Zangfu

{{Short description|Organ entities stipulated by Traditional Chinese Medicine}}

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The '''''zangfu''''' ({{zh|s=脏腑|t=臟腑|p=zàngfǔ}}) are functional relationships stipulated by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This concept did not primarily develop out of anatomical biological considerations, but from cosmological patterns and influences.

Each ''zang'' is paired with a ''fu'', and each pair is assigned to one of the ''Wuxing (Five Elements)''. The ''zangfu'' are also connected to the twelve standard meridians – each ''zang'' organ is attached to a yin meridian, and each ''fu'' organ, to a yang meridian. They are five systems of Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Deng Yu {{lang|zh|邓宇,等}} |trans-title=Fresh Translator of Zang Xiang Fractal five System |script-title=zh:藏象分形五系统的新英译 |journal=Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine {{lang|zh|中国中西医结合杂志}} |year= 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Deng Yu {{lang|zh|邓宇}} |author2=Zhu Shuanli {{lang|zh|朱栓立}} |author3=Xu Peng {{lang|zh|徐彭等}} |display-authors=et. al. |trans-title=Essence and New Translator of Channels |script-title=zh:经络英文新释译与实质 |journal=Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine {{lang|zh|中国中西医结合杂志}} |year= 2000 |volume=20 |issue=8 |pages=615}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Deng Yu {{lang|zh|邓宇等}} |trans-title=TCM Fractal Sets |script-title=zh:中医分形集 |journal=Journal of Mathematical Medicine {{lang|zh|数理医药学杂志}} |year= 1999 |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=264–265}}</ref>

To highlight the fact that the ''zangfu'' are not equivalent to the anatomical organs, their names are often capitalized.

==Anatomical organ association==

The ''zangfu'' were originally considered to represent physical organs in ''Suwen''. A few rare waves of human dissection throughout Chinese history have contributed some refinements to the rough anatomical assumptions in traditional Chinese medicine, though no fundamental errors were corrected (blood vessels remain mistaken as "thin meridians").<ref>{{cite journal |last1=YU |first1=Gengzhe |title=被怀疑的华佗——中国古代外科手术的历史轨迹 |journal=清华大学学报 (哲学社会科学版 ) |date=2009 |volume=1 |issue=24 |page=82–95 |url=http://mr.zhlhh.com/upfile/ebook/156/63452740149899176491.pdf |language=zh |trans-title=Hua Tuo in doubt: the historical trajectory of surgeries in ancient China |archive-date=2025-02-22 |access-date=2025-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222151942/http://mr.zhlhh.com/upfile/ebook/156/63452740149899176491.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In this context, the influx of western anatomical knowledge lead to a crisis for TCM. This was resolved by {{ill|Yun Tieqiao|zh|恽铁樵}}'s introduction of ''Zangxiang'' ({{lang|zh|藏象/脏象}}) theory in the 1920s, which decoupled the ''zangfu'' from anatomical organs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=澎湃新闻 |title=于赓哲谈中国古代的医疗与社会 |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/462796719_260616 |website=www.sohu.com |language=zh |trans-title=YU Gengzhe on medicine and society in ancient China}}</ref>

==Yin/yang and the Five Elements==

Each ''zangfu'' organ has a yin and a yang aspect, but overall, the ''zang'' organs are considered to be yin, and the ''fu'' organs, yang.<ref>by citation from the Huangdi Neijing's Suwen: ‘’{{lang|zh|言人身脏腑中阴阳，则脏者为阴，腑者为阳。}}‘’[Within the human body's ''zangfu'', there's yin and yang; the ''zang'' are yin, the ''fu'' are yang]. As seen at: {{cite web |url=http://www.yixuesheng.com/lunwen/zhongyi/zyjc/201001/5090.html |script-title=zh:略论脏腑表里关系 |date=22 January 2010 |access-date=13 December 2010 |language=zh |trans-title=outline on the relationships between the zang-fu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718141705/http://www.yixuesheng.com/lunwen/zhongyi/zyjc/201001/5090.html |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}</ref>

Since the concept of the ''zangfu'' was developed on the basis of ''wuxing'' philosophy, they are incorporated into a system of allocation to one of five elemental qualities (i.e., the Five goings or Five Phases). The ''zangfu'' share their respective element's allocations (e.g., diagnostics of colour, sound, odour and emotion etc.) and interact with each other cyclically in the same way the Five Elements do: each ''zang'' organ has one corresponding ''zang'' organ that it disperses, and one that it reinforces or tonifying and sedative.<ref>{{cite web|title=What is Zang-fu?|url=https://www.amcollege.edu/blog/what-is-zang-fu|website=Acupuncture and Massage College|access-date=12 March 2018|archive-date=13 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313092421/https://www.amcollege.edu/blog/what-is-zang-fu|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The correspondence between ''zangfu'' and Five Elements are stipulated as:

