Chinese terminology

An explanation of some of the more unusual syndromes and terms used in classical
texts:

Abdominal Masses: Divided into two main groups, Zheng Jia most closely
associated with gynaecological disorders and Ji Ju associated with digestive
disorders. Zheng and ji are hard and immovable with fixed pain relating to
the Zang and Blood while Jia and Ju are indefinite, accumulate and disperse quickly
and give rise to pain of no fixed location related to disorders of the Fu and Qi.

Back-shu Points: Points on the back located at the level of transverse processes of the
spine and associated with an organ that they at approximately the same level. They
have been used since antiquity to treat any disorder of their related Zangfu whether
excess or deficient, hot or cold.

Brain Wind: Characterised by aversion to cold in the neck and back, a cold sensation
in the head and brain and severe pain.

Childhood Fright Wind: Convulsive spasm and loss of consciousness in infants and
children. It is subdivided into acute and chronic conditions.

Counterflow Qi: Qi that flows counter to its normal direction, seen in cases of nausea
and vomiting, cough, or coldness of the limbs.

Crane's Knee Wind: Swelling of one or both knees with subsequent atrophy of the
area above or below, hence resembling the legs of a crane.

Deficiency Taxation: General term for disorders associated with depletion of Qi,
Blood and Zangfu due to prolonged illness, improper diet, unbalanced lifestyle or
constitutional deficiency.

Dysenteric Disorder: A variety of diarrhoea based disorders with abdominal pain and
tenesmus and may include blood or pus in the stool. It ranging from acute forms of
dysentery to chronic conditions such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Five Taxations: The Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen Ch. 23 lists the five taxations as:
1. To observe over a long time harms the Blood.
2. To lie down for a long time harms the Qi.
3. To sit for a long time harms the flesh.
4. To stand for a long time harms the bones.
5. To walk for a long time harms the sinews. (Translation: Unschuld and Tessenow,
2011).
In later texts the five taxations also includes the five Zang.

Front-mu Points: A group of points located on the front of the body and closely
related to the zangfu organs. Usually located near or over their respective organ they
are also known as alarm points because they can be palpated for tenderness when
disease is present. They can be needled to treat their respective zangfu organ but not
their channel.

Gao Wu Command Points: A group of four, in pre-Ming times, and later six points
used to treat any disorder in its associated region. They are:
Zusanli St-36 for disorders of the abdomen
Weizhong Bl-40 for disorders of the lumbar region and back
Lieque Lu-7 for disorders of the head and nape
Hegu LI-4 for disorders of the face and mouth
Neiguan Pc-6 for disorders of the chest and lateral costal region
Renzhong Ren-26 for resuscitation.

Ghosts (Gui): Possession by Ghosts were considered a common cause of illness in

early Chinese medicine and referred to incidences when a person's behaviour
suddenly goes to extremes. It was believed that people who died suddenly and still
had attachments to this world could linger and attach themselves to people with
similar desires pushing them to extremes and ultimately in suicide. There were three
main types:

1. Hungry Ghosts: An addiction or singular obsession caused by the ghost of someone

who committed suicide. Often found in bars and places where emotional people
drown their sorrows.
2. Wandering Ghosts: Dissatisfaction with life and need for new stimulation. Believed
to be people who died in accidents and felt life was not meant to end yet. Often picked
up while travelling.
3. Sexual Ghosts: A craving for love caused by the ghost of someone who was either
licencious or infatuated and could not bear to part with their loved one upon death.
They are often found near brothels and places where overt demonstrations of love or
lust are made and are attracted to sexually frustrated people where they act like
succubi and incubi in western folklore: either appearing as beautiful seducers
obsessing their victim and sapping their Jing-Essence through uninhibited sexual
encounters, or appearing in dreams and causing loss of essence through nocturnal
emissions.
As well as ghosts there were also animal spirits, especially foxes, and malevolent
forces of nature that would engage in this vampiric behaviour too. There were also
the Three Corpse Worms who were an endogenous force encouraging us to partake in
licencious and destructive behaviour. Left untreated the theory goes the victim would
be driven to a premature death from suicide, exhaustion of Jing or driven to some
other tragic end and become a ghost themselves.

Treatment was usually with Moxa using a Yang force to counter the
Ghosts Yin nature, medicines to induce vomiting of phlegm and, most importantly,
restoring the natural order with an exaggeration of normal behaviour, e.g. Van Straten
(1983) reports the most common remedy for sexual ghost or demon possession was
prolonged intercourse without climax with a human partner. The idea was to re-
orientate the desire back to the human sphere without damaging the already
depleted Jing.

These possession disorders were removed from TCM and covered by the pattern of
Phlegm misting the Heart. By depersonalising the attacking force it turned the ghost's
insubstantial mist-like Yin nature into a physiological mechanism. Sun Si-Miao's 13
Ghost Points and occasional historical names for diseases are the only explicit
references left in most modern acupuncture texts. The notion of depleted Jing being
the cause for disease remains more widespread.

