Classica Sinica Medica

榮氣 简体 荣气

róng qì

Construction qi · rong qi

Also rendered: nourishing qi (Accurate and widely used; loses the flourishing that 榮 carries) · constructive qi (Close to the Latin constructio and easy to misread as 'helpful')

Physiology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
róng qì
Simplified
荣气
Literal
榮 róng, to flourish, to nourish — the base text writes 榮 here and not 營, and the site keeps the two apart; 氣 qi. The qi that nourishes, which the chapter puts beside the defence qi and then uses to split one symptom into two: when construction qi is vacuous there is numbness, when defence qi is vacuous there is loss of use. The chapter also leaves a famous crux behind — it first says the defence qi is replete, and then says vacuous.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：榮，桐木也，从木，熒省聲——引申為華盛、為榮養。「榮」讀 róng，本篇 3 見（榮氣×2、榮衛）——**底本从木，不作「營」（「營」），亦不作「荣」（「荣」）**；**「榮」與「營」義別**：榮者榮養之榮，營者營運之營；與第三十二篇之作「榮」（色榮顴骨）者同字，**而與「營衛」之作「營」者不同，各從底本**。「氣」讀 qì；「虚」讀 xū；「衛」讀 wèi；「實」讀 shí；「也」讀 yě；「則」讀 zé；「不」讀 bù；「仁」讀 rén；「用」讀 yòng；「俱」讀 jù；「且」讀 qiě；「肉」讀 ròu；「如」讀 rú；「故」讀 gù。**「榮氣虚則不仁」五字，是本篇分證之第一刀**：榮主血而行於脈中，榮虚則肌膚無所榮，故不仁——**不知痛癢者，無所養也**。**與「衛氣虚，則不用」對舉**：榮主養而衛主用，一不知一不能，**本篇於「肉苛」一證而剖為二端**，與本站「衛氣」（id 219）條可互注。

In brief

The nourishing qi, paired with the defence qi. This chapter’s use of the pair is unusually tidy: it takes one complaint — flesh that has stopped answering — and divides it, numbness to construction qi and loss of use to defence qi, then states what happens when both are vacuous. It also leaves the crux untouched: the defence qi is called replete in one clause and vacuous in the next, and the site transcribes both as they stand.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The nourishing qi 榮氣虚
榮者榮養，主血而行於脈中
榮氣虚 — Suwen 34
2
Vacuous, there is numbness 榮氣虚則不仁
不仁者，肌膚不知痛癢
榮氣虚則不仁 — Suwen 34
3
Paired with defence qi 衛氣虚，則不用
榮主養，衛主用
衛氣虚，則不用 — Suwen 34
4
The crux the text leaves 榮氣虚，衛氣實也
下文即作「衛氣虚」，前後相衝
榮氣虚，衛氣實也 — Suwen 34
5
Both vacuous 榮衛俱虚
不知亦不能，二證並見
榮衛俱虚 — Suwen 34
6
The flesh unchanged 肉如故也
形色如常而其用已廢
肉如故也 — Suwen 34

