Wind warmth · feng wen

Also rendered: Wind-warmth (Literal) · Wind-warm febrile illness (Clinical)

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin: fēng wēn
Simplified: 风温
Literal: 風 fēng, wind; 温 wēn, warmth. Not wind and damp (風濕, a different word that appears in chapter four) but wind carrying warmth. The name is given to a condition that arises after sweating has already been used, when the body instead grows scorchingly hot: the evil was not driven out but turned inward and became heat.
Shuowen: **《說文》無「風温」一詞**，二字各見：風者八風，温者仁也、又暖也。**底本二見，同在一段**（5-07）。**此病之立，全在「發汗已，身灼熱」五字**：太陽病本當汗解，汗後反灼熱，則所感者非寒而爲温，故別立一名。**風温與風濕不可混**：風濕在卷四，濕勝而身重疼痛；風温在卷五，温勝而灼熱自汗、多眠鼻鼾。二字之別，濕與温而已。

In brief

A warm evil that shows itself only after sweating: the fever does not break but turns to a scorching heat, with a floating pulse in both yin and yang positions, spontaneous sweat, a heavy body, drowsiness and snoring. The book gives it three lines and one warning — if it is mistaken for cold damage and purged or scorched with fire, the patient is led toward convulsion and death.

Senses in the classical corpus

Named after the sweat 名曰風温

發汗之後身反灼熱，乃温邪爲汗所引而外出，故名風温

When sweat has been induced and the body instead burns, the condition is named wind warmth: the warm evil has been drawn out by the sweat and has not been dispelled.

若發汗已，身灼熱者，名曰風温 — 傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

Its pulse and bearing 風温爲病，脉陰陽俱浮

寸尺俱浮，自汗出，身重多眠，息鼾語難，皆熱盛神昏之象

Both the yin and the yang pulse float; there is spontaneous sweat, heaviness of the body, much sleep, snoring breath and difficulty in speaking — heat at its height clouding the spirit.

風温爲病，脉陰陽俱浮，自汗出，身重，多眠睡，息必鼾，語言難出 — 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.

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1 passages

傷寒論·辨太陽病脉證并治上第五 Read in context →

若發汗已，身灼熱者，名曰風温。風温爲病，脉陰陽俱浮，自汗出，身重，多眠睡，息必鼾，語言難出。若被下者，小便不利，直視失溲。若被火者，微發黃色，劇則如驚癇，時瘈瘲，若火熏之，一逆尚引日，再逆促命期。若发汗已，身灼热者，名曰风温。风温为病，脉阴阳俱浮，自汗出，身重，多眠睡，息必鼾，语言难出。若被下者，小便不利，直视失溲。若被火者，微发黄色，剧则如惊痫，时瘈疭，若火熏之，一逆尚引日，再逆促命期。

ruò fā hàn yǐ shēn zhuó rè zhě míng yuē fēng wēn fēng wēn wéi bìng mài yīn yáng jù fú zì hàn chū shēn zhòng duō mián shuì xī bì hān yǔ yán nán chū ruò bèi xià zhě xiǎo biàn bù lì zhí shì shī sōu ruò bèi huǒ zhě wēi fā huáng sè jù zé rú jīng xián shí chì zòng ruò huǒ xūn zhī yī nì shàng yǐn rì zài nì cù mìng qī

If after sweating the body is scorching hot, it is called wind-warmth. In wind-warmth both the yin and yang pulses float, there is spontaneous sweating, heaviness of body, much sleep, snoring breath and difficulty in speaking. If purged, urine is blocked, the eyes stare straight and there is incontinence. If treated with fire, a faint yellowing appears; in severe cases there are convulsions like fright epilepsy and repeated twitching, or fumigation with fire. One mistreatment still leaves time; a second shortens the term of life.

**「風温」五篇共2見**（經文，不含成注），本文引第5篇第07段。

Compounds built on this term

名曰風温

míng yuē fēng wēn

is named wind warmth

辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

風温爲病

fēng wēn wéi bìng

when wind warmth makes a disease

辨太陽病脉證并治上第五

脉陰陽俱浮

mài yīn yáng jù fú

both yin and yang pulses float

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 site	wind warmth	one word, and not the damp wind of chapter four
Literal	wind and warmth	exact, and silent about the fever
Clinical	wind-warm febrile disease	clear, and anticipates a later school

Entry status

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2026-10-28

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