Classica Sinica Medica

鍼石 简体 针石

zhēn shí

Needle and stone

Also rendered: needle and stone (Literal; the standard pairing) · acupuncture and stone (Modernises 鍼 into a later system) · needling (Too narrow; drops the stone altogether)

Core vocabulary

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
zhēn shí
Simplified
针石
Literal
鍼 the needle (《說文》: 所以縫也 — that with which one sews); 石 the stone, here the stone implement used to open abscesses and to puncture. The pair is the whole of external therapy.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：鍼，所以縫也（段注：引申為鍼刺之鍼）；石，山石也（醫籍指砭石，即用以刺病之石）。

In brief

The chapter’s name for everything a physician does from the outside, and the thing it demotes in a single clause: 鍼石，道也 — the needle and the stone are a method, nothing more. Chapter 12 had already listed the stone of the east and the nine needles of the south as regional inventions. Chapter 14 takes the same implements and asks what they are worth when the patient’s spirit is gone. The answer is nothing, because they are a dao and not a cause.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
External therapy in general 鍼石
針刺與砭石之屬；本篇與毒藥對舉：毒藥攻其中，鍼石治其外
必齊毒藥攻其中，鑱石鍼艾治其外也 — Suwen 14
2
Only a method 鍼石，道也
道謂方法、途徑；針石非病愈之所以然
歧伯曰：鍼石，道也 — Suwen 14
3
Reaches nothing once the disease is named rebellion 則鍼石不能治，良藥不能及也
病成名曰逆，針石良藥皆無所施
病成，名曰逆，則鍼石不能治 — Suwen 14

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·湯液醪醴論 Suwen 14 · 湯液醪醴論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：鍼石，道也。精神不進，志意不治，故病不可愈。今精壞神去，榮衛不可復收。何者？嗜欲無窮，而憂患不止，精氣弛壞，榮泣衛除，故神去之而病不愈也。 岐伯曰：针石，道也。精神不进，志意不治，故病不可愈。今精坏神去，荣卫不可复收。何者？嗜欲无穷，而忧患不止，精气弛坏，荣泣卫除，故神去之而病不愈也。
qí bó yuē: zhēn shí, dào yě. jīng shén bù jìn, zhì yì bù zhì, gù bìng bù kě yù. jīn jīng huài shén qù, yíng wèi bù kě fù shōu. hé zhě? shì yù wú qióng, ér yōu huàn bù zhǐ, jīng qì chí huài, yíng sè wèi chú, gù shén qù zhī ér bìng bù yù yě.
Qibo says: the needle and the stone are only a method. If essence and spirit do not advance and purpose and intention are not governed, the illness cannot be cured. Now the essence is ruined and the spirit has departed, and the construction and defence can no longer be gathered back. Why? Because appetites are endless and cares never stop: the essence-qi slackens and decays, the construction stagnates and the defence is dispelled, and so the spirit leaves and the illness is not cured.
王冰：「齊，和合也……必齊毒藥以攻內，鑱石針艾以治外。」本篇又云「鍼石，道也」——道即方法、途徑，非病愈之所以然。與第十二篇「砭石者，亦從東方來」「九鍼者，亦從南方來」同一器而立論不同：第十二篇舉其所出，本篇論其所能與所不能。
素問·血氣形志 Suwen 24 · 血氣形志 Read in context →
形樂志樂，病生於肉，治之以鍼石。 形乐志乐，病生于肉，治之以针石。
Xíng lè zhì lè, bìng shēng yú ròu, zhì zhī yǐ zhēn shí.
Form at ease and will at ease: the disease arises in the flesh; treat it with needle and stone.
「形樂志樂，病生於肉，治之以鍼石」：本篇鍼石之義，為五治之一，而其所治者在肉。與第十四篇已載者同條而義別：第十四篇以鍼石與湯液、醪醴並論，言其治之宜與不宜（「病成名曰逆，則鍼石不能治」）；本篇則以之與灸剌、熨引、百藥、按摩醪藥並列，各隨病位而施——彼論其可治之界，本篇論其所治之位。底本作「鍼」，讀 zhēn。
素問·通評虚實論 Suwen 28 · 通評虚實論 Read in context →
閉塞者，用藥而少鍼石也。 闭塞者，用药而少针石也。
Bì sè zhě, yòng yào ér shǎo zhēn shí yě.
Where there is closing and blockage, use medicines and go lightly with needles and stones.
「閉塞者，用藥而少鍼石也」——鍼石連文，本站此條之目正見於此。**「鍼」讀 zhēn**；**「石」讀 shí，本篇二見**，砭石也；**「少」讀 shǎo，本篇五見**——此處二見（少鍼石二見）讀 shǎo，而足少陽、手少陰、少陰俞三處讀 shào，**同一「少」字而二讀並見於本篇**；「用」讀 yòng；「藥」讀 yào，本篇惟此一見。冬氣閉藏，故宜用藥物之溫養而少施針砭之開泄，與上文「冬則閉塞」相承。下句即限定之曰「所謂少鍼石者，非癰疽之謂也」。
素問·金匱真言論 Suwen 4 · 金匱真言論 Read in context →
所以欲知陰中之陰、陽中之陽者，何也？爲冬病在陰，夏病在陽；春病在陰，秋病在陽，皆視其所在，爲施鍼石也。 所以欲知阴中之阴、阳中之阳者，何也？为冬病在阴，夏病在阳；春病在阴，秋病在阳，皆视其所在，为施针石也。
suǒ yǐ yù zhī yīn zhōng zhī yīn, yáng zhōng zhī yáng zhě, hé yě? wèi dōng bìng zài yīn, xià bìng zài yáng; chūn bìng zài yīn, qiū bìng zài yáng, jiē shì qí suǒ zài, wéi shī zhēn shí yě.
Why then does one wish to know the yin within yin and the yang within yang? Because disease in winter lies in yin and disease in summer in yang; disease in spring in yin and disease in autumn in yang — in each case one looks to where it lies and applies needles and stones accordingly.
「爲施鍼石也」——病在陰在陽，皆視其所在而施鍼石；鍼讀 zhēn；**「鍼石」本篇1見**

Compounds built on this term

鍼
zhēn
needle
說文：所以縫也
石
shí
the stone implement
說文：山石也；醫籍為砭石
砭石
biān shí
the stone needle
第十二篇「其病皆為癰瘍，其治宜砭石」
鑱石
chán shí
the chán stone
本篇「鑱石鍼艾治其外也」；鑱為石鍼之一種
灸爇
jiǔ ruò
cautery
第十二篇「其治宜灸爇」；本篇以「鍼艾」並舉

How it has been translated

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

Common Englishneedle and stoneStandard, and used by most translations of this chapter.
This siteneedle and stoneKept, and kept literal on purpose. The chapter sets these two implements against the patient's spirit and finds them wanting; translating 鍼 as acupuncture would give the sentence a modern institution it does not have, and would make 鍼石 sound like a technique rather than like two objects.

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