逆氣 简体 逆气

nì qì

Counterflow qi · ni qi

Also rendered: rebellious qi (Common in older translations; reads as moral rather than directional) · adverse qi (Accurate to the direction but suggests something hostile, which the text does not say)

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
nì qì
Simplified
逆气
Literal
逆 nì, going against, counter to the proper direction; 氣 qi. Qi that travels the wrong way along the course it should keep. This chapter is built on the word: its title means losing the harmony, and its last question is an anatomy of that one idea — six different ways of failing to lie down, each traced to a different qi that has turned round and gone up instead of down.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:逆,迎也,从辵,屰聲——迎而受之,引申為不順、為上逆。「逆」讀 nì,本篇 5 見,「逆氣」讀 nì qì——**本篇篇題「逆調」之「逆」即此字**,一篇首尾以此字相貫:篇題言其失調,篇末言其為病。「有」讀 yǒu;「人」讀 rén;「不」讀 bù;「得」讀 dé;「卧」讀 wò,本篇 12 見;「而」讀 ér;「息」讀 xī,本篇 7 見;「音」讀 yīn,本篇 7 見;「者」讀 zhě。**本篇列不得卧者六類,而以「有音」「無音」「得卧」「不得卧」四者往復別之**:一不得卧而息有音,二不得卧而息無音,三起居如故而息有音,四得卧而行喘,五不得卧而不能行而喘,六不得卧而卧喘。**六類之中,歧伯答其三**(陽明之逆、肺絡之逆、水氣之客),而「不得卧而息無音」一類**帝列之而未答**,歷代注家以為文有脫簡,今照錄底本,不敢補。**逆氣與第三十三篇「真氣上逆」之「逆」同字**:彼言真氣之逆而見口苦舌乾,此言胃氣肺氣之逆而見不得卧——**同是一逆,而所逆之氣與所見之證各別**。

