不大便

bù dà biàn

No stool · bu da bian

Also rendered: No stool (This site) · Great convenience absent (Literal euphemism) · Constipation (Clinical)

Reviewed · 2026-10-31

At a glance

Pinyin: bù dà biàn
Simplified: 不大便
Literal: 大 biàn is the great passage — 大便, the stool; 不 is not. The phrase is a plain statement of fact, not a euphemism like 不更衣 and not a judgement like 大便難: it says only that the bowels have not moved, and leaves the physician to ask for how long, and whether what is held is dry stool, hard stool, or nothing at all.
Shuowen: **《說文》：「大，天大地大人亦大。」「便，安也。」** 大便者，對小便利而言，借「便」爲溲便字。**六至十篇十二見**：第六篇二（行74、258）、第七篇一（行325）、第八篇九（行526、532、534、559、579、582、611、617）。**三語之别**：**不大便**言其不通，可虛可實；**不更衣**婉言其日數；**大便難**言其出之不順。**與「燥屎」之别**：不大便者其事，燥屎者其物；不大便而繞臍痛、煩燥、發作有時，乃可斷爲燥屎。

In brief

The bowels have not moved. The chapters use the phrase as a fact to be interpreted, never as a diagnosis: six or seven days without stool may be taiyang with headache and heat, to be treated by sweating if the urine is clear; it may be dry stool, to be confirmed by the wind test and attacked; it may be blood accumulation, where after a purge the pulse stays rapid, the patient eats well and is hungry, and the stool still does not come. Hardness at the head with looseness behind is another matter again. The phrase is therefore the beginning of a question, and the chapter answers it with duration, with the character of the stool, with the urine, and with the pulse.

Senses in the classical corpus

恐有燥屎若不大便六七日，恐有燥屎

不大便六七日而潮熱便鞕，恐有燥屎，先少與小承氣探之，以轉失氣與否爲斷

Six or seven days without stool, with tide-like fever and a slightly hard stool: dry stool is feared. Give a little minor qi-settling first and decide by whether wind passes.

若不大便六七日，恐有燥屎，欲知之法，少與小承氣湯。 — 辨陽明病脉證并治第八

繞臍痛爲燥屎病人不大便五六日，繞臍痛

不大便五六日，繞臍痛、煩燥、發作有時，是燥屎內結，氣不通而痛，故使不大便

Five or six days without stool, pain around the navel, restlessness and episodes that come on schedule: dry stool is knotted within, the qi will not pass, and that is why there is no stool.

病人不大便五六日，繞臍痛，煩燥，發作有時者，此有燥屎，故使不大便也。 — 辨陽明病脉證并治第八

有瘀血至六七日不大便者，有瘀血

已下而脉數不解，合熱消榖善飢，至六七日不大便，非燥屎而是瘀血，宜抵當湯

After a purge the rapid pulse does not clear, heat combines to burn grain so that the patient is always hungry, and by the sixth or seventh day there is still no stool: this is not dry stool but blood accumulation, and the resisting decoction is indicated.

假令已下，脉數不解，合熱則消榖善飢，至六七日不大便者，有瘀血，宜抵當湯。 — 辨陽明病脉證并治第八

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display

3 passages

辨陽明病脉證并治第八·辨陽明病脉證并治第八 Read in context →

陽明病，潮熱，大便微鞕者，可與大承氣湯，不鞕者，不與之。若不大便六七日，恐有燥屎，欲知之法，少與小承氣湯。湯入腹中，轉失氣者，此有燥屎，乃可攻之。若不轉失氣者，此但初頭鞕，後必溏，不可攻之，攻之必脹滿不能食也。欲飲水者，與水則噦，其後發熱者，必大便復鞕而少也，以小承氣湯和之。不轉失氣者，慎不可攻也。阳明病，潮热，大便微硬者，可与大承气汤，不硬者，不与之。若不大便六七日，恐有燥屎，欲知之法，少与小承气汤。汤入腹中，转失气者，此有燥屎，乃可攻之。若不转失气者，此但初头硬，后必溏，不可攻之，攻之必胀满不能食也。欲饮水者，与水则哕，其后发热者，必大便复硬而少也，以小承气汤和之。不转失气者，慎不可攻也。

