津液 (jīnyè): bodily fluids (general TCM term)

Meanings

1 bodily fluids (general TCM term)
2 saliva and other secretions

Characters

津

Examples

中医认为津液不足会导致口干舌燥。

Zhōngyī rènwéi jīnyè bùzú huì dǎozhì kǒugān shézào.

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that insufficient bodily fluids cause dry mouth and tongue.

梅子让人分泌津液。

Méizi ràng rén fēnmì jīnyè.

Plums make the mouth water.

Tips

culture

In TCM 津液 covers all clear bodily fluids: 津 (jīn) is the thin watery part — sweat, tears, saliva — while 液 (yè) is the thicker part — joint fluid, marrow, mucus. Damage to 津液 (耗损津液) underlies many heat / dryness diagnoses.