胃氣 简体 胃气

wèi qì

Stomach qi

Also rendered: stomach qi (The standard rendering) · wei qi (Pinyin; collides with 衛氣 wei qi, defensive qi)

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
wèi qì
Simplified
胃气
Literal
胃 the stomach; 氣 qi. The qi the stomach contributes to everything else — in the pulse, the tolerance that makes a pulse survivable.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:胃,穀府也;气,雲气也。醫書作「氣」,指人身之氣。

In brief

The seventh chapter calls it 胃脘之陽, the yang of the stomach, and it is the whole difference between a pulse that kills and one that does not: yang, in that chapter, is not a channel but this — the stomach’s contribution, the faint evenness still left in a pulse. A pulse without it is the true storing pulse, and that one is fatal. Nothing in the chapter’s prognosis works without the distinction.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The yang of the stomach 胃脘之陽
What the seventh chapter names as the yang against which the true storing pulse is measured
所謂陽者,胃脘之陽也 — Suwen 7
2
The tolerance in a pulse 胃氣
The even, soft quality that shows the stomach is still feeding the body
見則爲敗,敗必死也 — Suwen 7

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
6 passages
素問·陰陽别論 Suwen 7 · 陰陽别論 Read in context →
所謂陽者,胃脘之陽也。 所谓阳者,胃脘之阳也。
suǒ wèi yáng zhě, wèi wǎn zhī yáng yě.
What is called the yang is the yang of the stomach.
本篇以「胃脘之陽」與「真藏」對舉:有胃氣則生,無胃氣則真藏脈見而死。後世通稱「胃氣」,本條即據此句立目。
素問·平人氣象論 Suwen 18 · 平人氣象論 Read in context →
平人之常氣禀於胃,胃者,平人之常氣也。人无胃氣曰逆,逆者死。 平人之常气禀于胃,胃者,平人之常气也。人无胃气曰逆,逆者死。
píng rén zhī cháng qì bǐng yú wèi, wèi zhě, píng rén zhī cháng qì yě. rén wú wèi qì yuē nì, nì zhě sǐ.
The regular qi of a balanced person is received from the stomach; the stomach is the regular qi of the balanced person. A person without stomach qi is said to be in reversal, and one in reversal dies.
「平人之常氣禀於胃,胃者,平人之常氣也。人无胃氣曰逆,逆者死」:本篇以胃氣為脈之根本,全篇皆由此出。與第七篇「胃氣」同條而義進:第七篇以胃氣之有無辨脈之逆從,本篇則立「微弦、微鈎、微耎弱、微毛、微石」五等——四時之脈必微見其時之象而有胃氣者為平,其象多而胃氣少者為病,但有其象而無胃氣者死;下文「所謂無胃氣者,但得真藏脉,不得胃氣也」即其總斷。
素問·玉機真藏論 Suwen 19 · 玉機真藏論 Read in context →
歧伯曰:五藏者,皆禀氣於胃,胃者,五藏之本也。藏氣者,不能自致於手太陰,必因於胃氣,乃至於手太陰也。故五藏各以其時,自爲而至於手太陰也。故邪氣勝者,精氣衰也。故病甚者,胃氣不能與之俱至於手太陰。故真藏之氣獨見。獨見者,病勝藏也,故曰死。帝曰:善。 歧伯曰:五藏者,皆禀气于胃,胃者,五藏之本也。藏气者,不能自致于手太阴,必因于胃气,乃至于手太阴也。故五藏各以其时,自为而至于手太阴也。故邪气胜者,精气衰也。故病甚者,胃气不能与之俱至于手太阴。故真藏之气独见。独见者,病胜藏也,故曰死。帝曰:善。
Qí bó yuē: wǔ zàng zhě, jiē bǐng qì yú wèi, wèi zhě, wǔ zàng zhī běn yě. Zàng qì zhě, bù néng zì zhì yú shǒu tài yīn, bì yīn yú wèi qì, nǎi zhì yú shǒu tài yīn yě. Gù wǔ zàng gè yǐ qí shí, zì wéi ér zhì yú shǒu tài yīn yě. Gù xié qì shèng zhě, jīng qì shuāi yě. Gù bìng shèn zhě, wèi qì bù néng yǔ zhī jù zhì yú shǒu tài yīn. Gù zhēn zàng zhī qì dú xiàn. Dú xiàn zhě, bìng shèng zàng yě, gù yuē sǐ. Dì yuē: shàn.
Qibo answers: the five viscera all receive their qi from the stomach; the stomach is the root of the five viscera. The qi of a viscus cannot reach the hand taiyin by itself — it must go by way of stomach qi before it arrives there. Thus each viscus, in its own season, reaches the hand taiyin by its own act. When evil qi prevails, the essential qi declines. In severe disease the stomach qi cannot travel with it to the hand taiyin, and so the qi of the true viscus appears alone. Appearing alone means the disease has overcome the viscus — hence death. “Good,” says the Emperor.
