Classica Sinica Medica

胞絡 简体 胞络

bāo luò

Network of the womb

Also rendered: Network of the womb (this site; 胞 is the womb and 絡 the network, and both halves of the name are needed) · Uterine network (the plainer anatomical term, where the emphasis is on the structure rather than on the tying)

Physiology

Reviewed · 2026-09-30

At a glance

Pinyin
bāo luò
Simplified
胞络
Literal
胞絡 bāo luò — the network of the womb, and the reason a woman in her ninth month cannot speak. The chapter gives the anatomy in one line: the network of the womb is tied to the kidney, and the lesser yin vessel penetrates the kidney and ties to the root of the tongue. Cut the network off and the tongue loses its hold on speech.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：胞，兒生裹也，从肉包聲。「胞」讀 bāo、**本篇2見**：**「胞之絡脉絶也」「胞絡者，繫於腎」**；「絡」讀 luò、**本篇2見**；「繫」讀 xì、**本篇2見**，**底本作「繫」，不从「系」之省**。

In brief

The network of the womb, tied to the kidney and through the lesser yin vessel to the root of the tongue. Chapter 47 explains the loss of voice in the ninth month by it, and then refuses to treat it: the network will open again after the birth, and the only rule the chapter lays down is the one it quotes from the Canon of Needling — do not detract from what is insufficient.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graph 胞絡
胞者子宮，絡者胞之絡脈
胞之絡脉絶也 — Suwen 47
2
What it ties to 繫於腎
胞絡連屬於腎
胞絡者，繫於腎 — Suwen 47
3
The vessel through it 少陰之脉
少陰之脈貫腎而繫舌本
少陰之脉，貫腎繫舌本 — Suwen 47
4
Why speech is lost 故不能言
絡絶則舌本失其所繫，故不能言
故不能言 — Suwen 47
5
Why it is not treated 當十月復
產後絡通，其言自復
當十月復 — Suwen 47
6
The rule that governs it 無損不足
身羸瘦者無用鑱石，損之則成疹
無損不足 — Suwen 47

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
1 passages
Suwen 47 Suwen 47 · 奇病論 Read in context →
帝曰：何以言之？歧伯曰：胞絡者，繫於腎，少陰之脉，貫腎繫舌本，故不能言。 帝曰：何以言之？歧伯曰：胞络者，系于肾，少阴之脉，贯肾系舌本，故不能言。
Dì yuē: hé yǐ yán zhī? Qí bó yuē: bāo luò zhě, xì yú shèn, shào yīn zhī mài, guàn shèn xì shé běn, gù bù néng yán.
Why do you say so? Qi Bo answers: the network of the womb is tied to the kidney; the lesser yin vessel penetrates the kidney and ties to the root of the tongue, and therefore she cannot speak.
**「胞絡者，繫於腎」——**「胞」讀 bāo、**本篇2見**；「絡」讀 luò、**本篇2見**；「繫」讀 xì、**本篇2見**；**「貫腎繫舌本，故不能言」一句，為本篇失音之解**。

Compounds built on this term

胞絡
bāo luò
the network of the womb
本篇二見
胞之絡脉
bāo zhī luò mài
the network vessels of the womb
九月而瘖之故
繫舌本
xì shé běn
tied to the root of the tongue
少陰之脉所繫
少陰之脉
shào yīn zhī mài
the lesser yin vessel
貫腎而繫舌本

How it has been translated

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

This sitenetwork of the womb絡 is rendered as network vessel throughout, so that 胞絡 reads with the rest of the vocabulary
Unschuldnetwork of the wombhe keeps 胞 as the womb
Wisemanuterine networkhis system uses the anatomical term

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09-30

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Reading path

Guided routes through the corpus, each built on a handful of chapters and their key terms.

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