Sign · 大便时干时稀
Alternating constipation and loose stools
Bowels that swing between hard and loose without a clear pattern.
This page is a reference entry, not an assessment. It says which patterns the sign belongs to in the table this site is built on, at what weight, and where else on the site it appears. Having a sign is not having a pattern — most people have several of these at once, and the self-check is where they are weighed against each other.
What weight it carries
Every sign in the table is filed against one or more patterns at one of three weights. The weight is about diagnostic usefulness, not severity: a defining sign is one the pattern cannot be argued without, which is a different thing from a sign that is dangerous.
| Pattern | 中文 | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Liver qi stagnation | 肝郁气滞证 | Supporting |
| Spleen qi deficiency | 脾气虚证 | Supporting |
Supporting for 2 patterns
Compatible with the pattern but not required. ×1.
Where it appears on the site
The condition pages that list this sign as one of the things to look for:
- Loose stools 便溏
- Constipation 便秘
Other stool and urine signs
The table groups signs by the part of the body or the kind of observation they come from. These are the other entries in the same group.
- Clear, frequent urine 小便清长频数
- Loose or unformed stools 大便溏薄
- Urgent stools soon after waking 晨起急便
- Getting up at night to pass urine 夜尿
- Sticky, incomplete bowel movements 大便黏滞不爽
- Sticky, foul-smelling stool 大便黏臭
- Dark, scanty urine 小便短黄
- Dry, hard stool 大便干结
Part of the sign index — 118 entries weighted across twelve patterns. How the weights are used is set out in the methodology.