Ghost Talk: A disorder of delirious speech and ranting attributed to disturbance of

the spirit, probably by demonic possession. Floating ghost talk and melancholy crying
ghost talk probably refer to delirious speech seen in terminal stages of tuberculosis as
it was described by Sun Si-Miao who recognised tuberculosis, known at that time
as Feishi or Floating Corpse, as a disease of the Lung rather than demonic
possession. Ghost Evil appears to be a related disorder attributed to possession.

Horary Points: The point on a channel that is the same as the channel's element,
e.g. Yingu Kid-10 the water point on the kidney channel. Selected for treatment
during the channel's associated 2-hour segment of the Chinese clock to treat disorders
of that channel or zangfu.

Hui-meeting Points: A set of eight points mentioned in the Classic of

Difficulties indicated for disorders of Zang, Fu, Qi, blood, bone, marrow, sinews and
vessels.

Luo-connnecting Points: A group of points mainly used to drain excess from their
channel or zhang or their interiorly-exteriorly related pair. They are also indicated for
psycho-emotional disorders. In the guest-host method of point selection the yuan-
source point of the primarily affected channel is paired with the luo-connecting point
of the of its interior-exterior pair.

Ma Dan-Yang Heavenly Star Points: Group of twelve points, eleven of which were
considered by the Jin dynasty physician as the most important points of the body
with Taichong Liv-3 added later to make the current grouping.

Painful Obstruction: Obstruction of the circulation of Qi by Wind, Cold or Damp

giving rise to pain.

Plumstone Qi: Subjective sensation of a lump in the throat, usually connected with
emotional upset.

Points of the Four Seas: Four points from the Spiritual Pivot indicated for disorders
of Qi, Blood, Marrow and digestion.

Restless Zang Disorder: Episodic mental disorder most common in women,

historically associated with blood deficiency of the uterus making it similar to the old
Western concept of hysteria.

Running Piglet Qi: A surging sensation that rises from the abdomen to the chest or
even throat accompanied by gripping abdominal pain, chest oppression, rapid
breathing, dizziness, heart palpitations, and heart vexation. It is considered to be a
form of anxiety disorder that presents with these symtpoms.

Seven Emotions: The Seven emotions each have a harmful effect on Qi:
1. Excessive joy relaxes the activity of Qi
2. Excessive anger drives Qi upwards
3. Excessive contemplation stagnates Qi
4. Excessive grief exhausts Qi
5. Excessive Fear drives Qi downwards
6. Excessive terror disturbs Qi
7. Excessive anxiety depresses Qi.

Seven Injuries: Seven disease causing factors:

1. Excessive eating causing injury to the Spleen
2. Excessive anger causing injury to the Liver
3. Excessive labour and lifting, or sitting in damp ground causing injury to the
Kidneys
4. Retention of cold fluid causing injury to the Lung
5. Anxiety and worry causing injury to the Heart
6. Wind, damp, cold and summer-heat injuring the Blood
7. Great fear and dread causing injury to the emotions

Shan Disorder: Severe pain of the abdomen caused by protrusion of an organ

through an abdominal opening, a hernia.

Shu Point Classification: Categorisation of peripheral points according to position,

function and elemental property.

 Jing-well points: Wood (yin) or Metal (yang) points indicated for clearing Heat
and restoring consciousness, located at the most distal point of the channel,
usually on the nail bed.
 Ying-spring points: Fire (yin) or Water (yang) points indicated for clearing heat
and the second-most distal points, usually on the fingers or between the toes.
 Shu-stream points: Earth (yin) or Wood (yang) points indicated for diseases of
the Zang.
 Jing-river points: Metal (yin) or Fire (yang) points usually located around the
wrists or ankles and mainly indicated for diseases of the sinews and clearing
Heat in the Fu organs.
 He-sea points: Water (yin) or Earth (yang) points located at the elbows and
knees and indicated for diseases of the Fu and skin. The points on the yin
channels are also often significant for their function of draining Damp and
tonifying Yin.

It is also from these points that the points are selected in five element acupuncture
styles.

Steaming Bone Disorder: A feverish sensation that feels like it is coming from deep
inside the bones caused by yin deficiency and blazing fire. It is commonly associated
with other signs of empty heat.

Sudden Turmoil Disorder: Sudden onset of simultaneous diarrhoea and vomiting,

accompanied by abdominal discomfort and pain. Often associated with unclean food,
cold injury and epidemics.

