Phonetic spelling is followed, in parentheses, by the Wylie (1959) transliteration. Terms are Tibetan unless otherwise indicated: (C) Chinese, (Skt) Sanskrit.
ach a (a ce) older sister; wife; respectful term for a woman in Tsang
agar gonyön (A gar go snyon) Cinchona sp.
amchi (a mchi) Mongolian-derived word for medical doctors widely used in Tibet and across the Himalayas
amchi kangjenma (a mchi [sman pa] rkang rjen ma) barefoot doctor
arak (a rag) distilled grain alcohol
arura (a ru ra) “king of medicines”; Terminalia chebula
barché (bar che) obstacles
bardo (bar rdo) realm between death and rebirth
béken (bad kan) “phlegm”; one of the three nyépa or “humors” in Tibetan medicine
Bö (Bod) Tibet
bömen (bod sman) Tibetan medicine
Bon (Bon chos) collective term for pre-Buddhist religious traditions in Tibet; today acknowledged as one of the main schools of Tibetan Buddhism
bongkar (bong dkar) Aconitum spp.
Bonpo (bon po) a practitioner of the Bon religion
bu (bu’) bug, microorganism, insect
Bumshi (Bum bzhi) Bon medical text, equivalent to the Buddhist Gyüshi
cham (’cham) Tibetan religious dance form
chang (chang) fermented barley beer
chijiao yisheng 赤脚医生 (C) barefoot doctor
Chijiao yisheng shouce 赤脚医生手册 (C) The Barefoot Doctor’s Manual
chikgyel (phyi rgyal) foreigner; stranger; outsider
Chikhyap Khenpo (spyi khyab mkhan po) “chief abbot”; head of the ecclesiastical branch of the Tibetan government in Lhasa
Chimagyü (Phyi ma rgyud) Last Treatise, the fourth volume of the Four Treatises
chimen (phyi sman) “outsider medicine”; Chinese-style biomedicine; also called tangmen, gyamen/jermen
chitsok nyingpa (spyi tshogs rnying pa) “Old Society”; term introduced by the Communists to refer to pre-1950/59 Tibetan society and way of life
chiyi (phyi dbyi) “outsider medicine”; combining “foreign” in Tibetan with the phonetic pronunciation of yi 艺 for “medicine” in Chinese
chö (chos) religion; Buddhism; Skt. Dharma
chödzé (chos mdzad) member of a family of medical practitioners; one of the tripartite social and professional categorization of chödzé shabdrung jedrung in Tsang, prior to 1959
chödzé household (chos mdzad khyim tshang) term used in pre-1959 Tibetan society to denote a medical family
chökhang (chos khang) Buddhist chapel; altar room
chökyi khorlo (chos kyi ’khor lo) Dharma wheel; Skt. Dharma cakra
chöten (chos rten) Buddhist reliquary; Skt. stupa
chöyon (mchod yon) patron and recipient
chu (chu) water; river; one of the five elements
chuba (phyu pa) Tibetan style dress
chuser (chu gser) “yellow water”; term used to denote various fluids in Tibetan medical ideas about the body; a waste product from the transformation of nutrition into the seven bodily constituents
dépa (dad pa) faith
dikpa (sdig pa) sin
döndre (gdon dre) nefarious spirit
dotsé (rdo tshad) traditional currency of Tibet
drelpa (’grel pa) commentary; explanation
drelrimgyi taptsö (gral rim gyi ’thab rtsod) class struggle
drib (grib) “shadow”; spiritual defilement and pollution
drö (drod) medicine with warming character
drumbu (’grum bu) joint pain and condition, often associated with rheumatoid arthritis
drumné (’brum nad) smallpox
duksum (dug gsum) “three poisons”; the nyépa sum; Skt. kleśa; attachment/desire (’dod chags), hatred/aversion (zhe sdang), and ignorance (gti mug)
dunggyü (gdung rgyud) bone lineage; family transmission; descent
dürapa (bsdus ra pa) degree in Tibetan medicine; comparable to a bachelor’s degree in the modern Tibetan medical education system
dütsi (bdud rtsi) nectar; divine nectar; associated with production of medicine
dzong (rdzong) district capital; fortress; citadel
gangla métok (gangs lha me tog) Saussurea medusa/laniceps
Gelug (Dge lugs) “the virtuous ones”; one of the main schools in Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa
gen/gen la (rgan lags) “sir/madam” or “teacher”; honorific form of personal address
gerpa (sger pa) a category of former Tibetan nobility
guanxi 关系(C) connections, relations, social networks