yáng míng bìng cháo rè dà biàn wēi yìng zhě kě yǔ dà chéng qì tāng bù yìng zhě bù yǔ zhī ruò bù dà biàn liù qī rì kǒng yǒu zào shǐ yù zhī zhī fǎ shǎo yǔ xiǎo chéng qì tāng tāng rù fù zhōng zhuǎn shī qì zhě cǐ yǒu zào shǐ nǎi kě gōng zhī ruò bù zhuǎn shī qì zhě cǐ dàn chū tóu yìng hòu bì táng bù kě gōng zhī gōng zhī bì zhàng mǎn bù néng shí yě yù yǐn shuǐ zhě yǔ shuǐ zé yuě qí hòu fā rè zhě bì dà biàn fù yìng ér shào yě yǐ xiǎo chéng qì tāng hé zhī bù zhuǎn shī qì zhě shèn bù kě gōng yě

In yangming disease with tidal fever and slightly hard stool, Major Qi-Ordering Decoction may be given; if the stool is not hard, it is not given. If there has been no stool for six or seven days and dry dung is feared, the way to find out is to give a little Minor Qi-Ordering Decoction. If after it enters the abdomen gas passes down, there is dry dung and it may be attacked. If no gas passes, only the first part is hard and the rest will be loose; it must not be attacked, for attacking brings fullness and inability to eat. If the patient wants water, giving it causes retching; if fever comes afterwards, the stool will be hard again and scanty, and Minor Qi-Ordering Decoction harmonises it. When no gas passes, it must by no means be attacked.

不大便只是事，燥屎才是物；以轉失氣一試，事乃成物。

辨陽明病脉證并治第八·辨陽明病脉證并治第八 Read in context →

病人不大便五六日，繞臍痛，煩燥，發作有時者，此有燥屎，故使不大便也。病人不大便五六日，绕脐痛，烦燥，发作有时者，此有燥屎，故使不大便也。

bìng rén bù dà biàn wǔ liù rì rào qí tòng fán zào fā zuò yǒu shí zhě cǐ yǒu zào shǐ gù shǐ bù dà biàn yě

When the patient has had no stool for five or six days, with pain around the navel and irritation coming at fixed times, there is dry dung, and that is why there is no stool.

繞臍痛、煩燥、發作有時三證並見，方斷爲燥屎，單言不大便不足。

辨陽明病脉證并治第八·辨陽明病脉證并治第八 Read in context →

病人無表裏證，發熱七八日，雖脉浮數者，可下之。假令已下，脉數不解，合熱則消榖善飢，至六七日不大便者，有瘀血，宜抵當湯。病人无表里证，发热七八日，虽脉浮数者，可下之。假令已下，脉数不解，合热则消谷善饥，至六七日不大便者，有瘀血，宜抵当汤。

bìng rén wú biǎo lǐ zhèng fā rè qī bā rì suī mài fú shuò zhě kě xià zhī jiǎ lìng yǐ xià mài shuò bù jiě hé rè zé xiāo gǔ shàn jī zhì liù qī rì bù dà biàn zhě yǒu yū xuè yí dǐ dāng tāng

When the patient has no exterior or interior signs and has had fever for seven or eight days, though the pulse is floating and rapid it may be purged. Suppose it has been purged and the rapid pulse does not clear; when the heat joins within, grain is consumed and hunger is constant; if by the sixth or seventh day there is no stool, there is static blood, and Resisting Decoction is suitable.

已下而脉數不解、消榖善飢，是瘀血之的證，最易誤作燥屎再下。

Compounds built on this term

不大便

bù dà biàn

no stool

辨陽明病脉證并治第八

大便難

dà biàn nán

difficult stool

辨陽明病脉證并治第八

大便鞕

dà biàn yìng

hard stool

辨陽明病脉證并治第八

燥屎

zào shǐ

dry stool

辨陽明病脉證并治第八

How it has been translated

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

This site	no stool	keeps the plainness of the Chinese
Literal	great convenience absent	exact euphemism, unreadable
Clinical	constipation	clear, but claims a diagnosis the text withholds

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-31

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