肥féi人rén多duō痰tán,，瘦shòu人rén多duō火huǒ

What does 肥人多痰，瘦人多火 (féi rén duō tán, shòu rén duō huǒ) mean?

肥人多痰，瘦人多火 (féi rén duō tán, shòu rén duō huǒ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Fat people have much phlegm; thin people have much fire." In use it means: In TCM constitutional diagnosis, those with heavy builds tend toward phlegm-damp conditions, while lean individuals tend toward yin deficiency with internal heat. Treatment must match the patient's constitution rather than the disease name alone. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "Fat people have much phlegm; thin people have much fire."

The reading

Body type is not cosmetic but diagnostic. The heavy-set person tends to accumulate dampness and phlegm, slowing digestion and clouding the mind. The thin person runs hot, burning through yin reserves, prone to restlessness and dry conditions. A physician who treats both the same way helps neither. Reading the body's constitution before writing a prescription is the first act of genuine care.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element土 Earth
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Danxi Xinfa by Zhu Danxi, Yuan dynasty constitutional medicine axiom

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.