THE SIX FU-ORGANS AND THE EXTRAORDINARY FU-ORGANS
六腑和奇恒之腑
TCM refers the gallbladder, the stomach, the large intestine, the small intestine, the urinary bladder and the triple energizer to the six fu-organs. it is not only that, besides the functions of their own, they are characterized by their common role ofdecomposing and digesting water and food, and discharging the wastes, but that, in the process of digesting and absorbing food and excreting the wastes, they are closely related to each other both physiologically and pathologically. Their functional feather is excretion without storage and taking descending and unobstruction as their normal functional state. TCM's rational knowledge of the interrelationship of the six fu-organs is well grounded on ancient anatomical knowledge, the observation of the physiological and pathological changes of the six fu-organs and the summarization of long-term and rich medical experience.	中醫(yī)的六腑指的是膽、胃、大腸、小腸、膀胱和三焦。這不僅是因為除了其自身功能之外，它們具有腐熟、消化水谷和傳化糟粕的共同功能特點，而且是因為在食物的消化、吸收及排除殘渣的過程中，它們在生理和病理上是密切相關的。它們的特點是泄而不藏，以通降為合。中醫(yī)對六腑關系的理性認識來自于對六腑生理和病理改變的認識和長期豐富的臨床經(jīng)驗。
Food entering the stomach is decomposed into chyme which after digested by the stomach, is transported to the small intestine in which it is further digested by means of bile excreted by the gallbladder. The small intestine "separates the clear from turbid".The clear, refers to food essence, is transported and distributed to all parts of the body by the spleen; while the turbid is the residues of water and food. Of them waste water goes into the kidney, and then into the urinary bladder where it is turned into uruie to be excreted from the body. And the other is conveyed to the large intestine where it is changed into feces and leaves the body via the anus. In the whole process of the transportation and transformation of water and food, the triple energizer dominates qi transformation and qi movement of the whole body.quanxiangyun.cn	食物進入胃內(nèi)經(jīng)胃的消化變?yōu)槭趁雍筠D(zhuǎn)運至小腸，在小腸內(nèi)由膽汁進一步消化。小腸有分清別濁的功能。清指的是食物精華，它有脾運送分散到人體的各個部分。而濁指的是水谷殘渣。濁水經(jīng)過膀胱轉(zhuǎn)化成尿液排出體外。另外的部分則運送到大腸，在大腸內(nèi)轉(zhuǎn)化成糞便由肛門排出體外。在水谷運化的整個過程中，三焦調(diào)節(jié)氣的運化和整個人體的氣的運動。醫(yī)學全在線
The triple energizer is one ot the six fu-organs, and among all the zang-fu organs, it is the largest fu-organ in the human body. Huangdi's Classic on Medicine holds: "The triple energizer is separated from the zang-fu organs and yet is within the body. It encloses all organs and is the largest one." And the book also advanced a viewpoint that "The triple energizer exists in name only but is not the entity". Triple energizer has no exterior-interior relationships with the zang-organs, it is therefore called "solitary fu-organ". Its main functions are to pass various kinds of qi and to serve as the pathway for body fluid. It is divided into three parts: the upper energizer, middle energizer and lower energizer. The triple energizer with the related zang-fu organs, each having its own function to perform, accomplish jointly a complicated physiological process in the digestion, absorption, distribution and excretion.	三焦是六腑之一，在所有的臟腑器官中，它是人體中最大的腑�！饵S帝內(nèi)經(jīng)》認為：“三焦與臟腑分離但位于體內(nèi)。它圍繞所有的器官，是人體最大的器官”。該書亦提出一個觀點即“三焦有名無實”。三焦和臟之間沒有表里關系，因此也稱為“孤腑”。它的主要功能是運行各種氣體并是體液運行的通道。它分為三個部分：上焦、中焦、下焦。三焦與相關臟腑，各自執(zhí)行其功能共同完成消化、吸收、分散、排泄這個復雜的生理過程。
