中医“湿”义考

Textual Research on the Meaning of"Dampness"in Chinese Medicine

湿自长夏而来,虽为阴邪,然而也是火热所生之物,因此同时蕴含阴阳之性,往往容易与温热和暑热相兼。从哲学范畴看,湿源于阳热对土中水的气化,与水、土和太阳有着密切关联。中医对湿的认识在《黄帝内经》中得到完善。"湿"具备双重属性,既有利民生之性,也有致病之性,同时扮演着自然产物(如气候、环境)、生命化生者、邪气和致病因素等角色,蕴含着湿润、迟缓、黏滑、重浊、趋下等义,具有发病隐匿、广泛、急骤等特性。人体内的湿一方面源于外湿的侵入,另一方面源于脾主运化的失司。

Humidity comes from the long summer.Although it is yin pathogen,it is also a result of fiery heat.Therefore,it also contains the nature of yin and yang,which is often easy to combine with warm and summer heat.From the perspective of philosophy,moisture originates from the qi movement of water in soil by Yang heat,which is closely related to water,soil and sun.The understanding of dampness in TCM has been improved in Huangdi Neijing."Dampness"has dual attributes,which is not only beneficial to people′s livelihood,but also pathogenic.At the same time,it plays the role of natural products(such as climate and environment),life metabolizer,pathogenic qi and pathogenic factors.It contains the meanings of moistening,sluggish,sticky,turbid and tending downward.It has the characteristics of occult,widespread and rapid onset.On the one hand,the dampness in human body comes from the invasion of external dampness,on the other hand,it comes from the failure of spleen to control the transportation and transformation.