Classica Sinica Medica

五診 简体 五诊

wǔ zhěn

The five examinations · wu zhen

Also rendered: The five diagnostics (plain, and it sounds like five techniques rather than five viscera) · The five visceral examinations (exact, and it is the gloss Wang Bing gives)

Vessels

Reviewed · 2026-10-18

At a glance

Pinyin
wǔ zhěn
Simplified
五诊
Literal
五 wǔ — five; 診 zhěn — to examine, and by extension the examination itself. The five examinations of the five viscera, to which the dream-signs of this chapter are referred.
Shuowen
《說文》：五，五行也，從二，陰陽在天地間交午也。《說文》：診，視也，從言，㐱聲。本篇「五診」1見，即「合之五診」；「診」字13見，為全篇之眼。五診者，五藏之診：五藏各有其氣、其脈、其色、其聲、其夢，合而診之，故曰五診。此篇以夢候歸之五診，正見夢不可獨斷。

In brief

The five examinations of the five viscera, and the chapter’s way of saying that a dream is not a diagnosis. The five viscera each print their own dream when their qi is deficient, but the chapter closes the passage with 此皆五藏氣虛，陽氣有餘，陰氣不足，合之五診，調之陰陽，以在經脉 — all these are deficiency of the five viscera, with yang in excess and yin insufficient; join them to the five examinations, tune yin and yang, and seek it in the channels. So the dream is one sign among five, to be checked against the pulse, the colour, the sound and the qi, and then treated in the channels. The entry is the counterweight to the dream list: it forbids reading a dream alone.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The name 合之五診
合五藏之診而參之
Join the diagnostics of the five viscera and weigh them together.
合之五診 — 素問·方盛衰論
2
Five viscera 五藏氣虛
五診以五藏為分
The five diagnostics are divided according to the five viscera.
五藏氣虚 — 素問·方盛衰論
3
Joined to the dream 則夢見兵戰
夢候為五診之一端，非其全
Dream signs are one facet of the five diagnostics, not the whole of them.
則夢見兵戰 — 素問·方盛衰論
4
Yin and yang tuned 調之陰陽
五診既合，然後調其陰陽
Only once the five diagnostics are joined does one harmonise yin and yang.
調之陰陽 — 素問·方盛衰論
5
Sought in the channels 以在經脉
五診之治，歸於經脉
The treatment that follows the five diagnostics comes down to the channels.
以在經脉 — 素問·方盛衰論
6
Against one sign 其極至迷
獨以夢斷，則至迷
To judge by dreams alone leads to utter confusion.
其極至迷 — 素問·方盛衰論

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
1 passages
素問·方盛衰論 Read in context →
此皆五藏氣虚，陽氣有餘，陰氣不足，合之五診，調之陰陽，以在經脉。 此皆五藏气虚，阳气有余，阴气不足，合之五诊，调之阴阳，以在经脉。
Cǐ jiē wǔ zàng qì xū, yáng qì yǒu yú, yīn qì bù zú, hé zhī wǔ zhěn, tiáo zhī yīn yáng, yǐ zài jīng mài.
“All these are the deficiency of the five viscera’ qi, with yang in excess and yin insufficient. Join them to the five examinations, tune yin and yang, and seek it in the channels and vessels.”
「五診」本篇1見，即「合之五診」；「診」字13見。五診者，五藏之診：氣、脈、色、聲、夢五者合參，故上文雖列五藏夢候，而必以「合之五診」結之。「調之陰陽，以在經脉」，則五診之後有治法，非徒以夢斷病。

Compounds built on this term

合之五診
hé zhī wǔ zhěn
join them to the five examinations
五診之用
五藏氣虛
wǔ zàng qì xū
the five viscera' qi is deficient
五診所斷
調之陰陽
tiáo zhī yīn yáng
tune yin and yang
五診之治
以在經脉
yǐ zài jīng mài
and seek it in the channels
五診之歸

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe five examinationsthe five viscera examined together
Literalfive examinationsexact, and it leaves the object unsaid
Clinicalthe five-fold visceral work-upclear, and it is modern in a way the text is not

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-18

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Reading path

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