The upper energizer refers usually to the part above the diaphragm, including the heart, lungs and head as well. Its main physiological function is to distribute essence-qi throughout the body. In other words, in combination with the heart and the lung, the upper energizer distributes essence-qi to the whole body to warm and nourish the skin and muscles, tendons and bones. This function is described in Miraculous Pivot "The upper energizer resembles a sprayer." This is a metaphor, which is used to describe the function of the upper energizer to sprinkle fog-like cereal essence.醫(yī).學.全.在.線.quanxiangyun.cn	上焦通常指的是膈以上的部分包括心、肺和頭。它的主要生理功能是散精至身體的各個部分。換言之，通過心肺結合，上焦散精至全體以溫養(yǎng)肌膚筋骨。這個功能在《靈樞》中被喻為“上焦如霧"，這是一種隱喻法，通常用于描述上焦散精的功能。
The middle energizer refers mainly to the abdorminal part between the diaphragm and umbilicus, and includes such zang-fu organs as the spleen, stomach, liver and gallbladder. Its main physiological functions are to decompose food and transform nutrient substances into qi and blood, and to discharge the wastes and steam body fluid. This function is mentioned in Miraculous Pivot: "The middle energizer is likened to a fermentation tun." By "fermentation tun" is meant the place where food is decomposed and digested.	中焦主要指的是位于膈和臍之間的腹部部分，包括脾、胃、肝、膽。它的主要生理功能是腐熟水谷將精微物質(zhì)轉(zhuǎn)化胃氣血，泌糟粕、蒸津液。這個功能在《靈樞》中被喻為“中焦如漚”�！皾a”指的是食物腐熟消化的地方。
The lower energizer refers, generally, to the portion located below the stomach, including the small intestine, large intestine, kidneys, urinary bladder. etc. Its main function is to discharge food residuces and urine. So there is also a saying in Miraculous Pivot, "The lower energizer works like a sewer." Here "sewer" is used to describe the function to excrete the wastes. However, with the development of visceral manifestations (zang xiang), essence and blood of the liver and kidney as well as primordial qi are generally attributed to the lower energizer by later generations.	總的來說，下焦指的是位于胃以下的部分包括小腸、大腸、腎、膀胱等。它的主要生理功能是排泄糟粕和尿液。所以《靈樞》將其喻為“下焦如瀆”�！盀^”是用于描述排泄廢物的功能。然而，隨之臟象學說的發(fā)展，后人多認為肝腎之精血和元氣也來自下焦。
In short, the triple energizer dominates all kinds of qi and qi transformation of the human body, and serves as the pathway for water. Therefore, Basic Questions says: "The triple energizer, as the waterways, is an organ in charge of the water circulation, flowing along the waterways."	簡而言之，三焦主司各種氣體調(diào)節(jié)體內(nèi)氣體的運化并是水運行的通道。因此，《素問》曰：三焦者，決瀆之官，水道出焉。
While the six fu-organs transport and tranform water and food, the process of reception, digestion, transportation and excretion are also in progress. The six fu-organs are usually in a state of the alternations between emptiness and fullness. And they transform food into essence but not store it. That's why TCM believes: " the six fu-organs function well when they are unobstructruction, the unobstructed is the normal functional state for the six fu-organs; where the regular descent is their normal functional activities."Pathologically, disorders among the six fu-organs often affect each other. For instance, when body fluid is consumed because of excessive heat in the stomach, the large intestine is bound to have trouble in transportation, and, in consequence, constipation occurs. A disturbance of the large intestine in transmission and transformation not only leads to the obstruction of the large intestine itself, but also affects the regular descent of stomach-qi, causing repeated vomiting. A dominant gallbladder fire often interferes with the stomach and results in vomiting bitter fluid.Dampness and heat accumulated in the stomach and spleen burn and steam the liver and the gallbladder. This may cause the bile to overflow, and give rise to jaundice.	六腑在運化水谷中，依次進行受納、消化、傳輸、排泄的過程。六腑常處于更實更虛之中,傳化物而不藏。這就是為什么中醫(yī)認為六腑以通為用，以降為和。病理上六腑功能的失調(diào)會相互影響。例如，當胃實熱證時，體液被消耗，大腸的傳輸功能也一定會出現(xiàn)問題而導致便秘的發(fā)生。大腸傳輸功能異常不僅會導致大腸氣滯，也會影響胃氣沉降而導致反復嘔吐。膽火熾盛，常犯及胃造成嘔吐苦水。脾胃實熱常熏蒸肝膽，這便會導致膽汁外溢返流。
