六淫

liùyín

noun

Meanings

1 the six excesses, external causes of disease in Chinese medicine: wind, cold, summer heat, damp, dryness and fire

Characters

excess; excessive

Examples

HSK 7-9

风、寒、暑、湿、燥、火合称六淫。

Fēng, hán, shǔ, shī, zào, huǒ héchēng liùyín.

Wind, cold, summer heat, damp, dryness and fire are together called the six excesses.

HSK 7-9

中医认为，身体虚弱的时候，六淫最容易侵入人体。

Zhōngyī rènwéi, shēntǐ xūruò de shíhou, liùyín zuì róngyi qīnrù réntǐ.

Chinese medicine holds that the six excesses invade most easily when the body is weak.

Tips

mistakes

淫 here keeps its old sense, 'excess', not 'lust'. In normal measure the six are the 六气, the ordinary forces of the weather; only when they come too strong or out of season do they turn into 六淫 and make people ill.

Stroke Order

六 liù

淫 yín