痞

pǐ

Glomus · pi

Also rendered: Glomus (Clinical) · A fullness that does not hurt (Literal)

Reviewed · 2026-10-31

At a glance

Pinyin
pǐ
Simplified
痞
Literal
痞 pǐ is written 疒 over 否: 否 is closure, the hexagram in which heaven and earth do not meet. The word's oldest recorded sense is pain, but medicine took it for the contrary — a fullness below the heart that does not hurt, a stoppage of qi with nothing solid to press. The history of the word is therefore part of its meaning, and this entry keeps both ends of it.
Shuowen
**《說文》:「痞,痛也。从疒,否聲。」符鄙切。** 徐鍇曰:「又病結也。」《玉篇》:「腹內結病。」《廣韻》:「腹內結痛。」**《正字通》:「方書,不痛者爲痞滿,痛者爲結胷。」**——本書正用後一義:「但滿而不痛者,此爲痞。」**字書本義爲痛,醫書轉爲不痛之滿,此條記其轉。****六至十篇經文共28見**(第七篇二十六見,第六篇、第八篇各一見)。**單字頭,章頁不掛引**:逐字内聯必誤傷(「痞」多與「痞鞕」「氣痞」連書),故義項與引文俱在本條,章頁只留正文。

In brief

A fullness below the heart that does not hurt and yields softly under the hand — qi stopped, with nothing solid formed. The chapter marks it off from 結胸 by exactly that: the one is full and hard and painful, the other full and soft and painless. It most often follows a mistaken purge, when the exterior disease has been driven inward and the stomach’s qi is empty; the chapter insists that such a 痞 is not heat knotted, and must not be purged again, but harmonised. Its prescriptions are the several 瀉心 decoctions, each answering a different mixture of cold and heat, deficiency and contention.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
痞之界定 但滿而不痛者,此爲痞
心下滿而不痛、按之濡,是痞之正證;與結胸之鞕痛相對,一字之差,治法全異
The definition: fullness without pain, soft under the hand. Set beside the knotted chest, which is hard and painful, it is one word's difference and a whole different treatment.
但滿而不痛者,此爲痞,柴胡不中與之,宜半夏瀉心湯。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
2
誤下成痞 病發於陰而反下之,因作痞
陰病本不可下,反下之則裏虚氣逆,心下因痞;與結胸之熱入者,來路不同
The cause on the yin side: a yin disease that should not have been purged was purged, the interior emptied and the qi driven upward, and a 痞 formed. It comes by the opposite road from the knotted chest, though both begin with a purge.
病發於陰而反下之,因作痞。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
3
氣痞 按之自濡,但氣痞耳
脉浮緊而誤下,緊反入裏,心下但滿、按之濡而不鞕,是無形之氣結,故曰氣痞
A 痞 of qi alone: the tight pulse was driven inward by a purge, the heart feels full but soft, and there is nothing formed to press. The chapter's phrase — 'only a qi 痞' — is the smallest possible statement of the disease.
脉浮而緊,而復下之,緊反入裏,則作痞,按之自濡,但氣痞耳。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
4
非結熱 此非結熱,但以胃中虚,客氣上逆
屢下之後心下痞鞕而益甚,非熱結,乃胃中虚而客氣上逆;故不可再下,甘草瀉心主之
After repeated purges the fullness only grows. The chapter denies that this is heat knotted: the stomach is empty and unruly qi rises against it. To purge again would be to repeat the error; the liquorice heart-draining decoction harmonises.
醫見心下痞,謂病不盡,復下之,其痞益甚。此非結熱,但以胃中虚,客氣上逆,故使鞕也。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
5
痞不解 本以下之,故心下痞
下後成痞,與瀉心湯而痞不解,反渴而口燥煩、小便不利者,是水停不化,改與五苓散
A 痞 that does not yield to the heart-draining decoction, with thirst, dryness and scanty urine, is water that will not transform; the treatment turns to the five-drug powder. The same fullness has a second cause.
本以下之,故心下痞,與瀉心湯。 — 辨太陽病脉證并治下第七

