三部九候

sān bù jiǔ hòu

The three sectors and nine probes · san bu jiu hou

Also rendered: the three sectors and nine probes (Literal) · the three regions and nine pulses (部 as region, 候 as pulse) · the three divisions and nine examinations (Wordier, and 候 is not an exam) · san bu jiu hou (Bare transliteration)

Vessels

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin: sān bù jiǔ hòu
Simplified: 三部九候
Literal: 部 a division, a sector (《說文》: 部，天水狄部 — originally a place name; 段注: 引申之爲凡分布之偁). 候 to watch and wait (《說文》: 候，伺望也 — to scan the horizon for what is coming). The body is cut into three sectors, and in each sector there are three places where one lays a finger and waits.
Shuowen: 《說文解字》：部，天水狄部（段玉裁注：引申之爲凡分部之偁）；候，伺望也（段玉裁注：覘候、時候之偁由此而生）。

In brief

The diagnostic scheme the chapter is named for. The numbers of heaven and earth begin at one and end at nine: one is heaven, two earth, three the human, and tripling that gives nine, which answers to the nine regions. So the body has three sectors — lower, middle and upper — and each sector has three probes, heaven, earth and human. The nine probes are then matched to named vessels: the upper sector to the arteries at the temples, the cheeks and before the ear; the middle to hand taiyin, hand yangming and hand shaoyin; the lower to foot jueyin, foot shaoyin and foot taiyin. And each probe is given an organ to report on: liver, kidney, spleen and stomach below; lung, chest and heart in the middle; head and temples, mouth and teeth, ears and eyes above. The chapter insists the scheme is not bookish — the probes must be pointed out on a body before they count as true.

Senses in the classical corpus

Where the nine comes from 始於一，終於九

天地之至數始一終九，三三而九

天地之至數，始於一，終於九焉。一者天，二者地，三者人，因而三之。三三者九，以應九野 — Suwen 20

The three sectors 有下部，有中部，有上部

人身分上中下三部，部各三候

有下部，有中部，有上部，部各有三候 — Suwen 20

What the three probes are 有天、有地、有人

每部各有天地人三候

三候者，有天、有地、有人也，必指而導之，乃以爲真 — Suwen 20

What the scheme is for 以決死生，以處百病

用以決死生、處百病、調虛實

故人有三部，部有三候，以決死生，以處百病，以調虚實，而除邪疾 — Suwen 20

The upper sector, named 上部天，兩額之動脉

三部各配動脈，上以候頭角口齒耳目

上部天，兩額之動脉；上部地，兩頰之動脉；上部人，耳前之動脉 — Suwen 20

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display

4 passages

素問·三部九候論 Suwen 20 · 三部九候論 Read in context →

歧伯曰：天地之至數，始於一，終於九焉。一者天，二者地，三者人，因而三之。三三者九，以應九野。故人有三部，部有三候，以決死生，以處百病，以調虚實，而除邪疾。歧伯曰：天地之至数，始于一，终于九焉。一者天，二者地，三者人，因而三之。三三者九，以应九野。故人有三部，部有三候，以决死生，以处百病，以调虚实，而除邪疾。

Qí bó yuē: tiān dì zhī zhì shù, shǐ yú yī, zhōng yú jiǔ yān. Yī zhě tiān, èr zhě dì, sān zhě rén, yīn ér sān zhī. Sān sān zhě jiǔ, yǐ yìng jiǔ yě. Gù rén yǒu sān bù, bù yǒu sān hòu, yǐ jué sǐ shēng, yǐ chǔ bǎi bìng, yǐ tiáo xū shí, ér chú xié jí.

Qibo says: the ultimate numbering of heaven and earth begins at one and ends at nine. One is heaven, two is earth, three is the human — triple it accordingly. Three times three is nine, to answer to the nine regions. Therefore the human has three sectors, and each sector has three probes: with these one decides life and death, situates the hundred diseases, regulates emptiness and repletion, and removes the depredations of evil.

本篇之大綱。天地之至數始一終九，一為天、二為地、三為人，三三而九，以應九野；故人亦有三部，部各有三候。與第十五篇「著之玉版，命曰合玉機」、第十九篇「天下至數，五色脉變，揆度奇恒，道在於一」同屬「至數」一系：皆以數之極者為診法之綱。本篇所獨者，在以九數分配診脈之部位，而九野、九藏與之相為表裡——下文「九分爲九野，九野爲九藏」，即此數之落實。

素問·寶命全形論 Suwen 25 · 寶命全形論 Read in context →

歧伯曰：凡剌之真，必先治神。五藏已定，九候已備，後乃存鍼。歧伯曰：凡刺之真，必先治神。五藏已定，九候已备，后乃存针。

Qí bó yuē: fán cì zhī zhēn, bì xiān zhì shén. Wǔ zàng yǐ dìng, jiǔ hòu yǐ bèi, hòu nǎi cún zhēn.

