Classica Sinica Medica

汗出

hàn chū

Sweating · han chu

Also rendered: Sweating (Clinical) · Sweat issuing (Literal)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin
hàn chū
Simplified
汗出
Literal
汗 hàn is the body's fluid; 出 chū is its going out. The phrase is the plain description of sweat appearing, and the book uses it as a sign to be read: where it comes from, when it comes, and whether it relieves the illness are three different questions with three different answers.
Shuowen
**《說文》：「汗，身液也。」** 从水，干聲。**底本三十七見**，分佈卷一十五、卷二二、卷三三、卷四六、卷五十一，為五篇中出現最多的證候語。**汗出在傷寒有兩面**：一為邪正交爭、汗出而解之汗（1-19、1-20）；一為陽氣外泄、汗出不止之汗（1-06 汗出如流珠、5-24 遂漏不止）。**同是汗出，一愈一危**，全在脉與兼證。**中風之汗出**（5-02）乃衛強榮弱所致，與表虚自汗不同，義見中風條。

In brief

Sweat appearing on the body. The book reads it three ways: as the sign of wind strike when it comes with fever, aversion to wind and a slack pulse; as the sign of recovery when it follows a shiver and the pulse is right; and as the sign of yang leaking away when it runs like beads of pearl or will not stop after sweating has been used. The same two characters can mean deliverance or danger, and only the pulse and what comes with it decide which.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The sweat of wind strike 發熱，汗出，惡風
中風之汗，由衛強榮弱而自出，非表虚不固
The sweat of wind strike comes of itself because the defence is strong and the construction weak; it is not the leakage of an unguarded exterior.
太陽病，發熱，汗出，惡風，脉緩者，名爲中風 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
2
The sweat that ends the illness 故當戰而汗出也
脉浮而緊、按之反芤者，本虚而邪欲解，故先戰而後汗出
A floating tight pulse that is hollow under the finger means the root is empty and the evil is about to leave: the patient first shivers, and then sweats.
脉浮而緊，按之反芤，此爲本虚，故當戰而汗出也 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
3
The sweat that drains the yang 汗出如流珠者，衛氣衰也
汗出如綴珠而不流，乃衛氣衰敗、不能固攝之象
Sweat standing out like strung pearls, with a floating pulse, is the defence qi failing: it can no longer hold the fluid in.
其脉浮，而汗出如流珠者，衛氣衰也 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
4
The sweat that does not end the illness 大汗出不解者死
脉陰陽俱盛而大汗出，邪不退而正已竭，故主死
A pulse full in both yin and yang, with a great sweat that does not resolve the illness: the evil has not gone and the upright qi is exhausted, and the book calls it death.
脉陰陽俱盛，大汗出不解者死 — 傷寒論·傷寒例第三

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
4 passages
傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →
太陽病，發熱，汗出，惡風，脉緩者，名爲中風。 太阳病，发热，汗出，恶风，脉缓者，名为中风。
tài yáng bìng fā rè hàn chū wù fēng mài huǎn zhě míng wéi zhòng fēng
In taiyang disease, with fever, sweating, aversion to wind and a relaxed pulse, the condition is called wind-strike.
**「汗出」五篇共37見**（經文，不含成注），本文引第5篇第02段、第1篇第19段、第1篇第06段、第3篇第54段。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
問曰：病有戰而汗出，因得解者，何也？答曰：脉浮而緊，按之反芤，此爲本虚，故當戰而汗出也。其人本虚，是以發戰，以脉浮，故當汗出而解也。 问曰：病有战而汗出，因得解者，何也？答曰：脉浮而紧，按之反芤，此为本虚，故当战而汗出也。其人本虚，是以发战，以脉浮，故当汗出而解也。
wèn yuē bìng yǒu zhàn ér hàn chū yīn dé jiě zhě hé yě dá yuē mài fú ér jǐn àn zhī fǎn kōu cǐ wéi běn xū gù dāng zhàn ér hàn chū yě qí rén běn xū shì yǐ fā zhàn yǐ mài fú gù dāng hàn chū ér jiě yě
Asked: “Some patients shiver and then sweat, and thereby recover — why?” The answer: “The pulse is floating and tight, yet hollow on pressure: this is root vacuity, so there is shivering and then sweating. The person was vacuous to begin with, hence the shivering; because the pulse is floating, sweating brings resolution.”
汗出一語，或為欲解，或為亡陽；一在脉和，一在脉浮而汗如流珠，不可不辨。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
其脉浮，而汗出如流珠者，衛氣衰也。 其脉浮，而汗出如流珠者，卫气衰也。
qí mài fú ér hàn chū rú liú zhū zhě wèi qì shuāi yě
When the pulse is floating and sweat comes out like flowing pearls, the wei qi is decaying.
汗出一語，或為欲解，或為亡陽；一在脉和，一在脉浮而汗如流珠，不可不辨。
傷寒論·傷寒例第三 Read in context →
脉陰陽俱盛，大汗出不解者死。 脉阴阳俱盛，大汗出不解者死。
mài yīn yáng jù shèng dà hàn chū bù jiě zhě sǐ
When both yin and yang pulses are full and great sweating brings no resolution, death.
汗出一語，或為欲解，或為亡陽；一在脉和，一在脉浮而汗如流珠，不可不辨。

Compounds built on this term

汗出而解
hàn chū ér jiě
sweat and the illness resolves
辨脉法第一
汗出如流珠
hàn chū rú liú zhū
sweat like strung pearls
辨脉法第一
大汗出
dà hàn chū
a great sweat
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

How it has been translated

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

This sitesweatingkeeps it a sign, and lets the pulse say which sign
Literalsweat going outexact, and neutral where the book is not
Clinicaldiaphoresistechnical, and assumes a treatment

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-28

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Reading path

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