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
4 passages
素問·逆調論 Suwen 34 · 逆調論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：榮氣虚，衛氣實也，榮氣虚則不仁，衛氣虚，則不用，榮衛俱虚，則不仁且不用，肉如故也。 歧伯曰：荣气虚，卫气实也，荣气虚则不仁，卫气虚，则不用，荣卫俱虚，则不仁且不用，肉如故也。
Qí bó yuē: róng qì xū, wèi qì shí yě, róng qì xū zé bù rén, wèi qì xū, zé bù yòng, róng wèi jù xū, zé bù rén qiě bù yòng, ròu rú gù yě.
Qi Bo says: the construction qi is vacuous and the defence qi replete. When construction qi is vacuous there is numbness; when defence qi is vacuous there is loss of use; when both are vacuous there is numbness together with loss of use, while the flesh still looks as it always did.
第四答之全。「榮」讀 róng；「氣」讀 qì；「虚」讀 xū；「衛」讀 wèi；「實」讀 shí；「也」讀 yě；「則」讀 zé；「不」讀 bù；「仁」讀 rén；「用」讀 yòng；「俱」讀 jù；「且」讀 qiě；「肉」讀 ròu；「如」讀 rú；「故」讀 gù。**此答三層，而第三層「榮衛俱虚」與第二層「衛氣虚」並不相犯**：第二層言其一，第三層言其二。
素問·瘧論 Suwen 35 · 瘧論 Read in context →
此皆得之夏傷於暑，熱氣盛，藏於皮膚之内，腸胃之外，此榮氣之所舍也。 此皆得之夏伤于暑，热气盛，藏于皮肤之内，肠胃之外，此荣气之所舍也。
Cǐ jiē dé zhī xià shāng yú shǔ, rè qì shèng, cáng yú pí fū zhī nèi, cháng wèi zhī wài, cǐ róng qì zhī suǒ shè yě.
All this is got from being damaged by summerheat in summer: the hot qi is exuberant and lodges inside the skin and outside the stomach and intestines — which is where the construction qi abides.
「榮氣」之目於本站已立（id 1036），所收一條（第三十四篇：榮氣虚則不仁、榮衛俱虚則不仁且不用）。**本篇「榮氣」二字惟此一見，而言其「舍」：「此榮氣之所舍也」**——**第三十四篇言榮氣之病（虚則不仁），本篇言榮氣之舍（皮膚之内、腸胃之外）**，**一言其病，一言其舍，正可互注**。「此」讀 cǐ；「皆」讀 jiē；「得」讀 dé；「之」讀 zhī；「夏」讀 xià；「傷」讀 shāng；「於」讀 yú；「暑」讀 shǔ；「熱」讀 rè；「氣」讀 qì；「盛」讀 shèng；「藏」讀 cáng；「皮」讀 pí；「膚」讀 fū；「内」讀 nèi；「腸」讀 cháng；「胃」讀 wèi；「外」讀 wài；「榮」讀 róng，**底本从木从熒省，不作「營」（「營」）**；「所」讀 suǒ；「舍」讀 shè；「也」讀 yě。**「此榮氣之所舍也」六字最見本篇之精**：暑熱之邪藏於皮膚之内、腸胃之外，**而其地即榮氣所居之地**——**邪之舍即正之舍，是本篇最深之一筆**：正邪同處，故邪之深淺即關乎榮氣之淺深，而下文「其氣之舍深」「邪氣内薄於五藏」皆由此出。**與本站「榮氣」條所收第三十四篇「榮氣虚則不仁」合觀**：**彼言榮氣虚而病不仁，此言榮氣之舍而邪居之**——**榮氣之虚實與榮氣之舍，一為病之一面，一為邪之一面**。**「榮」字本篇惟此一見，與第三十四篇「榮氣」之榮同字**，**與「營」義別，本站不作合併**。
素問·風論 Suwen 42 · 風論 Read in context →
癘者，有榮氣熱胕，其氣不清，故使其鼻柱壞而色敗，皮膚瘍潰。 疠者，有荣气热胕，其气不清，故使其鼻柱坏而色败，皮肤疡溃。
Lì zhě, yǒu róng qì rè fù, qí qì bù qīng, gù shǐ qí bí zhù huài ér sè bài, pí fū yáng kuì.
In li, the construction qi is hot and rots; that qi is not clear. So the bridge of the nose is destroyed and the complexion ruined, and the skin breaks into sores and ulcerates.
「癘者，有榮氣熱胕，其氣不清」——**本篇「榮氣」1見，即此**；**第三十四篇以榮氣虛則不仁，本篇則以榮氣熱而胕壞成癘**——**一虛一熱，皆榮氣之病**。「榮」讀 róng**本篇「榮」1見，不作「營」**；「胕」讀 fù**「熱胕」讀 fù，腐也**；「柱」讀 zhù、「敗」讀 bài、「潰」讀 kuì**「鼻柱壞而色敗，皮膚瘍潰」**——**王冰「合熱而血胕壞也」**。
素問·生氣通天論 Suwen 3 · 生氣通天論 Read in context →
營氣不從，逆於肉理，乃生癰腫。魄汗未盡，形弱而氣爍，穴俞以閉，發爲風瘧。 营气不从，逆于肉理，乃生痈肿。魄汗未尽，形弱而气烁，穴俞以闭，发为风疟。
Yíng qì bù cóng, nì yú ròu lǐ, nǎi shēng yōng zhǒng. pò hàn wèi jìn, xíng ruò ér qì shuò, xué shù yǐ bì, fā wéi fēng nüè.
When the ying qi does not follow and runs counter in the texture of the flesh, there is abscess and swelling. If the sweat has not ceased, the form is weak and the qi is scorched away, the transport points close, and it breaks out as wind malaria.
「營氣不從，逆於肉理，乃生癰腫」——底本作營，與榮同，即本站第一〇三六條之榮氣；營氣不從其道，逆於肉理，則癰腫生；**「營氣」本篇1見**

Compounds built on this term

榮氣
róng qì
construction qi
主血而行於脈中，榮虚則不仁
衛氣
wèi qì
defence qi
主氣之運行，衛虚則不用
榮衛俱虚
róng wèi jù xū
construction and defence both vacuous
不仁且不用
榮氣虚則不仁
róng qì xū zé bù rén
construction qi vacuous, numbness
本篇分證之第一刀

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Fengconstruction qiThey keep the building sense of 榮, which pairs properly with defence.
Unschuldthe qi of the construction [vessels]Unschuld adds the vessels in brackets, making explicit what the Chinese leaves understood.
This siteconstruction qiWe keep the pair symmetrical: construction builds and defends against, and the chapter's whole move is to split one complaint between them. We also keep 榮 distinct from 營 — this base text writes 榮 for nourishing and the site does not silently merge the two graphs.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

Search the glossary

Reading path

Guided routes through the corpus, each built on a handful of chapters and their key terms.

See all reading paths