In brief

Qi moving against its own course. What makes the idea clinical rather than abstract is that the chapter always says which qi and which course: the stomach’s qi should go down and instead goes up, and the person cannot lie down; the lung’s connecting vessels should follow the channels up and down and instead lodge, and the person’s breathing is audible while the rest of life goes on as usual.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The name for it 人有逆氣不得卧
「逆氣」二字,本篇惟此一見
人有逆氣不得卧而息有音者 — Suwen 34
2
The stomach's qi, which should descend 陽明者,胃脉也
胃為六府之海,其氣下行
其氣亦下行 — Suwen 34
3
The course abandoned 不得從其道
道者氣所當由,逆則不由其道
陽明逆,不得從其道 — Suwen 34
4
The sign: breathing that can be heard 故息有音也
氣逆則息粗而有聲
今逆而上行,故息有音也 — Suwen 34
5
The sign: unable to lie down 故不得卧也
胃不和則卧不安,逆之明驗
故不得卧也 — Suwen 34
6
Six kinds, one question 皆何藏使然
帝不問其治而問其藏,欲求其本
皆何藏使然?願聞其故 — 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 →
帝曰:人有逆氣不得卧而息有音者,有不得卧,而息無音者,有起居如故,而息有音者,有得卧,行而喘者,有不得卧,不能行而喘者,有不得卧,卧而喘者。 帝曰:人有逆气不得卧而息有音者,有不得卧,而息无音者,有起居如故,而息有音者,有得卧,行而喘者,有不得卧,不能行而喘者,有不得卧,卧而喘者。
Dì yuē: rén yǒu nì qì bù dé wò ér xī yǒu yīn zhě, yǒu bù dé wò, ér xī wú yīn zhě, yǒu qǐ jū rú gù, ér xī yǒu yīn zhě, yǒu dé wò, xíng ér chuǎn zhě, yǒu bù dé wò, bù néng xíng ér chuǎn zhě, yǒu bù dé wò, wò ér chuǎn zhě.
The Emperor asks: there are those with counterflow qi who cannot lie down and whose breathing is audible; those who cannot lie down and whose breathing is silent; those who rise and rest as usual yet whose breathing is audible; those who can lie down but pant when they walk; those who cannot lie down and pant when they cannot walk; and those who cannot lie down and pant when they lie down.
篇末一問之發端。「有」讀 yǒu,本篇 16 見;「逆」讀 nì;「氣」讀 qì,本篇 18 見;「卧」讀 wò;「息」讀 xī;「音」讀 yīn;「無」讀 wú,本篇惟此一見,不作「无」(「无」);「起」讀 qǐ,本篇 3 見;「居」讀 jū,本篇 3 見;「如」讀 rú,本篇 9 見;「故」讀 gù,本篇 13 見;「行」讀 xíng,本篇 6 見;「喘」讀 chuǎn,本篇 5 見。**此句是《素問》設問之最密者**:一問而列六類,以「有音/無音」「得卧/不得卧」「行喘/卧喘」三對往復別之,**不煩再問而輕重自見**。與第三十三篇開卷「有病温者」之以一證發端者,筆法迥別:彼由一證而推及其理,此由六證而反求其一理。
素問·骨空論 Suwen 60 · 骨空論 Read in context →
衝脉爲病,逆氣裏急。 冲脉为病,逆气里急。
Chōng mài wéi bìng, nì qì lǐ jí.
When the thoroughfare vessel is diseased, the qi counterflows and there is urgency within.
「衝脉爲病,「逆」讀 nì「氣」讀 qì裏急」——**氣逆而腹内拘急,正本目「氣行逆其常道」之義**;**「逆」讀 nì,本篇1見**;**下文「從少腹上衝心而痛」「其病上衝喉者」,皆衝脉逆氣之見證**
素問·氣交變大論 Suwen 69 · 氣交變大論 Read in context →
歲金太過,燥氣流行,肝木受邪,民病兩脅下少腹痛,目赤痛眦瘍,耳無所聞。肅殺而甚,則體重煩冤,胸痛引背,兩脅滿且痛引少腹。上應太白星。甚則喘欬逆氣,肩背痛,凥陰股膝髀腨䯒足皆病。上應熒惑星。收氣峻,生氣下,草木斂,蒼乾凋隕。病反暴痛,胠脅不可反側,欬逆甚而血溢。太衝絶者,死不治,上應太白星。 岁金太过,燥气流行,肝木受邪,民病两胁下少腹痛,目赤痛眦疡,耳无所闻。肃杀而甚,则体重烦冤,胸痛引背,两胁满且痛引少腹。上应太白星。甚则喘欬逆气,肩背痛,凥阴股膝髀腨䯒足皆病。上应荧惑星。收气峻,生气下,草木敛,苍干凋陨。病反暴痛,胠胁不可反侧,欬逆甚而血溢。太冲绝者,死不治,上应太白星。
Suì jīn tài guò, zào qì liú xíng, gān mù shòu xié, mín bìng liǎng xié xià shào fù tòng, mù chì tòng zì yáng, ěr wú suǒ wén. Sù shā ér shèn, zé tǐ zhòng fán yuān, xiōng tòng yǐn bèi, liǎng xié mǎn qiě tòng yǐn shào fù. Shàng yìng tài bái xīng. Shèn zé chuǎn kài nì qì, jiān bèi tòng, kāo yīn gǔ xī bì shuàn héng zú jiē bìng. Shàng yìng yíng huò xīng. Shōu qì jùn, shēng qì xià, cǎo mù liǎn, cāng gān diāo yǔn. Bìng fǎn bào tòng, qū xié bù kě fǎn cè, kài nì shèn ér xuè yì. Tài chōng jué zhě, sǐ bù zhì, shàng yìng tài bái xīng.
