Classica Sinica Medica

正治

zhèng zhì

Upright treatment · zheng zhi

Also rendered: Upright treatment (this site; 正 is the disease met head on, and the chapter pairs it with 逆, running against) · Orthodox treatment (common, and 正 here is the disease's own position rather than a school's orthodoxy)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-10-14

At a glance

Pinyin
zhèng zhì
Simplified
正治
Literal
正 zhèng — upright, straight, the thing itself; 治 zhì — to treat, to put in order. 正治 is treatment that goes straight at the disease: the medicine is opposed to the illness, cold for heat and heat for cold.
Shuowen
**《說文》：正，是也；治，水出東莱曲城陽丘山，南入海**，引申為理其事。**「正治」本篇2見**；**「反治」3見**；**一見於「正者正治，反者反治」，一見於「逆者，正治」**；**「治」字本篇87見，為全篇最多之字**；**王冰注前一見：「陰病陽不病，陽病陰不病，是為正病，則正治之，謂以寒治熱，以熱治寒也」**

In brief

Treatment that opposes the disease. The chapter gives the name twice and defines it the second time by its counterpart: 帝曰：何謂逆從？歧伯曰：逆者，正治，從者，反治，從少從多，觀其事也 — what runs against the disease is 正治, what runs with it is 反治, and how much of either is a matter of proportion. The first mention adds the condition under which each is used: 謹察陰陽所在而調之，以平爲期，正者正治，反者反治, where 王冰 explains 正者 as the case in which the disease is where it should be — 陰病陽不病，陽病陰不病 — and therefore is met head on. 正治 is thus the ordinary rule which the whole earlier passage of the discourse has been stating — 寒者熱之，熱者寒之，堅者削之，勞者温之 — and 反治 is the exception that the next paragraph expounds.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The rule 逆者，正治
逆其病而治之
逆者，正治 — Suwen 74
2
What it means 以寒治熱，以熱治寒
藥與病相反
寒者熱之，熱者寒之 — Suwen 74
3
When it applies 正者正治
陰病陽不病，陽病陰不病
正者正治 — Suwen 74
4
What it aims at 以平爲期
察陰陽所在而調之
以平爲期 — Suwen 74
5
Its companion 反治
從者反治
反者反治 — Suwen 74
6
Its measure 從少從多，觀其事也
逆從各有分數
從少從多 — Suwen 74

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 74 Suwen 74 · 至真要大論 Read in context →
歧伯曰：君一臣二，制之小也；君一臣三佐五，制之中也；君一臣三佐九，制之大也。寒者熱之，熱者寒之，微者逆之，甚者從之，堅者削之，客者除之，勞者温之，結者散之，留者攻之，燥者濡之，急者緩之，散者收之，損者温之，逸者行之，驚者平之。上之下之，摩之浴之，薄之劫之，開之發之，適事爲故。帝曰：何謂逆從？歧伯曰：逆者，正治，從者，反治，從少從多，觀其事也。 歧伯曰：君一臣二，制之小也；君一臣三佐五，制之中也；君一臣三佐九，制之大也。寒者热之，热者寒之，微者逆之，甚者从之，坚者削之，客者除之，劳者温之，结者散之，留者攻之，燥者濡之，急者缓之，散者收之，损者温之，逸者行之，惊者平之。上之下之，摩之浴之，薄之劫之，开之发之，适事为故。帝曰：何谓逆从？歧伯曰：逆者，正治，从者，反治，从少从多，观其事也。
Qí bó yuē: jūn yī chén èr, zhì zhī xiǎo yě; jūn yī chén sān zuǒ wǔ, zhì zhī zhōng yě; jūn yī chén sān zuǒ jiǔ, zhì zhī dà yě. Hán zhě rè zhī, rè zhě hán zhī, wēi zhě nì zhī, shèn zhě cóng zhī, jiān zhě xuē zhī, kè zhě chú zhī, láo zhě wēn zhī, jié zhě sàn zhī, liú zhě gōng zhī, zào zhě rú zhī, jí zhě huǎn zhī, sàn zhě shōu zhī, sǔn zhě wēn zhī, yì zhě xíng zhī, jīng zhě píng zhī. Shàng zhī xià zhī, mó zhī yù zhī, bó zhī jié zhī, kāi zhī fā zhī, shì shì wéi gù. Dì yuē: hé wèi nì cóng? Qí bó yuē: nì zhě, zhèng zhì, cóng zhě, fǎn zhì, cóng shào cóng duō, guān qí shì yě.
Qi Bo said: one sovereign with two ministers is the small measure; one sovereign with three ministers and five assistants is the middle measure; one sovereign with three ministers and nine assistants is the great measure. What is cold, heat it; what is hot, cool it; what is slight, treat contrarily; what is severe, treat by following; what is hard, shave it; what lodges as a guest, expel it; what is worn by toil, warm and nourish it; what is knotted, disperse it; what is held, attack it; what is dry, moisten it; what is tense, slacken it; what is dispersed, gather it; what is depleted, warmly supplement it; what is idle and stagnant, set moving; what is frightened, calm. Raise it or lower it, massage it or bathe it, press it out or snatch it away, open it or disperse it — all taking what suits the case as the rule. Huang Di said: what is meant by contrary and following? Qi Bo said: the contrary is upright treatment, the following is contrary treatment, and whether the following is little or much is seen from the case.
**「正治」本篇2見，此為後一見**；**「逆者，正治，從者，反治」八字，為二治之總釋**；**本段上接十四句治法（寒者熱之以下），皆正治之目**；**王冰注前段之「正者正治」云「陰病陽不病，陽病陰不病，是為正病」**

Compounds built on this term

反治
fǎn zhì
contrary treatment
本篇3見；與正治對舉
以平爲期
yǐ píng wéi qī
taking evenness as the goal
本篇2見；正治之的
逆從
nì cóng
running against and running with
本篇多見；正治為逆、反治為從
寒者熱之
hán zhě rè zhī
what is cold, heat it
本篇一見；正治之目

How it has been translated

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

This siteupright treatmentopposing the disease with its contrary, which the chapter calls 逆 and makes the ordinary rule
Literalstraight treatmentexact about 正, and it sounds like a remark about honesty
Descriptivetreating a disease by its contraryclear, and it loses the pair with 反治

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-14

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