* Fire ({{lang|zh|火}}) = Heart ({{lang|zh|心}}) and Small Intestine ({{lang|zh|小肠}}) (and, secondarily, Sanjiao [{{lang|zh|三焦}}, ‘’Triple Burner‘’] and Pericardium [{{lang|zh|心包}}]) * Earth ({{lang|zh|土}}) = Spleen ({{lang|zh|脾}}) and Stomach ({{lang|zh|胃}}) * Metal ({{lang|zh|金}}) = Lung ({{lang|zh|肺}}) and Large Intestine ({{lang|zh|大肠}}) * Water ({{lang|zh|水}}) = Kidney ({{lang|zh|肾}}) and Bladder ({{lang|zh|膀胱}}) * Wood ({{lang|zh|木}}) = Liver ({{lang|zh|肝}}) and Gallbladder ({{lang|zh|胆}})

==Details==

The ''zang'' organs' essential functions consist in manufacturing and storing ''qi'' and blood (and, in the case of the Kidney, ''jing'' or essence). The hollow ''fu'' organs' main purpose is to transmit and digest (传化, {{zh|p=chuánhuà}}) substances (like waste, food, etc.).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.notedyy.com/news/html/?341.html |script-title=zh:中医基础理论-脏腑学说 |date=11 June 2010 |access-date=14 December 2010 |language=zh |trans-title=Basics of TCM theory - The zangfu concept |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714200403/http://www.notedyy.com/news/html/?341.html |archive-date=14 July 2011 }}</ref>

===''Zang organs''===

Each ''zang'' has a corresponding "orifice" it "opens" into. This means the functional entity of a given ''zang'' includes the corresponding orifice's functions (e.g. blurry vision is primarily seen as a dysfunction of the Liver ''zang'' because the Liver channel "opens" into the eyes).

In listing the functions of the ''zang'' organs, TCM regularly uses the term "governing" ({{lang-zh|c=主|p=zhǔ|labels=no}}) – indicating that the main responsibility of regulating something (e.g. blood, ''qi'', water metabolism etc.) lies with a certain ''zang''.

Although the ''zang'' are primarily functional entities, TCM gives vague locations for them – namely, the general area where the anatomical organ of the same name would be found. One could argue that this (or any) positioning of the ''zang'' is irrelevant for the TCM system; there is some relevance, however, in whether a certain ''zang'' would be attributed to the upper, middle or lower ''jiao''.

====Heart==== {{Main|Heart (Chinese medicine)}} *"Stores" ({{lang|zh|藏}}, {{zh|p=cáng}})<ref>{{lang|zh|中医世家}} 2006, chapter 1.2.2.</ref> the ''shen'' ("mind"), paired with ''Small Intestine'' *Governs xuě (blood) and its vessels/meridians *Opens into the tongue *Reflected in facial complexion

=====Pericardium===== {{Main|Pericardium (Chinese medicine)}}

*Stores the shen, paired with ''San Jiao ("Triple Burner")'' *Governs blood

Since there are only five ''zang'' organs but six ''fu'' channels, the remaining meridian is assigned to the Pericardium. Its concept is closely related to the Heart, and its stipulated main function is to protect the Heart from attacks by exterior pathogenic factors.

====Spleen==== {{Main|Spleen (Chinese medicine)}} *"Stores" ({{lang-zh|c=统|p=tǒng|labels=no}})<ref name="chap_3" /> the blood inside the vessels, houses the ''yi'' ({{lang|zh|意}}, 'intent'), paired with ''Stomach'' *Governs "transportation and transformation" ({{lang-zh|c=运化|p=yùnhuà|labels=no}}), i.e. the extraction of ''jing wei'' ({{lang-zh|c=精微|p=jīng weī|l=essence bits|links=no}}, usually translated with ''food essence'', sometimes also called ''jing qi'' [{{lang-zh|c=精气|p=jīng qì|labels=no}}, ''essence qi''])<ref>{{lang|zh|中医世家}} 2006, chapter 3.2.1.1.</ref> – and water – from food and drink, and the successive distribution of it to the other ''zang'' organs. *Is the source of "production and mutual transformation" ({{lang-zh|c=生化|p=shēnghuà|labels=no}})<ref name="chap_3">{{lang|zh|中医世家}} 2006, chapter 3, lead</ref> of ''qi'' and ''xue'' (blood) *Opens into the lips (and mouth) *Governs muscles and limbs