Sun Si-Miao Ghost Points: Set of 13 points listed by 7th century physician Sun Si-
Miao for treatment of disorders caused by possession. In ancient China possession by
ghosts explained many conditions where people seem not themselves, acting as if
compelled or unable to control our actions including epilepsy, addictions and many
forms of mental illness. Jeffrey Yuen's 3 Spirits, 7 Soulslecture separates them into
four trinities as the entity works itself deeper, drawing the souls of the living to their
end:

 First trinity: Renzhong Du-26, Shaoshang Lu-11, Taibai Sp-1: characterised by

a a sense something is different or wrong, a disruption in the senses and
unconscious or psychosomatic reactions to external stimuli, a rattle in the throat
and withdrawal.
 Second trinity: Fengfu Du-16, Daling Pc-7, Shenmai Bl-62: This is the most
Yang phase of possession with many signs of Wind and Heat leading to
agitation, uncontrollable movement and outbursts as the ghost tries to get you
to search for the remnants of its past, either by dreamwork or literally seeking
the people and places it longs for.
 Third trinity: Chengjiang Ren-24, Jiache St-6, Laogong Pc-8: Concerned with
extreme isolation, deprivation of stimulation, refusal to eat or inability to digest
and extreme rumination. The ghost is trying to move the person into a state of
suicidal ideation so red flags should be considered.
 Fourth trinity: Huiyin Ren-1, Quchi LI-11, Shangxiang Du-
23, Huqian or Yintang: concerned with self-destructive behaviour, self-harm
and attempts at suicide. This level will almost certainly be in an
institutionalised setting today, or carried out as an adjunctive therapy to
professional psychiatric help.

Superficial Visual Obstruction: Vision impeded by a thin membranous growth.

Taxation Fever: Fever associated with deficiency taxation patterns, frequently

associated with steaming bone disorder and empty heat signs.

Three Corpse Possession Disorder: sanshi 三尸 (Three Corpses) or sanchong 三蟲

(Three Worms) are a Daoist concept of parasitic entities that exist in the
three Dantian centres from conception attempting to weaken the body and initiate
sickness. The upper worm causes us to love finery and spectacles injuring the
intellect, the middle causes us to indulge in fine flavours harming the five Zang while
the lower causes sexual licentiousness weakening the Jing. Van Straten (1983)
considers them as an expression of the Yin/Yang dichotomy at the most fundamental
level of life where the instincts necessary for survival also sap our vitality and draw us
closer to death whenever they are indulged. Addictions are a straightforward example
of this.

Pomen Bl-42 is the only acupuncture point specifically associated with this disorder in
Deadman (2001) with little explanation given. Presumably it is due to their
association with the Po which are seen as similar endogenous pathogenic entities
often under their command in some Daoist schools (Huang, 2011). Van Straten (1983)
also describes rituals of cutting the finger and toe nails and burning them on specific
days when they are thought to reside here, or bathing and fumigating the lower body
from morning to evening to eliminate them from the intestines. A more common
method was the avoidance of grains (Bigu) on which they feed, then poisoning them
with medicines (Waidan, External Alchemy) and eliminating desire through
meditation practices (Neidan, Internal Alchemy).

Several modern therapies can be seen as adaptations on this idea. Addiction

treatments that use a combination of therapies to eliminate triggers and starve
opportunities for relapse, condition an aversion with emetic medication and cultivate
mindfulness to manage current stresses seem to be following the same principle of
starve, purge and meditate. Theories that the gut microbiome drives our cravings are
more literally similar seeing our addictions as due to parasitic influence. These
schools teach that we should avoid sugars and simple carbohydrates on which
microorganisms feed whilst administering medication to eliminate infections and
cultivate a new ecosystem.

For more information see:

Huang (2011), Daoist Imagery of Body and Cosmos Part 2: Body Worms and Internal
Alchemy, Journal of Daoist Studies Vol. 4.
Van Straten (1983), Concepts of Health, Disease and Vitality in Traditional Chinese
Society: A Psychological Interpretation Based on the Material of Georg Koeppen.
Franz Steiner Verlag GMBH: Wiesbaden

Throat Moth: Redness, swelling and pain of the tonsils.

Throat Painful Obstruction: General term for swelling, congestion and pain of the
throat, with the implication that it does not develop into a critical condition.

Tidal Fever: Subjective or objective feverish sensation that occurs at regular

intervals, often in the afternoon or evening.

Visual Dizziness: A type of dizziness characterised by initial clouded vision before

the dizziness develops.
Wind Taxation: Deficiency caused by untreated painful obstruction by wind-cold
that manages to penetrate to the level of the Zangfu.

Window of Heaven Points: A set of ten points, mostly located around the neck and
indicated for disharmony between the Qi of the body and the head, with Qi or Blood
rebelling upwards (Deadman et al, 2001).

Xi-cleft Points: A group of points indicated for acute painful disorders.

Yuan-source Points: A group of points that are the same as the shu-stream points on
yin channels where they are indicated for disorders of the Zang while on the yang
channels they are indicated for draining excess pathogenic factors from along their
channels. In the guest-host method of point selection the yuan-source point of the
primarily affected channel is paired with the luo-connecting point of the of its interior-
exterior pair.