In a year of metal in surplus, the qi of dryness spreads and moves and the wood of the liver receives evil. The people are ill with pain below both flanks and in the lower abdomen, red and painful eyes with sores at the corner of the eye, and ears that hear nothing. If the severity and killing is extreme, the body is heavy and there is freting oppression, pain in the chest that draws to the back, and fullness in both flanks with pain drawing into the lower abdomen; it answers above to Venus. If it is severe there is panting and coughing with counterflow qi, pain in the shoulder and back, and the sacrum, the private parts, the thigh, the knee, the hip, the calf, the shin and the foot are all affected; it answers above to Mars. The qi of gathering is harsh and the qi of growth sinks; plants and trees draw in and the blue-green dries and falls. The illness turns to sudden pain; the flanks cannot be turned or lain upon; the coughing counterflow is severe and blood escapes. Where Taichong is cut off there is death and no cure; it answers above to Venus.
「甚則喘欬逆氣,肩背痛,凥陰股膝髀腨䯒足皆病」——**「逆氣」本篇1見,止此一見**;**本篇逆氣在歲金太過、燥氣流行之甚者,與喘欬、肩背痛並見**;**「逆」讀 nì、「氣」讀 qì**
素問·陰陽應象大論 Suwen 5 · 陰陽應象大論 Read in context →
六經爲川,腸胃爲海,九竅爲水注之氣。以天地爲之陰陽,陽之汗,以天地之雨名之。陽之氣,以天地之疾風名之。暴氣象雷,逆氣象陽。故治不法天之紀,不用地之理,則災害至矣。 六经为川,肠胃为海,九窍为水注之气。以天地为之阴阳,阳之汗,以天地之雨名之。阳之气,以天地之疾风名之。暴气象雷,逆气象阳。故治不法天之纪,不用地之理,则灾害至矣。
liù jīng wéi chuān, cháng wèi wéi hǎi, jiǔ qiào wéi shuǐ zhù zhī qì. yǐ tiān dì wéi zhī yīn yáng, yáng zhī hàn, yǐ tiān dì zhī yǔ míng zhī. yáng zhī qì, yǐ tiān dì zhī jí fēng míng zhī. bào qì xiàng léi, nì qì xiàng yáng. gù zhì bù fǎ tiān zhī jì, bù yòng dì zhī lǐ, zé zāi hài zhì yǐ.
The six channels are the rivers, the stomach and intestines the sea, the nine orifices the vapour of pouring water. Taking heaven and earth as the yin and yang of it: the sweat of yang is named after the rain of heaven and earth; the qi of yang is named after the swift wind of heaven and earth. Fierce qi resembles thunder, rebellious qi resembles yang. Therefore if treatment does not model itself on the markers of heaven and does not employ the order of earth, calamity will arrive.
「逆氣象陽」——暴氣象雷、逆氣象陽,以天地之象名人身之氣;**「逆氣」本篇1見**
素問·玉機真藏論 Suwen 19 · 玉機真藏論 Read in context →
帝曰:秋脉太過與不及,其病皆何如?歧伯曰:太過則令人逆氣而背痛,愠愠然;其不及,則令人喘,呼吸少氣而欬,上氣見血,下聞病音。 帝曰:秋脉太过与不及,其病皆何如?歧伯曰:太过则令人逆气而背痛,愠愠然;其不及,则令人喘,呼吸少气而欬,上气见血,下闻病音。
Dì yuē: qiū mài tài guò yǔ bù jí, qí bìng jiē hé rú? Qí bó yuē: tài guò zé lìng rén nì qì ér bèi tòng, yùn yùn rán; qí bù jí, zé lìng rén chuǎn, hū xī shǎo qì ér kài, shàng qì xiàn xuè, xià wén bìng yīn.
Excess brings counterflow qi and pain in the back, with a smouldering, oppressed feeling. Deficiency brings panting — breathing with scant qi and coughing; above, the qi shows blood; below, one hears the sound of the disease.
「令人逆氣而背痛」,秋脉太過則令人逆氣而背痛、愠愠然。逆氣者氣之上而不下,背為肺之府。

Compounds built on this term

逆氣
nì qì
counterflow qi
本篇總名,一篇之末以此領六類
足三陽者下行
zú sān yáng zhě xià xíng
the three yang of the foot go down
逆氣之反面,本篇立此以為常
今逆而上行
jīn nì ér shàng xíng
now it goes counter and rises
「今」字見其為變而非常
絡脉逆
luò mài nì
counterflow in the connecting vessels
肺之絡脉逆,病微而息有音

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Fengcounterflow qiThey keep 逆 as a direction word, which is what the graph is: 辵 plus 屰, going against.
Unschuldqi moving contrary [to its normal course]Unschuld spells out the course that is being abandoned, which costs words but loses nothing.
This sitecounterflow qiWe keep the direction and let the chapter supply the course. The text always names it — the stomach's qi, the lung's connecting vessels — so the English need only say which way the qi went, and the reader can see what it abandoned.

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2026-09

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