Classica Sinica Medica

腎脂 简体 肾脂

shèn zhī

Kidney fat · shen zhi

Also rendered: kidney grease (Closer to 脂 in its old sense and unusable in modern English) · renal fat (Anatomical where the text is functional)

Physiology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
shèn zhī
Simplified
肾脂
Literal
腎 shèn, the kidney; 脂 zhī, fat, the unctuous substance — the graph has 肉 in it. A phrase that appears once in the whole Suwen, and it appears here because the chapter needs a material thing that can dry up: the kidney fat is withered and does not grow, and that is the first link in the chain that ends in contracted joints.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：脂，戴角者脂，無角者膏，从肉，旨聲——泛指脂膏。「腎」讀 shèn，本篇 6 見；「脂」讀 zhī，本篇惟此一見——**从肉从旨，此指腎中所藏之精脂**；「枯」讀 kū，本篇惟此一見——**从木从古，乾枯也**；「不」讀 bù；「長」讀 zhǎng，本篇 2 見，**此讀 zhǎng，與上文「不能生長」之長同讀**；「素」讀 sù，本篇惟此一見；「氣」讀 qì；「勝」讀 shèng，本篇 5 見；「以」讀 yǐ；「水」讀 shuǐ；「爲」讀 wéi；「事」讀 shì，本篇惟此一見；「太」讀 tài，本篇惟此一見；「陽」讀 yáng；「衰」讀 shuāi，本篇惟此一見；「一」讀 yī；「能」讀 néng；「兩」讀 liǎng，本篇 2 見；「火」讀 huǒ。**「枯不長」三字與上文「不能生長」遙應**：彼言陽獨治之不能生長，此言腎脂枯之不長，**同是「不長」而所以不長者異**——一則無陰以濟，一則無脂以養。**「素腎氣勝」之「素」字最要**：下文諸證皆自「素」字生出，非一朝之病。**「太陽氣衰」承「素腎氣勝」而來**：本篇徑作「太陽」，與他篇之作「巨陽」者異名同指。

In brief

The fatty, unctuous substance of the kidney — a phrase the Suwen uses once, in this chapter, where it is needed as something that can dry up. Withered and no longer growing, it is the first link in the chain the chapter traces to bone impediment: no growth in the kidney, no filling of the marrow, cold reaching the bone, joints drawn up.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
A substance that can wither 腎脂枯不長
脂者膏脂，腎中所藏
腎脂枯不長 — Suwen 34
2
Long-standing, not sudden 素腎氣勝
素者平素，非一朝之病
素腎氣勝 — Suwen 34
3
The way of life behind it 以水爲事
舊注二說，各從底本
以水爲事 — Suwen 34
4
The yang that failed 太陽氣衰
太陽即巨陽，本篇徑作太陽
太陽氣衰 — Suwen 34
5
What follows: no growth 腎不生則髓不能滿
脂枯則無以生髓
腎不生則髓不能滿 — Suwen 34
6
What follows: the joints 是人當攣節也
髓不滿則骨痺而節攣
是人當攣節也 — Suwen 34

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
1 passages
素問·逆調論 Suwen 34 · 逆調論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：是人者，素腎氣勝，以水爲事，太陽氣衰，腎脂枯不長，一水不能勝兩火。 歧伯曰：是人者，素肾气胜，以水为事，太阳气衰，肾脂枯不长，一水不能胜两火。
Qí bó yuē: shì rén zhě, sù shèn qì shèng, yǐ shuǐ wéi shì, tài yáng qì shuāi, shèn zhī kū bù zhǎng, yī shuǐ bù néng shèng liǎng huǒ.
Qi Bo says: such a person has from the outset a prevailing kidney qi and works with water; the greater yang qi has declined, the kidney fat is withered and does not grow, and one water cannot overcome two fires.
第三答之發端。「是」讀 shì；「人」讀 rén；「者」讀 zhě；「素」讀 sù；「腎」讀 shèn；「氣」讀 qì；「勝」讀 shèng；「以」讀 yǐ；「水」讀 shuǐ；「爲」讀 wéi；「事」讀 shì；「太」讀 tài；「陽」讀 yáng；「衰」讀 shuāi；「脂」讀 zhī；「枯」讀 kū；「不」讀 bù；「長」讀 zhǎng；「一」讀 yī；「能」讀 néng；「兩」讀 liǎng；「火」讀 huǒ。**此答以「素」字領起，而以太陽氣衰、腎脂枯不長承之**，是一串相因而下，非並列之證。**「以水爲事」舊注二說**：一說為涉水近水之業，一說為腎水用事而過盛；**下文「太陽氣衰」正承「素腎氣勝」而來，則後一說於義為長**，而二說並存，照錄底本。

Compounds built on this term

腎脂
shèn zhī
kidney fat
《素問》一見，本篇獨有
腎脂枯不長
shèn zhī kū bù zhǎng
kidney fat withered, not growing
長讀 zhǎng
素腎氣勝
sù shèn qì shèng
kidney qi prevailing from the outset
素字最要
太陽氣衰
tài yáng qì shuāi
the greater yang qi declined
太陽即巨陽

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Fengkidney fatThey keep the plain word, which is what the chapter does — it names a substance and then says it has dried up.
Unschuldthe fat of the kidneysUnschuld's version keeps the plural and the article, which reads more naturally and says the same thing.
This sitekidney fatWe keep the plain word. The phrase occurs once in the whole Suwen and it occurs here because the chapter needs something material that can wither and stop growing; a technical rendering would suggest a tissue the text never had in mind.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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