Fluid metabolism jīn yè dài xiè · 津液代谢

Jin Ye is the collective term for the body's normal fluids. Classical writing divides them into thinner fluids said to moisten skin and muscle, and thicker fluids said to nourish joints, marrow and the sense organs.

Their movement is described as a loop: intake and transformation by the Spleen and Stomach, distribution by the Lung, transport by the Spleen, and excretion through the Kidney and Bladder, with the San Jiao named as the pathway that connects them. Where the loop is said to fail, the result is described as dryness, swelling or phlegm. Read this as a working model of fluid handling, not as a description of kidney physiology.