Classica Sinica Medica

四畏

sì wèi

The four things to beware of · si wei

Also rendered: The four things to beware of (this site; 畏 as the prohibition, kept distinct from 禁, which the chapter also uses) · Four contraindications (medical and modern; it loses the sense of awe the chapter attaches to the year's qi)

Cosmology

Reviewed · 2026-10-14

At a glance

Pinyin
sì wèi
Simplified
四畏
Literal
Four things to beware of. 畏 wèi — to fear, to stand in awe of (《說文》: 畏，惡也). The four are the four ways of going wrong with the year's qi in prescribing: to use cold when it is cold, heat when it is hot, cool when it is cool, warmth when it is warm. The chapter states them as four identical clauses and then names them: 是謂四畏，必謹察之.
Shuowen
**《說文》：畏，惡也**。**「四畏」本篇1見，止在此句**；**其四曰「司氣以熱，用熱無犯；司氣以寒，用寒無犯；司氣以涼，用涼無犯；司氣以温，用温無犯」**；**「畏」本篇7見，一為此目，一在「畏火臨」，一在「以平爲期」之論**；**四畏之外又有「閒氣同其主無犯，異其主則小犯之」，二者為用藥之兩界**

In brief

The four prohibitions that govern prescribing through the year: when the governing qi is hot, do not use what is hot; when it is cold, do not use what is cold; and the same for cool and for warm. The reason is that the year’s qi is already doing that work, and adding to it overshoots. 閒氣 — the intervening qi — is treated differently: if it agrees with the governing qi, the same prohibition holds; if it does not, a small offence against it is allowed. The chapter then says what to do when one must offend: 天氣反時，則可依則及，勝其主，則可犯，以平爲期，而不可過 — treat until it is level, and stop. 四畏 is the last of the four rules the chapter gives for using the year’s qi rather than fighting it.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The four 用熱無犯、用寒無犯、用涼無犯、用温無犯
司氣如此，用此則犯之
司氣以熱，用熱無犯 — Suwen 71
2
Why 司氣以熱
歲氣已熱，復用熱則過
司氣以熱 — Suwen 71
3
The intervening qi 閒氣同其主無犯，異其主則小犯之
閒氣與主同者亦然，異者可小犯
異其主則小犯之 — Suwen 71
4
When one must offend 天氣反時，則可依則及
反時之氣，可以則及之
則可依則及 — Suwen 71
5
The aim 以平爲期，而不可過
用藥之的，止在於平
以平爲期 — Suwen 71
6
Its neighbours 無失天信，無逆氣宜
不違天時，不逆氣之所宜
無逆氣宜 — Suwen 71

Occurrences in the classics

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

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1 passages
Suwen 71 Suwen 71 · 六元正紀大論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：司氣以熱，用熱無犯；司氣以寒，用寒無犯；司氣以涼，用涼無犯；司氣以温，用温無犯。閒氣同其主無犯，異其主則小犯之，是謂四畏，必謹察之。帝曰：善。其犯者何如？歧伯曰：天氣反時，則可依則及，勝其主，則可犯，以平爲期，而不可過，是謂邪氣反勝者。故曰：無失天信，無逆氣宜，無翼其勝，無贊其復，是謂至治。帝曰：善。五運氣行，主歲之紀，其有常數乎？ 歧伯曰：司气以热，用热无犯；司气以寒，用寒无犯；司气以凉，用凉无犯；司气以温，用温无犯。间气同其主无犯，异其主则小犯之，是谓四畏，必谨察之。帝曰：善。其犯者何如？歧伯曰：天气反时，则可依则及，胜其主，则可犯，以平为期，而不可过，是谓邪气反胜者。故曰：无失天信，无逆气宜，无翼其胜，无赞其复，是谓至治。帝曰：善。五运气行，主岁之纪，其有常数乎？
Qí bó yuē: sī qì yǐ rè, yòng rè wú fàn; sī qì yǐ hán, yòng hán wú fàn; sī qì yǐ liáng, yòng liáng wú fàn; sī qì yǐ wēn, yòng wēn wú fàn. Jiān qì tóng qí zhǔ wú fàn, yì qí zhǔ zé xiǎo fàn zhī, shì wèi sì wèi, bì jǐn chá zhī. Dì yuē: shàn. Qí fàn zhě hé rú? Qí bó yuē: tiān qì fǎn shí, zé kě yī zé jí, shèng qí zhǔ, zé kě fàn, yǐ píng wéi qī, ér bù kě guò, shì wèi xié qì fǎn shèng zhě. Gù yuē: wú shī tiān xìn, wú nì qì yí, wú yì qí shèng, wú zàn qí fù, shì wèi zhì zhì. Dì yuē: shàn. Wǔ yùn qì xíng, zhǔ suì zhī jì, qí yǒu cháng shù hū?
Qi Bo said: when the presiding qi is heat, using heat does not offend; when the presiding qi is cold, using cold does not offend; when it is cool, using cool does not offend; when it is warm, using warm does not offend. Where the interval qi is the same as its governor it does not offend; where different from its governor one may offend slightly — this is called the four awes, and one must examine them carefully. Huang Di said: good. And what of one who does offend? Qi Bo said: when the qi of heaven goes against the season, one may offend according to the rule; when it prevails over its governor, one may offend, taking levelness as the mark and not going beyond — this is what is called evil qi prevailing in reverse. Therefore it is said: do not lose the trust of heaven, do not oppose what suits the qi, do not give wing to its prevalence, do not aid its revenge — this is called the highest governance. Huang Di said: good. As to the movement of the qi of the five circuits and the record of what governs the year, is there a constant number?
**「四畏」本篇1見，即此段**；**此段先列司氣以熱、以寒、以涼、以温四者之無犯，而後斷之曰是謂四畏**；**下文「其犯者何如」即以「以平爲期，而不可過」答之**

Compounds built on this term

閒氣
xián qì
the intervening qi
本篇一見；同主則無犯，異主則小犯
邪氣反勝
xié qì fǎn shèng
when the evil qi prevails against it
本篇一見；其時則可犯
有故無殞
yǒu gù wú yǔn
there being a cause, there is no death
本篇一見；與四畏同為用藥之界
用寒遠寒
yòng hán yuǎn hán
to use cold and keep cold at a distance
本篇7見，六司天之政各有此語

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe four things to beware ofthe year's qi is doing that work already, and the rendering keeps the caution
Literalfour fearsexact; it sounds as though the four were the objects of fear
Glossdo not use heat when it is hot, cold when it is cold, and the same for cool and warmwhat the four clauses say, and too long for a label

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-14

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