Classica Sinica Medica

膻中

dàn zhōng

Danzhong · the chest centre

Also rendered: the centre of the chest (Descriptive) · pericardium (The later identification, not the chapter's word) · danzhong (Pinyin, as used in the clinic)

Physiology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
dàn zhōng
Simplified
膻中
Literal
膻 the bared chest, the space between the breasts; 中 within, the middle of. 王冰：「在胸中兩乳間，為氣之海。」
Shuowen
《說文解字》無「膻」字。《靈樞》作「亶中」；亶，信也、誠也。「膻」從肉，謂袒露之胸；讀 dàn。

In brief

The fifth office, and the one whose name readers meet twice: as the office from which joy issues, and as the acupuncture point between the breasts. 膻中者，臣使之官，喜樂出焉 — the chest centre is the envoy, the one who carries the ruler’s commands outward, which is why what issues from it is 喜樂 and not judgement. Later tradition identifies it with the pericardium (心包絡), the wrapping that takes the blow on the heart’s behalf.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The chest centre as envoy 臣使之官
The office that carries the ruler's business outward; what issues from it is joy
膻中者，臣使之官，喜樂出焉 — Suwen 8
2
The same name as a point 膻中穴
Conception Vessel 17, between the breasts; the meeting point of qi — the same place this chapter means
（後世穴名） — Suwen 8 / later

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
3 passages
素問·靈蘭秘典論 Suwen 8 · 靈蘭秘典論 Read in context →
膻中者，臣使之官，喜樂出焉。 膻中者，臣使之官，喜乐出焉。
dàn zhōng zhě, chén shǐ zhī guān, xǐ lè chū yān.
The chest centre is the office of the envoy. Joy and delight issue from it.
王冰：「膻中者，在胸中兩乳間，為氣之海。心主之宮城，包絡之府也。」底本作「膻」，《靈樞》作「亶中」，一字之異而同指胸中兩乳之間。
素問·血氣形志 Suwen 24 · 血氣形志 Read in context →
手太陽與少陰爲表裏，少陽與心主爲表裏，陽明與太陰爲表裏，是爲手之陰陽也。 手太阳与少阴为表里，少阳与心主为表里，阳明与太阴为表里，是为手之阴阳也。
Shǒu tài yáng yǔ shào yīn wéi biǎo lǐ, shào yáng yǔ xīn zhǔ wéi biǎo lǐ, yáng míng yǔ tài yīn wéi biǎo lǐ, shì wéi shǒu zhī yīn yáng yě.
The hand greater yang and lesser yin are exterior and interior to one another; lesser yang and the heart master are exterior and interior to one another; yang brightness and greater yin are exterior and interior to one another. These are the yin and yang of the hand.
「少陽與心主爲表裏」：本篇膻中之義，見於「心主」之名：手厥陰不稱厥陰而稱心主，正與第八篇膻中為「臣使之官」者同指而異名——皆謂代心行事而非心本身。與第八篇「膻中」條同條而義別：第八篇就其官守與所出（喜樂出焉）而言，本篇則就經脈之表裏而舉其名：心主者，手厥陰也。合而觀之，膻中與心主一指其府，一指其經。
素問·脉要精微論 Suwen 17 · 脉要精微論 Read in context →
上附上，右外以候肺，内以候胸中；左外以候心，内以候膻中。前以候前，後以候後。上竟上者，胸喉中事也。下竟下者，少腹腰股膝脛足中事也。 上附上，右外以候肺，内以候胸中；左外以候心，内以候膻中。前以候前，后以候后。上竟上者，胸喉中事也。下竟下者，少腹腰股膝胫足中事也。
shàng fù shàng, yòu wài yǐ hòu fèi, nèi yǐ hòu xiōng zhōng; zuǒ wài yǐ hòu xīn, nèi yǐ hòu dàn zhōng. qián yǐ hòu qián, hòu yǐ hòu hòu. shàng jìng shàng zhě, xiōng hóu zhōng shì yě. xià jìng xià zhě, shào fù yāo gǔ xī jìng zú zhōng shì yě.
At the upper attachment above, the right outer side assesses the lung and the inner side the centre of the chest; the left outer side assesses the heart and the inner side the chest centre. The front assesses the front, the back assesses the back. What reaches highest above concerns the chest and throat; what reaches lowest below concerns the lower abdomen, loins, thighs, knees, shins and feet.
「内以候膻中」，左外以候心、内以候膻中。膻中為氣之海，本篇以尺部分候胸中與膻中。

Compounds built on this term

臣使之官
chén shǐ zhī guān
the office of the envoy
膻中在本篇的職名
心包絡
xīn bāo luò
the pericardium
What later tradition takes 膻中 to be
喜樂
xǐ lè
joy and delight
What issues from this office

How it has been translated

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

Common EnglishPericardiumNearly universal in modern practice, and anachronistic here: this chapter says 膻中 and locates it by place.
This sitethe chest centre, danzhongThe chapter means a place, not a membrane, so the name is translated; the transliteration is kept beside it because that is the name readers will meet at the point CV-17.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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