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Under normal circumstances, lung qì bears downward, drawing breath down the windpipe into the lung and keeping the lung clean of phlegm. The compound term depurative downbearing reflects the downward movement of qì and its action of maintaining a clean lung. The word depurative further hints at the five-phase association of metal with the notion of the purifying frost of autumn. If this function is fulfilled, air can pass in and out of the lung freely, the respiratory channels are kept free, breathing is even, and fluids descend to the kidney and bladder. When in external contractions or internal damage, evils invade the lung, they can affect normal depurative downbearing and cause cough with copious phlegm, hasty breathing, and distension and oppression in the chest and diaphragm. Enduring cough can also damage lung qì, impairing normal depurative downbearing and causing lung qì to ascend counterflow, giving rise to severe panting. See impaired depurative downbearing of the lung. Compare lung governs regulation of the waterways and lung is the receptacle that holds phlegm.

Etymology

Chinese: 肃 sù, purify, purge; solemn; 降 jiàng, to descend, cause to descend.

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