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
4 passages
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七·辨太陽病脉證并治下第七 Read in context →
傷寒五六日,嘔而發熱者,柴胡湯證具,而以他藥下之,柴胡證仍在者,復與柴胡湯,此雖已下之,不爲逆,必蒸蒸而振,卻發熱汗出而解。若心下滿而鞕痛者,此爲結胸也,大陷胸湯主之。但滿而不痛者,此爲痞,柴胡不中與之,宜半夏瀉心湯。 伤寒五六日,呕而发热者,柴胡汤证具,而以他药下之,柴胡证仍在者,复与柴胡汤,此虽已下之,不为逆,必蒸蒸而振,却发热汗出而解。若心下满而硬痛者,此为结胸也,大陷胸汤主之。但满而不痛者,此为痞,柴胡不中与之,宜半夏泻心汤。
shāng hán wǔ liù rì ǒu ér fā rè zhě chái hú tāng zhèng jù ér yǐ tā yào xià zhī chái hú zhèng réng zài zhě fù yǔ chái hú tāng cǐ suī yǐ xià zhī bù wéi nì bì zhēng zhēng ér zhèn què fā rè hàn chū ér jiě ruò xīn xià mǎn ér yìng tòng zhě cǐ wéi jié xiōng yě dà xiàn xiōng tāng zhǔ zhī dàn mǎn ér bù tòng zhě cǐ wéi pǐ chái hú bù zhòng yǔ zhī yí bàn xià xiè xīn tāng
After five or six days of cold damage with vomiting and fever, the signs of Bupleurum Decoction are complete; if another drug is used to purge and the Bupleurum signs remain, give Bupleurum Decoction again. Though purged, this is not a mistreatment: he will shake and steam, then break into fever and sweat and be resolved. If the epigastrium is full and hard with pain, this is chest binding, and Major Chest-Binding Decoction governs it. If it is full without pain, this is fullness, and Bupleurum is not to be given; Pinellia Heart-Draining Decoction is suitable.
痞之正訓:但滿而不痛。與結胸對舉,全篇之綱在此。
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七·辨太陽病脉證并治下第七 Read in context →
脉浮而緊,而復下之,緊反入裏,則作痞,按之自濡,但氣痞耳。 脉浮而紧,而复下之,紧反入里,则作痞,按之自濡,但气痞耳。
mài fú ér jǐn ér fù xià zhī jǐn fǎn rù lǐ zé zuò pǐ àn zhī zì rú dàn qì pǐ ěr
A floating, tense pulse, purged again: the tension turns inward and makes fullness. It is soft on pressure; it is only a fullness of qi.
「按之自濡,但氣痞耳」——無形之氣,故不可攻。
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七·辨太陽病脉證并治下第七 Read in context →
傷寒中風,醫反下之,其人下利日數十行,榖不化,腹中雷鳴,心下痞鞕而滿,乾嘔,心煩不得安。醫見心下痞,謂病不盡,復下之,其痞益甚。此非結熱,但以胃中虚,客氣上逆,故使鞕也。甘草瀉心湯主之。 伤寒中风,医反下之,其人下利日数十行,谷不化,腹中雷鸣,心下痞硬而满,干呕,心烦不得安。医见心下痞,谓病不尽,复下之,其痞益甚。此非结热,但以胃中虚,客气上逆,故使硬也。甘草泻心汤主之。
shāng hán zhòng fēng yī fǎn xià zhī qí rén xià lì rì shù shí háng gǔ bù huà fù zhōng léi míng xīn xià pǐ yìng ér mǎn gān ǒu xīn fán bù dé ān yī jiàn xīn xià pǐ wèi bìng bù jǐn fù xià zhī qí pǐ yì shèn cǐ fēi jié rè dàn yǐ wèi zhōng xū kè qì shàng nì gù shǐ yìng yě gān cǎo xiè xīn tāng zhǔ zhī
In cold damage or wind-strike the physician wrongly purges, and the patient has dozens of stools a day, undigested grain, rumbling in the abdomen, hardness and fullness below the heart, dry retching, and restlessness that gives no peace. Seeing the fullness, the physician says the disease is not exhausted and purges again, and the fullness grows worse. This is not bound heat, but only emptiness of the stomach with alien qi rising, which makes it hard. Liquorice Heart-Draining Decoction governs it.
屢下而痞益甚,乃胃虚客氣上逆;「此非結熱」四字,最忌再下。
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七·辨太陽病脉證并治下第七 Read in context →
病發於陽而反下之,熱入因作結胸;病發於陰而反下之,因作痞。所以成結胸者,以下之太早故也。 病发于阳而反下之,热入因作结胸;病发于阴而反下之,因作痞。所以成结胸者,以下之太早故也。
bìng fā yú yáng ér fǎn xià zhī rè rù yīn zuò jié xiōng bìng fā yú yīn ér fǎn xià zhī yīn zuò pǐ suǒ yǐ chéng jié xiōng zhě yǐ xià zhī tài zǎo gù yě
When a disease arising from yang is wrongly purged, the heat sinks in and makes chest binding; when one arising from yin is wrongly purged, it makes fullness. Chest binding forms because the purgation was given too early.
結胸與痞同出誤下,一陽一陰,來路分明。

Compounds built on this term

心下痞
xīn xià pǐ
fullness below the heart
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
痞鞕
pǐ yìng
full and hard
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
氣痞
qì pǐ
a 痞 of qi alone
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七
痞不解
pǐ bù jiě
the 痞 does not resolve
辨太陽病脉證并治下第七

How it has been translated

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

This siteglomuskeeps the clinical term, and glosses it in the entry
Literala stoppage, not a painexact, and against the Shuowen
Clinicalepigastric fullness without painclear, and longer than a headword

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-31

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