A Study on the Character"Dou"in the Mai Shu·Shang Jing of the Tianhui Medical Bamboo Slips and Its Pulse Image Research
LAI Xueyu
LIU Changhua
Abstract：Unearthed documents often serve to correct errors in transmitted texts.The newly published Tianhui Medical Bamboo Slips in 2023 include two parts:Mai Shu·Shang Jing and Mai Shu·Xia Jing.The Shang Jing primarily discusses pulse diagnosis methods,while the Xia Jing focuses on the progression of diseases.The pulse methods in the Shang Jing are attributed to"Bi xi Yue",referring to the pulse techniques passed down by Bian Que.These methods are mainly divided into three parts:diagnosing deficient and excessive pulses,pulse manifestations of the five Zang organs,and determining life and death by observing the Yin and Yang of the eyes.The pulse manifestations of the five Zang organs are described through imagery,which is why they have been referred to as"pulse images"in later generations.Among them,the pulse manifestation of the spleen is analogized as"like the neck of a bird,like the depth of water".This study proposes that the character"Dou"is equivalent to the term for"neck".The expression"Ru Niao Zhi Dou"depicts the gentle,rhythmic motion of a bird's neck during walking,while"Ru Shui Zhi Shen"symbolizes the concealed undercurrents within deep waters.Together with"Mao""Gou""Xian"and"Shi""Dou"constitutes the analogically derived pathological pulse patterns of the five Zang organs.This paper specifically focuses on the philological analysis of the character"Dou"as it characterizes the spleen pulse within these visceral pathological pulse patterns.
Keywords：Tianhui Medical Bamboo SlipsMai Shu·Shang JingDouSpleen pulsePulse image
Publication Date：2026-03-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-31(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 473-476 )