Classica Sinica Medica

皮痺 简体 皮痹

pí bì

Skin obstruction

Also rendered: Skin obstruction (this site; skin for 皮, as on the rest of the site) · Skin impediment (where the whole family of 痺 names is rendered with impediment)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
pí bì
Simplified
皮痹
Literal
皮痺 pí bì — the obstruction met in autumn. Autumn belongs to the skin, and the skin is matched with the lung. It is also the shallowest of the five, and the chapter says what that is worth: obstruction left in the skin is the kind that is readily cured.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：皮，剝取獸革者謂之皮；痺，濕病也，从疒畀聲。「皮」讀 pí、**本篇6見**——**「以秋遇此者，爲皮痺」1見、「皮痺不已」1見、「循皮膚之中」1見、「在於皮則寒」1見、「皮膚不營」1見**；「痺」讀 bì。「**皮痺不已，復感於邪，内舍於肺**」——**皮合於肺**。

In brief

The obstruction that comes of meeting the three qi in autumn. Autumn is the season of the skin and the lung is the store the skin is matched with, so skin obstruction that persists and meets evil again lodges in the lung. Left in the skin it is the mildest of the five and the chapter counts it readily cured.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graphs 皮、痺
皮者剝取獸革之名，痺者濕病也
以秋遇此者，爲皮痺 — Suwen 43
2
Why autumn 以秋遇此者
秋氣在皮，故遇之則為皮痺
以秋遇此者，爲皮痺 — Suwen 43
3
Where it goes inward 内舍於肺
皮與肺合，久而不去則舍於所合
皮痺不已，復感於邪，内舍於肺 — Suwen 43
4
What it does in the limb 在於皮則寒
皮病則不知溫
在於皮則寒 — Suwen 43
5
Why it is the mildest 其留皮膚間者易已
病在皮膚，淺而易去
其留皮膚間者易已 — Suwen 43
6
What the skin loses 皮膚不營
榮衛不行，皮膚無所養，故為不仁
皮膚不營 — Suwen 43

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
2 passages
Suwen 43 Suwen 43 · 痺論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：以冬遇此者，爲骨痺；以春遇此者，爲筋痺；以夏遇此者，爲脉痺；以至陰遇此者，爲肌痺；以秋遇此者，爲皮痺。 歧伯曰：以冬遇此者，为骨痹；以春遇此者，为筋痹；以夏遇此者，为脉痹；以至阴遇此者，为肌痹；以秋遇此者，为皮痹。
Qí bó yuē: yǐ dōng yù cǐ zhě, wéi gǔ bì; yǐ chūn yù cǐ zhě, wéi jīn bì; yǐ xià yù cǐ zhě, wéi mài bì; yǐ zhì yīn yù cǐ zhě, wéi jī bì; yǐ qiū yù cǐ zhě, wéi pí bì.
Qi Bo says: meeting it in winter gives bone obstruction; in spring, sinew obstruction; in summer, vessel obstruction; at ultimate yin — the late summer — flesh obstruction; in autumn, skin obstruction.
**「以秋遇此者，爲皮痺」——**「皮」讀 pí、**本篇6見**；**下文「皮痺不已，復感於邪，内舍於肺」**；**「其留皮膚間者易已」——病淺在皮者易已，與「入藏者死」「留連筋骨間者疼久」為三等**；**「皮膚不營，故爲不仁」——「營」讀 yíng，**滋養之義，與冬脉如營之「營」義別**；**「皮痺」「痺」讀 bì**，**與「脾痺」同讀 pí bì 而藏形各別**。
素問·四時刺逆從論 Suwen 64 · 四時刺逆從論 Read in context →
少陰有餘，病皮痺隱軫；不足，病肺痺；滑則病肺風疝，濇則病積溲血。 少阴有余，病皮痹隐轸；不足，病肺痹；滑则病肺风疝，涩则病积溲血。
Shào yīn yǒu yú, bìng pí bì yǐn zhěn; bù zú, bìng fèi bì; huá zé bìng fèi fēng shàn, sè zé bìng jī sōu xuè.
When lesser yin is in surplus the disease is skin obstruction with hidden rash; when it is insufficient, lung obstruction. A slippery pulse brings lung wind mounting; a rough pulse brings accumulation and blood in the urine.
「少陰有餘，病皮痺隱軫」——**少陰有餘則害乎金，皮部不仁而痺，或為隱軫於皮**；**「隱軫」讀 yǐn zhěn，即隱疹、癮疹，「軫」通「疹」，是全站首見之字**；**隱軫者，時隱時現之斑丘狀皮疹**

Compounds built on this term

皮痺
pí bì
skin obstruction
本篇五痺之一，得之於秋
以秋遇此者
yǐ qiū yù cǐ zhě
meeting it in autumn
五痺分時之例
内舍於肺
nèi shě yú fèi
lodging inward in the lung
皮與肺合
皮膚不營
pí fū bù yíng
the skin not nourished
不仁之由

How it has been translated

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

This siteskin obstructionobstruction, not impediment, following the chapter's own logic of a qi shut in
Unschuldskin blockagethe same construction
Wisemanskin impedimentimpediment for 痺

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