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Traditional Chinese medicine terms

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Chinese medicine

  1. zhōng中yī医

    traditional Chinese medicine

  2. zhōng中yào药

    traditional Chinese medicine; herbal medicine

  3. xī西yī医

    Western medicine

  4. zhōng中yī医shī师

    doctor of traditional Chinese medicine

  5. cǎo草yào药

    herbal medicine; medicinal herb

  6. zhōng中chéng成yào药

    prepared Chinese medicine

  7. tāng汤yào药

    herbal decoction

Treatments

  1. zhēn针jiǔ灸

    acupuncture; acupuncture and moxibustion

  2. tuī推ná拿

    tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage)

  3. bá拔guàn罐

    cupping (therapy)

  4. guā刮shā痧

    gua sha (scraping therapy)

  5. ài艾jiǔ灸

    moxibustion

  6. àn按mó摩

    massage; to massage

  7. qì气gōng功

    qigong

  8. shí食liáo疗

    food therapy; dietary treatment

The big ideas

  1. yīn阴yáng阳

    yin and yang

  2. yīn阴

    yin (of yin and yang)

  3. yáng阳

    yang (positive principle in Chinese thought)

  4. wǔ五xíng行

    the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth)

  5. qì气xuè血

    qi and blood; vitality

  6. jīng经luò络

    channels and collaterals; meridians

  7. jīng经mài脉

    meridians; energy channels

  8. xué穴wèi位

    acupuncture point

  9. shàng上huǒ火

    to suffer from excess internal heat

  10. shī湿qì气

    dampness

  11. tǐ体zhì质

    physique; constitution

  12. yǎng养shēng生

    to look after one's health; to keep fit

  13. bǔ补

    to nourish

At the clinic

  1. wàng望wén闻wèn问qiè切

    the four diagnostic methods: looking, listening and smelling, asking, feeling the pulse

  2. bǎ把mài脉

    to take someone's pulse

  3. mài脉

    pulse

  4. shé舌tāi苔

    coating on the tongue

  5. yào药fāng方

    prescription

  6. kāi开yào药

    to prescribe medicine

The organs

  1. xīn心

    heart

  2. gān肝

    liver

  3. pí脾

    spleen

  4. fèi肺

    lung

  5. shèn肾

    kidney

  6. wèi胃

    stomach

Herbs and tonics

  1. rén人shēn参

    ginseng

  2. gǒu枸qǐ杞

    wolfberry; goji

  3. dāng当guī归

    angelica root (Chinese medicine)

  4. huáng黄qí芪

    astragalus (Chinese medicine)

  5. hóng红zǎo枣

    red date; jujube

  6. jú菊huā花chá茶

    chrysanthemum tea

  7. liáng凉chá茶

    herbal tea (Cantonese cooling tea)

What is traditional Chinese medicine called in Chinese?

中医 (zhōngyī, traditional Chinese medicine), which also means a doctor of it; its medicines are 中药 (zhōngyào). Western medicine is 西医 (xīyī, Western medicine).

What does 上火 mean?

上火 (shànghuǒ, to suffer from excess internal heat). People say it of a sore throat or mouth ulcers, often blamed on fried or spicy food, and drink 凉茶 (liángchá, herbal tea) or 菊花茶 (júhuāchá, chrysanthemum tea) to cool down.

What are the four ways a doctor examines you?

望闻问切 (wàng wén wèn qiè): 望 looking, 闻 listening and smelling, 问 asking, and 切 feeling the pulse, 把脉 (bǎmài, to take someone's pulse).

What is 针灸 exactly?

针灸 (zhēnjiǔ, acupuncture) is two treatments in one word: 针 (zhēn), needles, and 灸 (jiǔ), moxibustion (艾灸 àijiǔ), warming points with burning mugwort.

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