Classica Sinica Medica

中風 简体 中风

zhòng fēng

Wind strike · zhong feng

Also rendered: Wind attack (Literal) · Wind stroke (external) (Clinical)

Pathology

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin
zhòng fēng
Simplified
中风
Literal
中 zhòng is to be hit by something from outside, not the 中 zhōng of the middle; 風 fēng is wind. The phrase therefore says that wind has struck the person, and it names a class of disease, not a sudden collapse. Later medicine gave 中風 to internal wind and apoplexy; this book knows nothing of that usage, and every occurrence here is the external kind.
Shuowen
**《說文》無「中風」一詞**。「中」讀去聲，當也，謂邪自外當之；「風」者，八風之名。**底本三見，而實指此病者二**：5-02「名爲中風」、5-13「太陽中風」。3-42「始表中風寒」乃「中＋風寒」連讀，謂邪初中於表而爲風寒，非病名，故不取以為證。**本書中風與傷寒對舉**：中風有汗，傷寒無汗；中風脉緩，傷寒脉緊。此二字之差，為太陽篇辨證之第一關。

In brief

One of the two faces of taiyang disease, set against 傷寒. Wind has struck the exterior, the defence is open rather than shut, and so there is fever with sweat, aversion to wind, and a slack pulse instead of the tight pulse of cold damage. The name describes a way of being ill, not a sudden stroke: the book’s 中風 is always the external affection, and the prescription that answers it is 桂枝湯.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The disease named 名爲中風
太陽病見發熱、汗出、惡風、脉緩四者，即名中風；與傷寒之無汗、脉緊者相對
Fever with sweating, aversion to wind and a slack pulse: that combination is what the book calls wind strike, and it stands opposite cold damage, which has no sweat and a tight pulse.
太陽病，發熱，汗出，惡風，脉緩者，名爲中風 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
2
Why the sweat comes 陽浮而陰弱
衛陽浮於外則熱自發，榮陰弱於内則汗自出；中風之汗，非表虚自汗，乃衛強榮弱之汗
The yang of the defence floats and heat issues of itself; the yin of the construction is weak and sweat comes out of itself. The sweat of wind strike is not a leakage from an empty exterior but the result of a defence too strong and a construction too weak.
太陽中風，陽浮而陰弱，陽浮者，熱自發，陰弱者，汗自出 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
2 passages
傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →
太陽病，發熱，汗出，惡風，脉緩者，名爲中風。 太阳病，发热，汗出，恶风，脉缓者，名为中风。
tài yáng bìng fā rè hàn chū wù fēng mài huǎn zhě míng wéi zhòng fēng
In taiyang disease, with fever, sweating, aversion to wind and a relaxed pulse, the condition is called wind-strike.
**「中風」五篇共3見**（經文，不含成注），本文引第5篇第02段、第5篇第13段。
傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →
太陽中風，陽浮而陰弱，陽浮者，熱自發，陰弱者，汗自出。嗇嗇惡寒，淅淅惡風，翕翕發熱，鼻鳴乾嘔者，桂枝湯主之。 太阳中风，阳浮而阴弱，阳浮者，热自发，阴弱者，汗自出。啬啬恶寒，淅淅恶风，翕翕发热，鼻鸣干呕者，桂枝汤主之。
tài yáng zhòng fēng yáng fú ér yīn ruò yáng fú zhě rè zì fā yīn ruò zhě hàn zì chū sè sè wù hán xī xī wù fēng xī xī fā rè bí míng gān ǒu zhě guì zhī tāng zhǔ zhī
Taiyang wind-strike: the yang floats and the yin is weak. Floating means heat arises of itself; weak means sweat comes out on its own. With shivering aversion to cold, a soughing dislike of wind, a smothering heat, ringing in the nose and dry retching, Cinnamon Twig Decoction governs.
中風之證，以有汗無汗與脉緩脉緊分於傷寒；桂枝湯一方即從此立。

Compounds built on this term

太陽中風
tài yáng zhòng fēng
taiyang wind strike
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
名爲中風
míng wéi zhòng fēng
is named wind strike
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五
陽浮而陰弱
yáng fú ér yīn ruò
the yang floats and the yin is weak
辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

How it has been translated

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

This sitewind strikekeeps the external sense and refuses the stroke
Literalhit by windexact, and easily mistaken for a collapse
Clinicalexternal wind affectionclear, but longer than a headword

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-28

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