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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Lingshu 31 · The Intestines and Stomach
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked Bo Gao: “I wish to hear how the six fu transmit grain. What are the width, length and capacity for grain of the intestines and Stomach?”
Bo Gao said: “Let me fully describe the depths, distances and lengths of the passage through which grain enters and leaves. From lips to teeth is nine fen; the mouth is two and a half cun wide. From behind the teeth to the epiglottis is three and a half cun deep, with a capacity of five ge. The tongue weighs ten liang, is seven cun long and two and a half cun wide. The swallowing gate weighs ten liang and is two and a half cun wide; its passage to the Stomach is one chi and six cun long.”
Ge is the historical capacity unit written 合. All dimensions and weights are the source’s, without modern-unit or anatomical correction.
“The Stomach bends and curves. Extended, it is two chi and six cun long, one chi and five cun around and five cun in diameter, with a capacity of three dou and five sheng.”
“The Small Intestine attaches behind to the spine, coils leftward and folds over itself. Where it pours into the returning intestine, it lies outwardly near the navel. Above, its coils turn through sixteen bends. It is two and a half cun around, eight fen and a small third of a fen in diameter, and three zhang and three chi long.
“The returning intestine lies at the navel, turns left, folds upon itself and descends through sixteen returning bends. It is four cun around, one cun and a small third of a cun in diameter, and two zhang and one chi long.
“The broad intestine lies along the spine and receives the returning intestine. It coils leftward in folds along the spine above and below, opening broadly. It is eight cun around, two cun and a greater two-thirds of a cun in diameter, and two chi and eight cun long.”
The small and greater fractional parts follow the historical one-third and two-thirds reading of shaoban and daban. Older commentaries offer differing approximations; no modern decimal or revised measurement is substituted. The supplied Small Intestine length of three zhang and three chi is retained, although the next chapter gives three zhang and two chi.
“From the point of entry to the point of exit, the intestines and Stomach measure six zhang, four cun and four fen, with thirty-two winding, returning bends.”
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