Ten Asking Song
The “Ten Asking Song” was originally written in the Mind dynasty by Zhang Jing-Yue. It provides the practitioner with a template whereby important clinical information can be obtained in a manner that is easily remembered.
While the tune has long been lost to the hit parade of time, the questions remain. Some questions that are asked in modern times that aren’t addressed below include: emotional disturbances, pain, and sleeping.
| TEN ASKING SONG | ||
| AREA | QUESTIONS | REASONS |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Fever and Chills | Existence of chills and fever
Relationship of chills and fever (simultaneous, alternating, etc.) Severity Onset and duration Concomitant symptoms |
determines presence or absence of heat and cold, disease etiology, and location |
| 2) Perspiration | Existence of sweating
Time of occurrence Location Severity Character of sweat Concomitant symptoms signs or symptoms that change after sweating |
determines condition of wei qi, body fluids, and heat in the body |
| 3) Head and Body (aches) | Head: dizziness and vertigo, tics and tremors, headaches,
Body: pain, numbness, tingling |
determines existence of internal wind, or bi syndromes. |
| 4) Stools and Urine | Stool: form, color, odor, time and frequency, quantity, sensations, concurrent symptoms
Urine: color, odor, time and frequency, quantity, sensations, concurrent symptoms |
determines presence or lack of heat and cold in body |
| 5) Food, Taste, and Appetite | Thirst and fluid intake
Appetite, taste sense, unusual tastes in mouth |
mostly focuses on the functions of the middle jiao (appetite) and fluid metabolism (thirst). |
| 6) Chest and Abdomen | Chest: stifling sensation in chest, palpitations
Abdomen: Bloating |
zang fu organs and other reasons, too numerous to list in a little box. :) |
| 7) Ears and Eyes | tinnitus and hearing, vision and tears. | Mostly the state of the Liver and Kidneys |
| 8) Children’s questions | pregnancy, mother’s health, labor, breastfeeding, vaccinations and infectious diseases. | |
| 9) Sleep | time of day and length of sleep, easily fall asleep or not, concurrent symptoms | assesses condition of qi, blood and yin/yang balance, as well as the functions of the Heart and Kidney |
| 10) Women’s Questions | period: regularity, quantity of flow, color of flow, consistence of flow, length of flow, concurrent symptoms such as cramps, headache, constipation or diarrhea, insomnia, moodiness, etc. | determines the functions of the Blood and the Liver |
Last modified: August 15, 2009 
Tags: Diagnosis, inquiry В· Posted in: Inquiry
