---
title: "Traditional Chinese Medicine Terms: TCM and Acupuncture Words With Pinyin and Sound"
description: "47 traditional Chinese medicine terms, from 中医, 针灸 and 拔罐 to 阴阳, 气血, 上火 and 人参, each with pinyin, its meaning and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-medicine-terms"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 47 terms

# Traditional Chinese medicine terms

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E4%B8%AD%E5%8C%BB%20%E4%B8%AD%E8%8D%AF%20%E8%A5%BF%E5%8C%BB%20%E4%B8%AD%E5%8C%BB%E5%B8%88%20%E8%8D%89%E8%8D%AF%20%E4%B8%AD%E6%88%90%E8%8D%AF%20%E6%B1%A4%E8%8D%AF%20%E9%92%88%E7%81%B8%20%E6%8E%A8%E6%8B%BF%20%E6%8B%94%E7%BD%90%20%E5%88%AE%E7%97%A7%20%E8%89%BE%E7%81%B8%20%E6%8C%89%E6%91%A9%20%E6%B0%94%E5%8A%9F%20%E9%A3%9F%E7%96%97%20%E9%98%B4%E9%98%B3%20%E9%98%B4%20%E9%98%B3%20%E4%BA%94%E8%A1%8C%20%E6%B0%94%E8%A1%80%20%E7%BB%8F%E7%BB%9C%20%E7%BB%8F%E8%84%89%20%E7%A9%B4%E4%BD%8D%20%E4%B8%8A%E7%81%AB%20%E6%B9%BF%E6%B0%94%20%E4%BD%93%E8%B4%A8%20%E5%85%BB%E7%94%9F%20%E8%A1%A5%20%E6%9C%9B%E9%97%BB%E9%97%AE%E5%88%87%20%E6%8A%8A%E8%84%89%20%E8%84%89%20%E8%88%8C%E8%8B%94%20%E8%8D%AF%E6%96%B9%20%E5%BC%80%E8%8D%AF%20%E5%BF%83%20%E8%82%9D%20%E8%84%BE%20%E8%82%BA%20%E8%82%BE%20%E8%83%83%20%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%82%20%E6%9E%B8%E6%9D%9E%20%E5%BD%93%E5%BD%92%20%E9%BB%84%E8%8A%AA%20%E7%BA%A2%E6%9E%A3%20%E8%8F%8A%E8%8A%B1%E8%8C%B6%20%E5%87%89%E8%8C%B6)

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## Chinese medicine

zhōng中yī医

traditional Chinese medicine

zhōng中yào药

traditional Chinese medicine; herbal medicine

xī西yī医

Western medicine

zhōng中yī医shī师

doctor of traditional Chinese medicine

cǎo草yào药

herbal medicine; medicinal herb

zhōng中chéng成yào药

prepared Chinese medicine

tāng汤yào药

herbal decoction

## Treatments

zhēn针jiǔ灸

acupuncture; acupuncture and moxibustion

tuī推ná拿

tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage)

bá拔guàn罐

cupping (therapy)

guā刮shā痧

gua sha (scraping therapy)

ài艾jiǔ灸

moxibustion

àn按mó摩

massage; to massage

qì气gōng功

qigong

shí食liáo疗

food therapy; dietary treatment

## The big ideas

yīn阴yáng阳

yin and yang

yīn阴

yin (of yin and yang)

yáng阳

yang (positive principle in Chinese thought)

wǔ五xíng行

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

qì气xuè血

qi and blood; vitality

jīng经luò络

channels and collaterals; meridians

jīng经mài脉

meridians; energy channels

xué穴wèi位

acupuncture point

shàng上huǒ火

to suffer from excess internal heat

shī湿qì气

dampness

tǐ体zhì质

physique; constitution

yǎng养shēng生

to look after one's health; to keep fit

bǔ补

to nourish

## At the clinic

wàng望wén闻wèn问qiè切

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

bǎ把mài脉

to take someone's pulse

mài脉

pulse

shé舌tāi苔

coating on the tongue

yào药fāng方

prescription

kāi开yào药

to prescribe medicine

## The organs

xīn心

heart

gān肝

liver

pí脾

spleen

fèi肺

lung

shèn肾

kidney

wèi胃

stomach

## Herbs and tonics

rén人shēn参

ginseng

gǒu枸qǐ杞

wolfberry; goji

dāng当guī归

angelica root (Chinese medicine)

huáng黄qí芪

astragalus (Chinese medicine)

hóng红zǎo枣

red date; jujube

jú菊huā花chá茶

chrysanthemum tea

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.

## Can’t hear it?

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## More on health in Chinese

- [Health words in Chinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-vocabulary/health)
- [At the doctor in Chinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/doctor)
- [Kung fu and qigong in Chinese](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-martial-arts)
- [The 24 solar terms](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-solar-terms)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; a page of words, not medical advice.