實 简体 实

shí

The replete quality · shi

Also rendered: The solid pulse (Literal) · The excess pulse (Clinical)

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin
shí
Simplified
实
Literal
實 shí — full, solid, having substance inside. As a pulse it is firm under pressure, not yielding.
Shuowen
**《說文》:實,富也**,从宀从貫,貫為貨貝,謂室中有貝。**「實」五篇共20見**(經文),其為脉名者,與虚相對,多在「滑爲實」「大爲實」「沉爲實」三處。

In brief

The replete quality: a pulse with substance, resisting pressure. The book derives it three times over — slip is replete, large is replete, deep at the instep is replete — and once contrasts it with emptiness in the same breath (浮爲虚,大爲實). It also uses 實 for the repletion of the whole case, as in 此爲實,名曰陽結. Pulse and case are not the same proposition, and the entry keeps them apart.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
Slip is replete 滑爲實
浮滑相搏,陽實之象
Floating is yang and slippery is replete; the two contending make the pulse rapid and swift.
脉浮而滑,浮爲陽,滑爲實 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
2
Large is replete 大爲實
浮大並見,浮虚而大實
At the inch, floating is emptiness and large is repletion.
寸口脉浮而大,浮爲虚,大爲實 — 傷寒論·平脉法第二
3
The case is replete 此爲實,名曰陽結也
浮數能食而不大便,證實而為陽結
Floating and rapid, with appetite and no stool: the case is replete and called the yang knot.
其脉浮而數,能食,不大便者,此爲實,名曰陽結也 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
4
Mistaking emptiness for repletion 責虚取實
醫以虚為實,守空而迫血
A slippery pulse with retching is the physician's fault: he blamed emptiness and took repletion, held the void and forced the blood.
脉滑則爲噦,此爲醫咎,責虚取實,守空迫血 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
5
Replete within, empty without 名曰内實外虚也
來遲去疾,是内實外虚
Coming slowly and leaving quickly, the pulse is replete within and empty without.
來遲去疾,此出遲入疾,名曰内實外虚也 — 傷寒論·平脉法第二
6
Deep is replete 沉爲實
趺陽脉沉而數,沉主實
At the instep, deep means repletion and rapid means grain is burned away.
趺陽脉沉而數,沉爲實,數消榖 — 傷寒論·平脉法第二

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·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
脉浮而滑,浮爲陽,滑爲實,陽實相搏,其脉數疾,衛氣失度。浮滑之脉數疾,發熱汗出者,此爲不治。 脉浮而滑,浮为阳,滑为实,阳实相搏,其脉数疾,卫气失度。浮滑之脉数疾,发热汗出者,此为不治。
mài fú ér huá fú wéi yáng huá wéi shí yáng shí xiāng bó qí mài shuò jí wèi qì shī dù fú huá zhī mài shuò jí fā rè hàn chū zhě cǐ wéi bù zhì
A floating, slippery pulse: floating is yang, slippery is excess; yang and excess striking together make the pulse rapid and swift, and the wei qi loses its measure. A floating, slippery pulse that is rapid and swift, with fever and sweating, is untreatable.
**「實」五篇共20見**(經文,不含成注),本文引第1篇第50段、第2篇第53段、第1篇第02段、第1篇第41段。
傷寒論·平脉法第二 Read in context →
寸口脉浮而大,浮爲虚,大爲實,在尺爲關,在寸爲格,關則不得小便,格則吐逆。 寸口脉浮而大,浮为虚,大为实,在尺为关,在寸为格,关则不得小便,格则吐逆。
cùn kǒu mài fú ér dà fú wéi xū dà wéi shí zài chǐ wéi guān zài cùn wéi gé guān zé bù dé xiǎo biàn gé zé tù nì
When the inch mouth pulse is floating and large: the floating is vacuity, the large is repletion. At the cubit it makes a closing, at the inch a barrier. Closing, no urine passes; barring, there is vomiting.
實與虚對;其為脉名有三本:滑、大、沉。其為證名則指邪結,二者不可混。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
問曰:脉有陽結陰結者,何以别之?答曰:其脉浮而數,能食,不大便者,此爲實,名曰陽結也,期十七日當劇。其脉沉而遲,不能食,身體重,大便反鞕,名曰陰結也,期十四日當劇。 问曰:脉有阳结阴结者,何以别之?答曰:其脉浮而数,能食,不大便者,此为实,名曰阳结也,期十七日当剧。其脉沉而迟,不能食,身体重,大便反鞕,名曰阴结也,期十四日当剧。
wèn yuē mài yǒu yáng jié yīn jié zhě hé yǐ bié zhī dá yuē qí mài fú ér shuò néng shí bù dà biàn zhě cǐ wéi shí míng yuē yáng jié yě qī shí qī rì dāng jù qí mài chén ér chí bù néng shí shēn tǐ zhòng dà biàn fǎn yìng míng yuē yīn jié yě qī shí sì rì dāng jù
Asked: “When the pulse has yang binding and yin binding, how are they told apart?” The answer: “If the pulse is floating and rapid, with ability to eat but no stool, this is excess: it is called yang binding, and it is expected to worsen on the seventeenth day. If the pulse is deep and slow, with no appetite, heaviness of body and a hard stool instead, it is called yin binding, and it is expected to worsen on the fourteenth day.”
實與虚對;其為脉名有三本:滑、大、沉。其為證名則指邪結,二者不可混。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
趺陽脉浮,浮則爲虚,浮虚相搏,故令氣䭇,言胃氣虚竭也。脉滑則爲噦,此爲醫咎,責虚取實,守空迫血。脉浮,鼻中燥者,必衄也。 趺阳脉浮,浮则为虚,浮虚相搏,故令气䭇,言胃气虚竭也。脉滑则为哕,此为医咎,责虚取实,守空迫血。脉浮,鼻中燥者,必衄也。
fū yáng mài fú fú zé wéi xū fú xū xiāng bó gù lìng qì yē yán wèi qì xū jié yě mài huá zé wéi yuě cǐ wéi yī jiù zé xū qǔ shí shǒu kōng pò xuè mài fú bí zhōng zào zhě bì nǜ yě
When the fuyang pulse is floating, floating means vacuity; floating and vacuity striking together produce choking of qi, which is to say the stomach qi is vacuous and exhausted. A slippery pulse means hiccough; this is the physician’s fault, exacting from vacuity and taking from excess, guarding emptiness and driving the blood. If the pulse is floating and the nose dry, there will certainly be nosebleed.
實與虚對;其為脉名有三本:滑、大、沉。其為證名則指邪結,二者不可混。

Compounds built on this term

滑爲實
huá wéi shí
slippery means replete
辨脉法第一
大爲實
dà wéi shí
large means replete
平脉法第二
沉爲實
chén wéi shí
deep means replete
平脉法第二
内實外虚
nèi shí wài xū
replete within, empty without
平脉法第二

How it has been translated

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

This sitethe replete qualitykeeps pulse and case distinguishable
Literalfullplain, and it reads as quantity rather than resistance
Clinicalexcessstandard, and it is already used for 太過

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-28

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