Apart from the six fu-organs, there are the brain, marrow, bones, vessels, gallbladder and uterus termed the "extraordinary fu-organs". Like the fu organs morphology, the extraordinary fu-organs are mostly hollow but not the pathways for the digestion and excretion of cereal food and, like the zang argans functionally, they also store essence-qi. With the exception of the gallbladder, they have no exterior-interior relationships.	六腑之外，尚有腦、髓、骨、脈、膽、女子胞稱為“奇恒之腑”。它在形態(tài)上與六腑相似，大多為空，但不是水谷消化和排泄的通道；在功能上與臟相似，它們也可藏精。除了膽，其他的都沒有表里關系。
The brain is located in the skull and connects with the spinal marrow. It is the organ of spirit, consciousness and thinking. Basic Question says: "The head is the house of intelligence".（，the head is the residence of intelligence）Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty pointee out, "The brain is the seat of the mind", and the heart governs all funcctions of the whole body, including mental activities. In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Qingren stated: "The intelligence and memory onginate from the brain but not from the heart." And he also considered: "Thinking, memory, vision, hearing, smelling and speaking are all controlled by the brain." Although TCM has some knowledge of the brain's physiology and pathology, it still ascribes the functions of the brain to the heart, the liver and respectively to the five zang-organs, and holds that spirit, consciousness and thinking are related to the five zang-organs.	腦位于頭顱，與髓相聯(lián)系。它是精神、意識、思考的器官�！端貑枴吩唬侯^者，精明之府。明代的李時珍指出：腦為元神之府。心統(tǒng)管全身功能包括精神活動。清代王清任指出“智力和記憶來自于腦而非心”。他認思考、記憶、視力、聽力、嗅覺和言語都由腦控制。雖然中醫(yī)對腦的生理和病理有了一些認識，膽始終將其歸于心、肝和其他的五臟的功能里，認為魂、意識、思考于五臟相關
The uterus, or womb（wu：m）, situated in the lower abdomen posterior to the urinary bladder in women, is an inverted pear-shaped organ where menstruation occurs and the foetus is bred. They are two complex physiological processes in which tiangui, a kind of refined nutritious substance transformed from the kidney-essence, plays the most important role. Both Chong and Ren meridians originate from the uterus. The uterus is also closely related to the heart, liver and spleen, because normal menstruation and the nourishment of the foetus rely on the blood dominated by the heart, stored by the liver and controlledby the spleen. Therefore the dysfunction of the above organs will affect the normal functions of the uterus, bring about menstrual disorder and sterility.醫(yī).學.全.在.線quanxiangyun.cn	女子胞是女性位于下腹膀胱之后的器官，是個倒置梨形的器官，是月經(jīng)發(fā)生和孕育胎兒的場所。它們是兩個復雜的生理過程，由腎經(jīng)化生的精微物質(zhì)－天暌在其中起了非常重要的作用。沖任二脈都起于女子胞。女子胞同樣與心、肝、脾有著緊密的聯(lián)系。因為，月經(jīng)的正常和胎兒的營養(yǎng)要依靠心的主血、肝的藏血和脾的攝血功能。因此，以上臟器的功能失調(diào)將會影響女子胞的正常功能，造成月經(jīng)鼻不調(diào)和不孕。
It should be pointed out that according to the theory of visceral manifestation, the names of the zang-fu organs correspond to those of the modern human anatomy and refers to the substantial internal organs. However, in the physiology and patholoty, the knowledge of TCM differs greatly from that of western medicine, which has been learnt a lot from the above.	需要指出的是根據(jù)臟象理論，臟腑器官的名字與現(xiàn)代人體解剖學的器官相對應指的是內(nèi)臟器官的物質(zhì)形式。然而，在生理和病理上，中醫(yī)和西醫(yī)的認識卻大相徑庭，這在以上的闡述中能明顯體現(xiàn)。