Qibo says: The truth of puncturing, in every case, is that the spirit must be governed first. Only when the five viscera are settled and the nine probes are complete does one go on to hold the needle.

「五藏已定，九候已備，後乃存鍼」：本篇之九候，與第二十篇三部九候之目同源而其用則別——第二十篇以九候為診法之全體而詳其部位與脈象，本篇則以九候為用針之一個條件，與「五藏已定」並列而為「已備」者。診未備則不可以存鍼，是本篇之義。「備」讀 bèi；「後」讀 hòu；「存」讀 cún。

素問·八正神明論 Suwen 26 · 八正神明論 Read in context →

上工救其萌牙，必先見三部九𠉀之氣，盡調不敗而救之，故曰上工。上工救其萌芽，必先见三部九候之气，尽调不败而救之，故曰上工。

Shàng gōng jiù qí méng yá, bì xiān jiàn sān bù jiǔ hòu zhī qì, jìn tiáo bù bài ér jiù zhī, gù yuē shàng gōng.

The superior physician rescues it at the sprout: he must first see the qi of the three regions and nine indicators, and rescue it while it can still be fully regulated and has not yet been ruined. Hence he is called the superior physician.

本篇三部九候之用，在於「先見」二字：「上工救其萌牙，必先見三部九𠉀之氣，盡調不敗而救之」。**「𠉀」是「候」之異體，本篇十一見**；「萌」讀 méng；「牙」讀 yá，通芽；「盡」讀 jǐn。下文又說下工「不知三部九𠉀之相失」，「知診三部九𠉀之病脉處而治之，故曰守其門户焉」——「診」讀 zhěn；「脉」讀 mài，底本不作脈；「户」讀 hù，底本不作戶。篇末更以「三部九𠉀爲之原，九鍼之論，不必存也」（「爲」讀 wéi）把診候置於針具之上。

素問·離合真邪論 Suwen 27 · 離合真邪論 Read in context →

不知三部者，陰陽不别，天地不分，地以𠉀地，天以𠉀天，人以𠉀人，調之中府，以定三部，故曰剌不知三部九𠉀病脉之處，雖有大過且至，工不能禁也。不知三部者，阴阳不别，天地不分，地以候地，天以候天，人以候人，调之中府，以定三部，故曰刺不知三部九候病脉之处，虽有大过且至，工不能禁也。

Bù zhī sān bù zhě, yīn yáng bù bié, tiān dì bù fēn, dì yǐ hòu dì, tiān yǐ hòu tiān, rén yǐ hòu rén, tiáo zhī zhōng fǔ, yǐ dìng sān bù, gù yuē cì bù zhī sān bù jiǔ hòu bìng mài zhī chù, suī yǒu dà guò qiě zhì, gōng bù néng jìn yě.

One who does not know the three regions cannot separate yin from yang nor distinguish heaven from earth: earth is watched by earth, heaven by heaven, the human by the human; one regulates by the central depot in order to fix the three regions. Hence it is said: to needle without knowing where the diseased pulse lies among the three regions and nine indicators — even when a great excess is about to arrive, the physician cannot prevent it.

本篇是《素問》中言三部九候最切的一篇：上文用它候邪（「三部九𠉀，卒然逢之，早遏其路」），此處則說不知它的後果——「不知三部者，陰陽不别，天地不分」，「雖有大過且至，工不能禁也」。**「且」讀 qiě**，將、將要之義；**「禁」讀 jìn**；「工」讀 gōng，醫工之工；「雖」讀 suī；「别」讀 bié，底本作别不作「別」。又「地以𠉀地，天以𠉀天，人以𠉀人」三句，說明三部之候各從其類，不可相亂。

Compounds built on this term

三部

sān bù

the three sectors

上中下三部

九候

jiǔ hòu

the nine probes

三部各三候，合而為九

上部天

shàng bù tiān

upper heaven

兩額之動脈，以候頭角之氣

中部人

zhōng bù rén

middle human

手少陰，以候心

下部地

xià bù dì

lower earth

足少陰，以候腎

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 three sections and the nine indicators	部 is rendered section in their nomenclature and 候 indicator when it names a pulse site.
Unschuld	the three sections and the nine [pulse] movements	He keeps the arithmetic explicit and glosses 候 as what one feels moving.
This site	the three sectors and nine probes	候 in 說文 is 伺望 — to scan and wait for what is coming — and that is precisely the act: you lay a finger on an artery and wait for the news to arrive. Probe keeps the waiting and keeps the noun countable — nine probes, each a place you go and listen. Indicator is accurate but sounds like a device; region is wrong, because 部 divides the body, not the landscape (the landscape's share is 九野, and the two are deliberately paired rather than identified).

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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