====Liver==== {{Main|Liver (Chinese medicine)}} *"Stores" ({{lang-zh|c=藏|p=cáng|labels=no}})<ref>{{lang|zh|中医世家}} 2006, chapter 4.2.2.</ref> blood, houses the ''hun'' ({{lang|zh|魂}}, Ethereal Soul), paired with ''Gall Bladder'' *Governs "unclogging and deflation" ({{lang-zh|c=疏泄|p=shūxiè|labels=no}})<ref>{{lang|zh|中医世家}} 2006, chapter 4.2.1.</ref> primarily of qì. The free flow and harmony of qì in turn will ensure the free flow of emotions, blood, and water. *Governs the tendons *Opens into the eyes<ref>Fatrai/Uhrig (2015), p. 27</ref> *Reflected in the nails

====Lung==== {{Main|Lung (Chinese medicine)}} *Houses the ''po'' ({{lang|zh|魄}}, Corporeal Soul), paired with ''Large Intestine'' *Governs the skin (closing of the pores), hair and the exterior (one part of immunity) *Opens into the nose

The function of the Lung is to disperse and descend ''qi'' throughout the body. It receives ''qi'' through the breath, and exhales the waste, and aids the peristaltic action of the gastrointestinal tract. A properly functioning Lung organ will ensure the skin and hair are of good quality, and that the immune system is strong and able to fight disease. The normal direction of the Lung is descending, but when Lung ''qi'' "rebels", it goes upwards, causing coughing and wheezing. When the Lung is weak, there can be skin conditions such as eczema, thin or brittle hair, and a propensity to catching colds and flu. The Lung is weakened by dryness and the emotion of grief or sadness.

====Kidney==== {{Main|Kidney (Chinese medicine)}} *Houses the ''zhi'' ({{lang|zh|志}}, Will), paired with ''Bladder'' *Governs birth, growth, reproduction and development *Opens into the ears

The Kidneys store ''jing'' Essence. They also produce the Marrow which fills the spinal cord, brain and control the bones. The Kidneys are often referred to as the "Root of Life" or the "Root of the Pre-Heaven Qi".

===''Fu organs''=== ====Small Intestine==== {{Main|Small intestine (Chinese medicine)}}

====Triple Burner (San Jiao)==== {{Main|San Jiao}}

====Stomach==== {{Main|Stomach (Chinese medicine)}}

====Gall Bladder==== {{Main|Gallbladder (Chinese medicine)}}

====Large Intestine==== {{Main|Large intestine (Chinese medicine)}}

====Bladder==== {{Main|Urinary bladder (Chinese medicine)}}

==Criticism== {{See also|Acupuncture#Criticism of traditional Chinese medicine theory|l1=Acupuncture: Criticism of TCM theory}} The concept of the ''zangfu'' is not identified by evidence based medicine – the underlying assumptions and theory have not been verified or falsified by controlled experiments. As the study and practice of Traditional Chinese medicine's mechanisms are comparatively new in the west it has been criticized as pseudoscientific.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Us Congress Acupuncture Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4803/text}}</ref>

==See also== *Traditional Chinese medicine *''Wuxing''

== References == === Citations === {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * {{lang|zh|中医世家}} (2006-07-18), [http://www.zysj.com.cn/lilunshuji/jichulilun/44-3-1.html#m0-0 "{{lang|zh|第一节五脏}}"], {{lang|zh|中医基础理论}}, retrieved 2010-12-16 ** Cultural China (2007), [https://web.archive.org/web/20110314201959/http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/118Kaleidoscope4651.html "Chinese Medicine : Basic Zang Fu Theory"], "Kaleidoscope → Health", retrieved 2010-12-21 * Kaptchuk, T. (2000). "The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine, 2nd ed." Mcgraw-Hill. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0809228408] * Oguamanam C. (2006). "International Law and Indigenous Knowledge: Intellectual Property, Plant Biodiversity, and Traditional Medicine" University of Toronto Press * Agnes Fatrai, Stefan Uhrig (eds.). ''Chinese Ophthalmology – Acupuncture, Herbal Therapy, Dietary Therapy, Tuina and Qigong.'' Tipani-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-9815471-1-5}}. {{refend}}

==External links== *[https://www.dantianhealth.com.au/zang-fu-organs/ The Zang Fu] – Information on the functions of the Zang Fu Organs. *[http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/exam/diagnosis_organ.html Syndrome differentiation according to zang-fu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030226/http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/exam/diagnosis_organ.html |date=2016-03-04 }} – Chinese medicine diagnosis on organ diseases.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zangfu}} Category:Traditional Chinese medicine