Classica Sinica Medica

目系

mù xì

The eye connection · mu xi

Also rendered: The eye stalk (plain, and it suggests a plant) · The ocular connection (clinical, and it is a modern phrase) · The eye connection (the site's convention, keeping 系)

Physiology

Reviewed · 2026-10-26

At a glance

Pinyin
mù xì
Simplified
目系
Literal
目 mù — the eye; 系 xì — the tie, the cord by which a thing is hung. Together: the band of tissue that ties the eye back into the brain.
Shuowen
《說文》：系，繫也。从糸丿聲。目，人眼也，象形。此篇「目系」謂目之後系，上屬於腦，後出於項中，邪循之而入，故目系急則眩。

In brief

The eye connection is the anatomical tie the chapter needs for its argument. The five essences are wrapped and knotted, 而與脉并爲系，上屬於腦，後出於項中 — bound with the vessels into a cord that goes up to the brain and out at the back of the neck. That single sentence gives evil a road: 故邪中於項，因逢其身之虚，其入深則隨眼系以入於腦. Once in, the brain turns, 腦轉則引目系急 — the turning pulls the cord tight — and the tight cord makes the eyes giddy, and the giddiness scatters the essence and the essence scatters into double vision. The term is the hinge of the chapter: without a physical connection there would be no way from the nape to the sight.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
解剖 上屬於腦，後出於項中
上連於腦，後出項中
It goes up to the brain and out at the middle of the neck.
上屬於腦 — 靈樞·大惑論
2
受邪 隨眼系以入於腦
順著眼系進入腦中
Evil follows the eye connection into the brain.
隨眼系以入於腦 — 靈樞·大惑論
3
緊張 腦轉則引目系急
腦一轉就牽得目系發緊
The turning brain pulls the connection tight.
引目系急 — 靈樞·大惑論

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
1 passages
靈樞·大惑論 Read in context →
故邪中於項，因逢其身之虚，其入深則隨眼系以入於腦，入於腦則腦轉，腦轉則引目系急，目系急則目眩以轉矣。邪其精，其精所中不相比也，則精散，精散則視歧，視歧見兩物。 故邪中于项，因逢其身之虚，其入深则随眼系以入于脑，入于脑则脑转，脑转则引目系急，目系急则目眩以转矣。邪其精，其精所中不相比也，则精散，精散则视歧，视歧见两物。
gù xié zhòng yú xiàng, yīn féng qí shēn zhī xū, qí rù shēn zé suí yǎn xì yǐ rù yú nǎo, rù yú nǎo zé nǎo zhuǎn, nǎo zhuǎn zé yǐn mù xì jí, mù xì jí zé mù xuàn yǐ zhuǎn yǐ. xié qí jīng, qí jīng suǒ zhōng bù xiāng bǐ yě, zé jīng sàn, jīng sàn zé shì qí, shì qí jiàn liǎng wù.
Hence when evil strikes the nape and meets the body’s emptiness, entering deep it follows the eye system into the brain; entering the brain, the brain turns; turning, it draws the eye system tight; tight, the eye is dazzled and turns. When evil strikes its brightness, and the essences it strikes are not proportionate, the essence scatters; scattered, sight divides; divided, one thing is seen as two.
「目系」本篇2見，一見於邪隨眼系入腦，一見於腦轉引目系急，為目眩視歧之樞，故引全段。

Compounds built on this term

眼系
yǎn xì
the eye cord
隨眼系以入於腦，與目系同指
約束
yuē shù
the binding
肌肉之精爲約束

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe eye connectionthe tie as a name
Literaleye tieexact, and too short
Anatomicalthe tissue tying the eye to the brainclear, and it explains the road

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-26

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Reading path

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