Scorching inversion

Also rendered: jian jue (Pinyin, untranslated) · simmering collapse (literal alternative)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin: jiān jué
Simplified: 煎厥
Literal: A collapse brought on by simmering — 煎 is to simmer or decoct.

In brief

A collapse brought on by prolonged overwork: yang qi becomes distended, the essence is consumed, and by summer the condition breaks out as sudden blindness, deafness and loss of consciousness. The chapter compares it to a dyke bursting.

Senses in the classical corpus

Collapse after chronic taxation 煎厥

Sudden loss of sight, hearing and consciousness after long overwork of the yang.

陽氣者，煩勞則張，精絕，辟積於夏，使人煎厥。 — Suwen 3

Occurrences in the classics

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

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2 passages

素問·脉解 Suwen 49 · 脉解 Read in context →

所謂少氣善怒者，陽氣不治，陽氣不治，則陽氣不得出，肝氣當治而未得，故善怒，善怒者，名曰煎厥。所谓少气善怒者，阳气不治，阳气不治，则阳气不得出，肝气当治而未得，故善怒，善怒者，名曰煎厥。

Suǒ wèi shǎo qì shàn nù zhě, yáng qì bù zhì, yáng qì bù zhì, zé yáng qì bù dé chū, gān qì dāng zhì ér wèi dé, gù shàn nù, shàn nù zhě, míng yuē jiān jué.

What is called shortage of qi and easy anger: yang qi does not govern; when yang qi does not govern, yang qi cannot get out, and the liver qi that ought to govern does not get to; hence the anger. This easy anger is named seething inversion.

「名曰「煎」讀 jiān「厥」讀 jué」——**本篇「煎厥」1見**；「煎」讀 jiān、**本篇惟此一見**；「怒」讀 nù、「肝」讀 gān、**本篇3見、1見**；**陽氣不治則不得出，肝氣當治而未得，故善怒而名煎厥，與第三篇「煩勞則張」之煎厥同病**。

素問·生氣通天論 Suwen 3 · 生氣通天論 Read in context →

陽氣者，煩勞則張，精絶，辟積於夏，使人煎厥。目盲不可以視，耳閉不可以聽，潰潰乎若壞都，汩汩乎不可止。阳气者，烦劳则张，精绝，辟积于夏，使人煎厥。目盲不可以视，耳闭不可以听，溃溃乎若坏都，汩汩乎不可止。

Yáng qì zhě, fán láo zé zhāng, jīng jué, bì jī yú xià, shǐ rén jiān jué. mù máng bù kě yǐ shì, ěr bì bù kě yǐ tīng, kuì kuì hū ruò huài dū, gǔ gǔ hū bù kě zhǐ.

When there is vexation and toil the yang qi strains, and the jing is spent; this accumulating into summer brings on scorching inversion. The eyes go blind and cannot see, the ears are stopped and cannot hear, and things collapse like a bursting dyke – the water rushes on and cannot be stayed.

「使人煎厥」——煎讀 jiān，厥讀 jué；煩勞則張，精絶而辟積於夏，故為煎厥；辟讀 bì，讀為襞；目盲不可以視，耳閉不可以聽；**「煎厥」本篇1見**

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Scorching inversion

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2026-09

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Reading path

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