Textual research of"heavy abdomen as if carrying a load of five thousand coins"in Synopsis of Golden Chamber
10.3969/j.issn.1006-2157.2025.07.004
- VernacularTitle:《金匮要略》"腹重如带五千钱"考
- Author:
Peiwen TAN
1
;
Haixin LU
1
;
Chunhua JIA
1
Author Information
1. 北京中医药大学中医学院 北京 100029
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Synopsis of Golden Chamber;
five thousand coins;
wu zhu qian;
heavy abdomen;
heavy low back
- From:
Journal of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2025;48(7):909-913
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Medical experts across different dynasties have interpreted the phrase"heavy abdomen as if carrying a load of five thousand coins,"found in the Synopsis of Golden Chamber,in various ways.The primary viewpoint is that the phrase uses exaggerated rhetoric to vividly describe the clinical characteristics of abdominal or low back heaviness in patients with kidney stagnation.However,why ZHANG Zhongjing used"money"as a metaphor,what specific type of coins"money"referred to,why the quantity"five thousand"was selected,and whether this description focused more on the weight or the shape,have not been further discussed by the academic community.This article systematically answers these questions based on the history of the development of ancient Chinese coins,the versions of the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber,and its annotations.Using the metaphor of"five thousand coins"for feeling heavy in the abdomen originates from the ancient people′s general understanding of money.The money in"five thousand coins"specifically refers to the wu zhu qian of the Han Dynasty,and the amount of"five thousand coins"is the savings of common people′s families at that time,and has universal reference significance."Five thousand coins"emphasizes the weight of"five thousand coins"rather than its shape.This study provides a novel perspective and theoretical basis for understanding the original text of the Synopsis of Golden Chamber.
