五形志

wǔ xíng zhì

The five forms and wills · wu xing zhi

Also rendered: the five forms and wills (Keeps both halves of the compound) · the five body-and-mind conditions (Says what the pair really means) · the five ways of living (Emphasises the social observation) · wu xing zhi (Bare transliteration)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin: wǔ xíng zhì
Simplified: 五形志
Literal: 形 is what has been given shape — 說文 glosses it as 象形也, the outward image — and 志 is where the mind is set, 說文's 意也, taken from heart. The chapter's pairing is the whole of its sociology: how a body lives, and how a mind fares, taken as two independent variables. Five combinations are listed, and each one has its own tissue and its own treatment.
Shuowen: 《說文解字》：形，象形也。从彡幵聲；志，意也。从心之聲。本篇之目：形樂志苦、形樂志樂、形苦志樂、形苦志苦、形數驚恐，是謂五形志也。

In brief

The chapter’s most quoted passage, and the book’s clearest piece of social medicine: five ways of living, each with its own site of disease and its own treatment. Body at ease with mind embittered makes disease in the vessels; both at ease makes it in the flesh; body labouring with mind at ease makes it in the sinews; both embittered makes it in the throat; a body repeatedly frightened makes it in numbness. The principle the list rests on is that treatment is chosen for the tissue and not for the complaint, and the treatments run outward to inward — cautery, then needle and stone, then heat and traction, then drugs, then rubbing and wine. The fifth case is the one to notice: it is the only one attributed to what happened to a person rather than to how they lived.

Senses in the classical corpus

Ease of body, bitterness of mind 形樂志苦

病生於脉，治之以灸剌

形樂志苦，病生於脉，治之以灸剌 — Suwen 24

Both at ease 形樂志樂

病生於肉，治之以鍼石

形樂志樂，病生於肉，治之以鍼石 — Suwen 24

Labour of body, ease of mind 形苦志樂

病生於筋，治之以熨引

形苦志樂，病生於筋，治之以熨引 — Suwen 24

Both embittered 形苦志苦

病生於咽嗌，治之以百藥

形苦志苦，病生於咽嗌，治之以百藥 — Suwen 24

Repeated fright 形數驚恐

經絡不通，病生於不仁，治之以按摩醪藥

形數驚恐，經絡不通，病生於不仁，治之以按摩醪藥 — Suwen 24

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·血氣形志 Suwen 24 · 血氣形志 Read in context →

形樂志苦，病生於脉，治之以灸剌。形樂志樂，病生於肉，治之以鍼石。形苦志樂，病生於筋，治之以熨引。形苦志苦，病生於咽嗌，治之以百藥。形數驚恐，經絡不通，病生於不仁，治之以按摩醪藥。是謂五形志也。形乐志苦，病生于脉，治之以灸刺。形乐志乐，病生于肉，治之以针石。形苦志乐，病生于筋，治之以熨引。形苦志苦，病生于咽嗌，治之以百药。形数惊恐，经络不通，病生于不仁，治之以按摩醪药。是谓五形志也。

Xíng lè zhì kǔ, bìng shēng yú mài, zhì zhī yǐ jiǔ cì.Xíng lè zhì lè, bìng shēng yú ròu, zhì zhī yǐ zhēn shí.Xíng kǔ zhì lè, bìng shēng yú jīn, zhì zhī yǐ yùn yǐn.Xíng kǔ zhì kǔ, bìng shēng yú yān yì, zhì zhī yǐ bǎi yào.Xíng shuò jīng kǒng, jīng luò bù tōng, bìng shēng yú bù rén, zhì zhī yǐ àn mó láo yào. Shì wèi wǔ xíng zhì yě.

Form at ease and will embittered: the disease arises in the vessels; treat it with cautery and puncture. Form at ease and will at ease: the disease arises in the flesh; treat it with needle and stone. Form embittered and will at ease: the disease arises in the sinews; treat it with hot pressing and pulling. Form embittered and will embittered: the disease arises in the throat; treat it with the hundred drugs. Form given repeatedly to fright and fear: the channels and networks do not pass through, and the disease arises in insensitivity; treat it with pressing, rubbing and medicated wine. These are the five forms and wills.

本篇後半之總目，也是全書最見「生活成病」之思的一段：形樂志苦則病生於脉，治以灸剌；形樂志樂則病生於肉，治以鍼石；形苦志樂則病生於筋，治以熨引；形苦志苦則病生於咽嗌，治以百藥；形數驚恐則經絡不通、病生於不仁，治以按摩醪藥。其通例為「治隨病位，不隨病名」，而五治又自外而內、由淺入深：灸剌、鍼石、熨引、百藥、按摩醪藥。前四條皆言所習，末一條獨言所遭，是其別——驚恐非人所習，乃人所遭。「樂」讀 lè，本篇四見；「數」讀 shuò，與開卷「常數」之 shù 同形異讀，本篇二字並見。「形」「志」二義，本站第一篇已分立「形」（id 173）、「志」（id 186）二條，第十一篇又有「志意」條（id 439），皆可與本條相發。

Compounds built on this term

形

xíng

form, the body

本站第一篇已立目（id 173）

志

zhì

the will

本站第一篇已立目（id 186）

志意

zhì yì

will and intention

本站第十一篇已立目（id 439）

樂

lè

at ease

本篇「樂」四見，與「苦」相對

數

shuò

repeatedly

與開卷「常數」之數（shù）同形異讀

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Feng	the five [states of] body and mind	They unpack the compound into its modern sense, which is how the passage is quoted.
Unschuld	the five [types of] physical appearance and mind	He keeps 形 as appearance, which narrows it — the chapter means the body's condition of life.
This site	the five forms and wills	形 is how a body is placed and 志 is where a mind is set, and the chapter cross-tabulates them: four combinations of ease and labour, plus one of fright. 'Body and mind' would make the pair sound like a philosophy; the text is doing something closer to epidemiology.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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