨,骨重不可舉,骨髓酸痛,寒氣至,名曰骨痺。 病在骨,骨重不可举,骨髓酸痛,寒气至,名曰骨痹。
Bìng zài gǔ, gǔ zhòng bù kě jǔ, gǔ suǐ suān tòng, hán qì zhì, míng yuē gǔ bì.
Trouble in the bone, the bones so heavy they cannot be lifted, with sore aching in the marrow and cold qi arrived within, is called bone impediment.
「病在骨,骨重不可舉,骨髓酸痛,寒氣至,名曰「骨」讀 gǔ「痺」讀 bì」——**本篇「骨痺」1見,讀 gǔ bì**;**本目為第三十四篇所立(腎不生則髓不滿,故骨痺而身不能自温)**;**本篇之骨痺亦以寒氣至骨為因,其治「深者刺無傷脉肉為故」,候在「骨熱,病已止」**;「舉」讀 jǔ、**「不可舉」之舉讀 jǔ**;「酸」讀 suān、**「酸痛」之酸讀 suān**
素問·氣穴論 Suwen 58 · 氣穴論 Read in context →
卷肉縮筋,肋肘不得伸,内爲骨痺,外爲不仁,命曰不足,大寒留於谿谷也。 卷肉缩筋,肋肘不得伸,内为骨痹,外为不仁,命曰不足,大寒留于溪谷也。
Juǎn ròu suō jīn, lèi zhǒu bù dé shēn, nèi wéi gǔ bì, wài wéi bù rén, mìng yuē bù zú, dà hán liú yú xī gǔ yě.
The flesh curls and the sinews contract; ribs and elbow cannot stretch. Within, it becomes obstruction of the bone; without, numbness. This is called insufficiency — great cold lodged in the stream valleys.
「卷肉縮筋,肋肘不得伸,内爲「骨」讀 gǔ「痺」讀 bì,外爲不仁,命曰不足,大寒留於谿谷也。」——**本篇「骨痺」1見,讀 gǔ bì**;**大寒留於谿谷,則卷肉縮筋而肋肘不得伸,其内成者即骨痺**;**本目所立之候為身寒而不能溫、又不凍慄者,本篇則溯其因於谿谷之寒**;**因與證對:第四十一篇言其狀,本篇言其所由**;「卷」讀 juǎn、**「卷肉縮筋」之卷讀 juǎn,本篇1見**;「不」讀 bù、**本篇9見**
素問·四時刺逆從論 Suwen 64 · 四時刺逆從論 Read in context →
太陽有餘,病骨痺身重;不足病腎痺;滑則病腎風疝,濇則病積,善時巔疾。 太阳有余,病骨痹身重;不足病肾痹;滑则病肾风疝,涩则病积,善时巅疾。
Tài yáng yǒu yú, bìng gǔ bì shēn zhòng; bù zú bìng shèn bì; huá zé bìng shèn fēng shàn, sè zé bìng jī, shàn shí diān jí.
When greater yang is in surplus the disease is bone obstruction and heaviness of the body; when it is insufficient, kidney obstruction. A slippery pulse brings kidney wind mounting; a rough pulse brings accumulation, with a tendency at times to disease of the crown.
「太陽有餘,病骨痺身重」——**太陽寒水之氣主骨,有餘則病骨痺,骨痺故身重**;**與第五十五篇「病在骨,骨重不可舉,骨髓酸痛,寒氣至,名曰骨痺」互見**

Compounds built on this term

骨痺
gǔ bì
bone impediment
本篇三病名之一(骨痺、肉苛、肉爍)
寒甚至骨
hán shèn zhì gǔ
cold reaching to the bone
與病名相照應
腎脂枯不長
shèn zhī kū bù zhǎng
the kidney fat withered and not growing
骨痺之遠因
腎孤藏
shèn gū zàng
the kidney, a solitary store
一水不能勝二火之所以然

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Fengbone impedimentThey keep 痺 as impediment throughout, so the family of 痺 words stays visible across chapters.
Unschuldbone blockageUnschuld's rendering is consistent with how he handles 痺 elsewhere, at the cost of the clinical register.
This sitebone impedimentWe follow the same rendering we use for 痺 in 痺氣, so the reader can see that the chapter uses one graph for a qi that is blocked and a bone that is blocked — and can then ask what the chapter thinks the two have in common.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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Reading path

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