Back to previous page
Search in Dictionary

Symptoms 3, tongue

症状3,舌 〔症狀3,舌〕zhèng zhuàng 3, shé

Below is a brief description of the major tongue body and tongue fur symptoms, with links to entries that provide more detail.

See tongue examination.

Tongue Body

Pale-white tongue (舌质淡白 shé zhì dàn bái): A tongue paler than normal. It indicates dual vacuity of qì and blood or yáng vacuity.

Pale-red tongue (舌质淡红 shé zhì dàn hóng): A healthy tongue with a moist sheen. It indicates that qì and blood are in harmony. It is seen in healthy individuals or people suffering from mild disease.

Red tongue (舌红 shé hóng): A tongue redder than normal. It indicates repletion heat or yīn vacuity. A red-tipped tongue (舌尖红 shé jiān hóng) is a tongue that is redder at the tip than in other parts. It is most commonly associated with hyperactive heart fire.

Crimson tongue (舌绛 shé jiàng): A tongue that is deep red in color. It indicates exuberant internal heat or yīn vacuity with effulgent fire.

Green-blue or purple tongue (舌青紫 shé qīng zǐ): A tongue with generalized green-blue or purple coloration. It indicates blood stasis or blood stagnation attributable to (a) intense heat toxin scorching provisioning-yīn and affecting blood flow, (b) to exuberant internal yīn cold inhibiting blood flow, or (c) injuries from knocks and falls. A deep purple (crimson turning purple) reflects heat. A pale green-blue tongue that is glossy reflects cold. See also the next item.

Stasis speckles on the tongue (舌有瘀点 shé yǒu yū diǎn): Purple speckles on the tongue indicate blood stasis or stagnation. Speckles on the tip indicate heart blood stasis obstruction (heart vessel obstruction in which blood stasis is the prominent factor). Speckles on the margins indicate liver depression and blood stasis (blood stasis resulting from depressed liver qì).

Tender-soft tongue (舌嫩 shé nèn, 舌娇嫩 shé jiāo nèn): A tongue that is soft and spongy, like a child’s flesh, with fine markings and granularity. It mostly indicates vacuity.

Somber-tough tongue (舌老 shé lǎo, 舌苍老 shé cāng lǎo): A tongue that is hard, dull, with coarse markings and granularity. It usually indicates repletion.

Tongue with dental impressions at the margins (舌边有齿痕 shé biān yǒu chǐ hén): A tongue with teeth marks at the edges. Dental impressions develop when the tongue becomes enlarged. They are a sign of insufficiency of the spleen’s yáng qì with exuberant dampness. Since the tongue body is usually pale, the term pale enlarged tongue with dental impressions (舌质淡胖有齿痕 shé zhí dàn pàng yǒu chǐ hén) is often encountered in the literature.

Fissured tongue (舌裂 shé liè): A tongue with one or more grooves or furrows. It is usually a sign of depletion of essence-blood. If the tongue is pale, it reflects blood vacuity. If red or crimson, it is caused by damage to yīn fluids resulting from exuberant heat. If it is pale-white enlarged and tender-soft with dental impressions, this is spleen vacuity with dampness.

Tongue Fur

White tongue fur (舌苔白 shé tāi bá): A white tongue fur forms as a result of upward steaming of stomach qì in healthy individuals or as a result of obstruction of yáng qì by external cold, other external evils, internal cold, or cold-damp. It is seen in exterior patterns, cold patterns, and dampness patternsand may also appear in mild heat patterns.

Yellow tongue fur (舌苔黄 shé tāi huáng): The tongue fur most commonly turns yellow with the scorching action of heat. It occurs in heat patterns and interior patterns.

When yellow at the tip, it indicates heat in the upper burner. When yellow in the middle, it indicates heat in the stomach or intestines. When yellow at the root of the tongue, it indicates heat in the lower burner. When yellow at the margins, it indicates liver-gallbladder heat.

Tongue and Fur Combinations

Pale-red tongue

Bright-red tongue

Crimson tongue

Green-blue or purple tongue

Pale-white tongue

Back to previous page
Help us to improve our content
You found an error? Send us a feedback