「五藏者,皆禀氣於胃,胃者,五藏之本也」:本篇胃氣之義,在為五藏之氣至於手太陰之必須——無胃氣以為之先導,則藏氣不得至,而真藏之氣獨見,故死。與第七篇「胃氣」(以胃氣之有無辨脈之逆從)、第十八篇「平人之常氣禀於胃,胃者,平人之常氣也」同條而義進:第七篇以胃氣辨逆從,第十八篇以胃氣之有無判四時五脈之平病死,本篇則揭其所以然——胃氣者,藏氣之所以得至寸口者也;下文「所謂無胃氣者,但得真藏脉,不得胃氣也」即其總斷。
素問·太陰陽明論 Suwen 29 · 太陰陽明論 Read in context →
歧伯曰:四支皆稟氣於胃,而不得至經。必因於脾,乃得禀也。 歧伯曰:四支皆禀气于胃,而不得至经。必因于脾,乃得禀也。
Qí bó yuē: sì zhī jiē bǐng qì yú wèi, ér bù dé zhì jīng.Bì yīn yú pí, nǎi dé bǐng yě.
Qibo says: the four limbs all receive their qi from the stomach, but it does not reach the channels by itself. It must depend on the spleen before they can obtain it.
本條「胃氣」可於本篇見其與四支之關係:四支皆稟氣於胃,而不得至經,必因於脾乃得禀——是胃氣之達於四支,必待脾之轉輸。**「稟」讀 bǐng,本篇三見**;**底本「稟」三見、「禀」一見,同篇並見**,二字通用而筆畫微異,各從底本照錄,此處作「稟」、下句作「禀」,是本篇「同篇異形」最整齊之一例;「歧」讀 qí;「伯」讀 bó;「曰」讀 yuē;「四」讀 sì,本篇五見;**「支」讀 zhī,本篇四見,底本皆作「支」,不作「肢」**;「皆」讀 jiē,本篇二見;「氣」讀 qì;「於」讀 yú,本篇七見;「胃」讀 wèi;「而」讀 ér;「不」讀 bù;「得」讀 dé,本篇四見;「至」讀 zhì;「經」讀 jīng;「必」讀 bì;「因」讀 yīn,本篇二見;「乃」讀 nǎi;「也」讀 yě。下文「今脾病不能爲胃行其津液」即申此義:胃氣之所以不能自達者,以脾不為之行也。
素問·調經論 Suwen 62 · 調經論 Read in context →
歧伯曰:有所勞倦,形氣衰少,榖氣不盛,上焦不行,下脘不通,胃氣熱,熱氣熏胸中,故内熱。 歧伯曰:有所劳倦,形气衰少,谷气不盛,上焦不行,下脘不通,胃气热,热气熏胸中,故内热。
Qí bó yuē: yǒu suǒ láo juàn, xíng qì shuāi shǎo, gǔ qì bù shèng, shàng jiāo bù xíng, xià wǎn bù tōng, wèi qì rè, rè qì xūn xiōng zhōng, gù nèi rè.
Qi Bo says: when a man is worn by labour, the qi of the body declines and grows scant and the qi of grain is not abundant; the upper burner does not move and the lower duct does not pass through. The stomach qi heats, the hot qi steams the chest, and there is heat within.
「有所勞倦,形氣衰少,榖氣不盛,上焦不行,下脘不通,胃氣熱,熱氣熏胸中,故内熱」——**「胃氣」本篇1見,在陰虚生内熱一節**:**勞倦則形氣衰少而榖氣不盛,上焦不行、下脘不通,胃氣因之而熱**;**「榖」讀 gǔ,底本作「榖」,不从「穀」,本篇1見**;**「脘」讀 wǎn、「熏」讀 xūn**;**「胃」讀 wèi**
素問·生氣通天論 Suwen 3 · 生氣通天論 Read in context →
味過於甘,心氣喘滿,色黑,腎氣不衡。味過於苦,脾氣不濡,胃氣乃厚。味過於辛,筋脉沮弛,精神乃央。 味过于甘,心气喘满,色黑,肾气不衡。味过于苦,脾气不濡,胃气乃厚。味过于辛,筋脉沮弛,精神乃央。
Wèi guò yú gān, xīn qì chuǎn mǎn, sè hēi, shèn qì bù héng. wèi guò yú kǔ, pí qì bù rú, wèi qì nǎi hòu. wèi guò yú xīn, jīn mài jǔ chí, jīng shén nǎi yāng.
When sweet is in excess the heart qi pants and is full, the complexion darkens, and the kidney qi loses its balance; when bitter is in excess the spleen qi is not moistened and the stomach qi grows thick; when acrid is in excess the sinews and vessels are ruined and slackened, and the jing and shen are brought to harm.
「脾氣不濡,胃氣乃厚」——苦過則脾氣不濡,胃氣因而厚滯;濡讀 rú;**「胃氣」本篇1見**

Compounds built on this term

胃脘
wèi wǎn
the stomach
The base text's word; 脘 is the stomach's own cavity
胃脘之陽
wèi wǎn zhī yáng
the yang of the stomach
This chapter's phrase for stomach qi

How it has been translated

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

Common Englishstomach qiStandard, and unavoidable.
This sitestomach qiKept, but the page notes the base text's own phrase 胃脘之陽 and cross-refers to 衛氣 (defensive qi), so the two wei qi stay apart.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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Reading path

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