Sign · 大便溏薄
Loose or unformed stools
Stools that arrive soft or unformed rather than holding shape.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Spleen qi deficiency | 脾气虚证 | Defining |
| Spleen yang deficiency | 脾阳虚证 | Defining |
| Dampness | 湿证 | Common |
| Kidney yang deficiency | 肾阳虚证 | Common |
Defining for 2 patterns
Without it the pattern is hard to justify. These carry ×3 in the self-check.
Common for 2 patterns
Usually present, and its absence counts against the pattern. ×2.
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
- Swollen ankles 浮肿
- Irregular periods 月经不调
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
- Urgent stools soon after waking 晨起急便
- Getting up at night to pass urine 夜尿
- Alternating constipation and loose stools 大便时干时稀
- 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.