Classica Sinica Medica

五十九剌 简体 五十九刺

wǔ shí jiǔ cì

The fifty-nine needlings · wu shi jiu ci

Also rendered: the fifty-nine punctures ('Puncture' is exact for the graph but sounds like an injury) · fifty-nine needles (Suggests fifty-nine needles rather than fifty-nine points)

Core vocabulary

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
wǔ shí jiǔ cì
Simplified
五十九刺
Literal
五十九 wǔ shí jiǔ, fifty-nine; 剌 cì, needlings. A fixed set of fifty-nine points for heat disease, listed in chapter 61 of the Suwen and in the Lingshu. Chapter 32 names it twice without listing it, both times for the severe case only: the fifty-nine needlings are the heavy measure, not the routine one.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：九，陽之變也，象其屈曲究盡之形——「五」讀 wǔ，本篇三見；「十」讀 shí；「九」讀 jiǔ，本篇二見；「剌」讀 cì。**「五十九剌」本篇二見**：「病甚者爲五十九剌」、「病甚爲五十九剌」——一有「者」一無「者」，文異而義同，疑傳寫之異，各從底本而不刪。「病」讀 bìng；「甚」讀 shèn；「者」讀 zhě；**「爲」讀 wéi，本篇五見**，底本不作「為」。**五十九穴之目見《素問》第六十一水熱穴論及《靈樞·熱病》**，本篇但舉其數而不列其穴，以別篇已具故也。**二見皆綴於「病甚」之後**，是五十九剌為熱病之重劑——上文諸節皆剌一二經而已，惟病甚者乃用五十九剌，輕重之辨，於此可見。**本站別有「九鍼」（id 456）、「灸剌」（id 768）、「繆剌」（id 509）**：「九鍼」言針之器，「灸剌」言灸與刺二法，「繆剌」言左病取右之法，皆與本條之「五十九剌」為**熱病之重劑**者別。

In brief

The set of fifty-nine points used to treat severe heat disease. Chapter 32 gives the number twice and the list never, because the list belongs to chapter 61 and to the Lingshu. Both mentions are attached to the severe case, which makes the fifty-needling set the heavy measure of the chapter: the ordinary prescriptions needle one or two channels, and only a disease that has gone deep gets the full set.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The number and where it comes from 五十九剌
五十九穴之刺，目見水熱穴論
五十九剌 — Suwen 32
2
Reserved for the severe case 病甚者爲五十九剌
非甚者不用，本篇二見皆綴於病甚之後
病甚者爲五十九剌 — Suwen 32
3
The second mention, without 者 病甚爲五十九剌
與上句文異義同，疑傳寫之異
病甚爲五十九剌 — Suwen 32
4
Contrasted with the ordinary prescription 剌足少陽，補足太陰
尋常剌一二經，甚者乃用五十九
剌足少陽，補足太陰 — Suwen 32
5
Heat disease has its own point set 熱病氣穴
熱病之穴自為一類，本篇末復列五椎之法
熱病氣穴 — Suwen 32
6
Part of a graded procedure 病甚
輕者剌其經，甚者五十九剌，本篇之次第
病甚 — Suwen 32

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
2 passages
素問·剌熱 Suwen 32 · 剌熱 Read in context →
病甚者爲五十九剌。 病甚者为五十九刺。
Bìng shèn zhě wéi wǔ shí jiǔ cì.
In cases that are severe, use the fifty-nine needlings.
熱病之重劑。「病」讀 bìng，本篇二十六見，為全篇用字之次多者；「甚」讀 shèn，本篇七見；「者」讀 zhě；**「爲」讀 wéi，本篇五見，無一作「為」**；「五」讀 wǔ；「十」讀 shí；「九」讀 jiǔ；「剌」讀 cì，本篇十七見。**此句綴於「剌足少陽，補足太陰」之後**：上句為熱病初起於胸脅之常法，此則言其甚者——常法剌一二經而已，甚者乃用五十九剌，**輕重之辨即於此二句之間**。下文「熱病先身重骨痛…剌足少陰。病甚爲五十九剌」同例，惟省一「者」字，疑傳寫之異，各從底本。
素問·剌瘧 Suwen 36 · 剌瘧 Read in context →
温瘧汗不出，爲五十九剌。 温疟汗不出，为五十九刺。
Wēn nüè hàn bù chū, wéi wǔ shí jiǔ cì.
In warm malaria where the sweat will not come out, give the fifty-nine needlings.
「五十九剌」之目於本站已立（id 977），所收一條為第三十二篇「病甚者爲五十九剌」——**為熱病之重劑**。**本篇篇末「温瘧汗不出，爲五十九剌」是本站「五十九剌」之第二見，而施之於瘧，非施之於熱**。「温」讀 wēn，本篇惟此一見，**不作「溫」（「溫」）、亦不作「瘟」（「瘟」）**；「瘧」讀 nüè；「汗」讀 hàn；「不」讀 bù；「出」讀 chū；「爲」讀 wéi，本篇惟此一見，讀 wéi，**不作「為」（「為」）**，與第三十五篇「故爲其病逆」之爲同字；「五」讀 wǔ；「十」讀 shí；「九」讀 jiǔ；「剌」讀 cì。**二篇同以五十九剌為最重之劑**：**一施熱病之甚者（第三十二篇），一施温瘧之汗不出者（本篇）**，**其取義則一：皆為病之深而常法不能解者**——**在彼則「病甚」，在此則「汗不出」，皆常法之所不能及**。**與本篇第十八段「瘧脉緩大虚，便宜用藥，不宜用鍼」為全篇之兩極**：**虚者不宜用鍼而用藥，深者用五十九剌**——**一篇之首尾，而虛實之際判然**。**又「便」字讀 biàn**：「便宜用藥」之便，**本篇「便」字4見，皆讀 biàn**。

Compounds built on this term

五十九剌
wǔ shí jiǔ cì
the fifty-nine needlings
本篇二見
病甚
bìng shèn
severe disease
本篇三見，用五十九剌之候
熱病氣穴
rè bìng qì xué
the qi points for heat disease
本篇一見，末節所列五椎之法
九鍼
jiǔ zhēn
the nine needles
本站已立目（id 456），言針之器，與此別

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Fengthe fifty-nine piercingsThey keep the count and render 剌 literally, which is consistent but reads oddly as a prescription.
Unschuldfifty-nine [holes for] piercingUnschuld's bracketed gloss is honest about the ellipsis, since the text names the number and not the points.
This sitethe fifty-nine needlingsWe use 'needlings', which keeps the verbal force of 剌 and lets the number read as a set of points rather than a set of instruments.

Entry status

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2026-09

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