Classica Sinica Medica

脉痿

mài wěi

Vessel flaccidity

Also rendered: Vessel flaccidity (this site; 脉 is vessel throughout the site) · Conduit flaccidity (where 脉 is rendered conduit rather than vessel)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-09-29

At a glance

Pinyin
mài wěi
Simplified
脉痿
Literal
脉痿 mài wěi — the flaccidity of the heart's tissue. Heart qi hot, the lower vessels surge upward; as they rise, the lower vessels empty; and emptiness breeds vessel flaccidity. The chapter gives the picture in one line: the pivot snaps, the shank goes slack, and the foot will not bear the ground.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：脉，血理分袤行體中者。「脉」、**本篇12見**；「痿」讀 wěi、**全篇之題**。**「樞折挈」——樞讀 shū，髀樞也；挈讀 qiè，舉也**；**「樞折」者，關節如樞折斷而不能提舉**。

In brief

The flaccidity that follows heat in the heart: the lower vessels are emptied by the surge upward and the legs lose their power. The chapter adds the mechanism in the second half — when the great conduits are empty, flesh obstruction develops and passes on into vessel flaccidity — so the same tissue that carries blood is the one that fails.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graphs 脉、痿
脉者心之所主，痿者弛而不用
虚則生脉痿，樞折挈 — Suwen 44
2
How heart heat does it 下脉厥而上，上則下脉虚
熱則氣逆，上盛則下虚，下虚則脉痿
心氣熱，則下脉厥而上 — Suwen 44
3
What it looks like 樞折挈，脛縱而不任地
關節如樞之折，脛縱弛而不能任地
虚則生脉痿，樞折挈 — Suwen 44
4
How it is contracted 大經空虚，發爲肌痺，傳爲脉痿
肌痺不已，傳入於脉，則為脉痿
故本病曰：大經空虚 — Suwen 44
5
Its place among the five 脉痿
五痿之一，心與脉當之
虚則生脉痿 — Suwen 44
6
How it is treated 各補其滎，而通其俞
補滎通俞，調其虚實，各以其時受月
各補其滎，而通其俞 — Suwen 44

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
1 passages
Suwen 44 Suwen 44 · 痿論 Read in context →
心氣熱，則下脉厥而上，上則下脉虚，虚則生脉痿，樞折挈，脛縱而不任地也。 心气热，则下脉厥而上，上则下脉虚，虚则生脉痿，枢折挈，胫纵而不任地也。
Xīn qì rè, zé xià mài jué ér shàng, shàng zé xià mài xū, xū zé shēng mài wěi, shū zhé qiè, jìng zòng ér bù rèn dì yě.
When the heart qi is hot, the lower vessels surge upward; as it rises the lower vessels are emptied, and emptiness breeds vessel flaccidity — the pivot snaps and the leg cannot be lifted, the shank goes slack and will not bear the ground.
**「虚則生脉痿」——**「脉」，**本篇12見**；「挈」讀 qiè、**「樞折挈」之挈，王冰注「挈，謂舉也」**；「脛」、**脛縱而不任地，與「足不任身」同例**。

Compounds built on this term

脉痿
mài wěi
vessel flaccidity
本篇心氣熱之所發
下脉虚
xià mài xū
the lower vessels empty
上盛下虚之義
樞折挈
shū zhé qiè
the pivot snaps and cannot lift
脉痿之狀
傳爲脉痿
chuán wéi mài wěi
it passes on into vessel flaccidity
肌痺之傳

How it has been translated

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

This sitevessel flaccidity脉 is vessel on this site, as in the entries for 絡脉 and 陽明
Unschuldvessel witheringhe keeps the plant image of 痿
Wisemanvessel wilting痿 is wilting in his system

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09-29

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Reading path

Guided routes through the corpus, each built on a handful of chapters and their key terms.

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