gyamen (rgya sman) Chinese medicine; synonym for biomedicine and Western medicine
Gyenlok (gyen log) “rebels”; one of two major political groups that formed in Tibet during the Cultural Revolution
gyü (rgyud) tantric treatise; thread; string; character; consciousness and life; continuity, connection, lineage
Gyüshi (Rgyud bzhi) Four Treatises; core texts of Tibetan medicine
hormen (hor sman) “Mongolian medicine”; a remedy in Tibetan medicine made up of a small cotton bag filled with spices and tsampa that is warmed and applied to specified points on the body
Janglug (byang lugs) school of medicine that originated in [La-stod] Byang, also known as the Northern School or Northern Tradition
jedrung (rje drung) members of aristocratic families in pre-1959 central Tibet
jindak (sbyin bdag) master of the gift; patron; sponsor
jinlap (sbyin slab) ritual blessing
jungwa nga (byung ba lnga) “five elements”; earth, water, air/wind, fire, and space
kachupa (bka’ bcu pa) a degree in Tibetan medicine, comparable to a master’s degree in the modern Tibetan medical education system
Kagyü (Bka’ brgyud) one of the schools in Tibetan Buddhism
kathag (kha btags) offering scarf
khandro (mkha’ ’gro) sky dancer; Skt. dakini, female tantric deity; personal name
khuwa (khu ba) white and red reproductive substances
khyimgyü (khyim rgyud) a lineage of the household; a family lineage; short for kyimtsang gyü (khyim tshang rgyud)
kjama (rgya ma) half kilogram, equivalent to the Chinese jin measure
kora (skor ba) circumambulation
kutra (sku drag) lay Tibetan nobility
ladzi (gla rdzi) musk
laklén (lag lan) practice; experience
lama (bla ma) spiritual teacher or mentor; Skt. Guru
lamenpa (bla sman / bla sman pa) personal physician
lé (las) “action”; the law of cause and effect; Skt. karma
lha (lha) god; deity
lha jé (lha rje) honorific term for Tibetan medical doctor
lobgyü (slob gryud) teaching lineage
logyü (lo rgyus) “the running of the years”; history
lokchöpa (log spyod pa) reactionary
lu (klu) serpent spirit; Skt. naga
lü (lus) the physical body
lung (rlung) air; wind; one of the “five elements”; one of the three nyépa; oral instruction
lungné (rlung nad) wind disorder
magpa (mag pa) a husband who moves into his wife’s family home and resides there
mangdag (dmangs bdag) “owner of many”; Communist term for “exploiters” and land owners
Mangtso Chögyur (dmangs gtso bcos bsgyur) Democratic Reforms; a series of reforms implemented in central Tibet after the Dalai Lama escaped to India, crucially including the redistribution of land, which began in Tsang in 1960
mani rilbu (ma ni ril bu) pills empowered by prayers
marsuma (dmar srung dmag) Red Guard army; Red Guards
mé (me) fire; flame; one of the five elements
métsa (me btsa’) cauterization therapy; moxibustion
men (sman) medicine
mendrup (sman grub) medical empowerment ritual
Menngakgyü (Man ngag rgyud) Oral Instruction Treatise, the third volume of the Four Treatises
mengyü / menpé gyü (sman rgyud / sman pa’i rgyud) doctor’s lineage; medical lineage
menjor (sman sbyor) compounding medicines
menkhang (sman khang) medical house; clinic, hospital, or pharmacy; a named medical house; room in a medical house where medicines are kept
Menla (Sman bla) Medicine Buddha
menngak (man ngag) “secret oral” knowledge and transmission thereof
menpa (sman pa) physician, doctor; equivalent to amchi
menrampa (sman ra ba) medical degree awarded at Chakpori Medical College after nine years of study
Mentrong (sman grong) village or hamlet of doctors/medicine; medical house
Mentrong (sman ’khrungs) honorific term for a place where a doctor is born
Mentsikhang (Sman rtsi khang) Institute of Medicine and Astrology; the original building of this institution is in Lhasa dating to 1916; Men-Tsee-Khang is the roman spelling of the 1961 foundation in Dharamsala, North India; used in general for Tibetan medicine hospitals in Tibet
mimang künhré (mi dmangs kun hre) people’s communes (term derived from Chinese)
minzu 民族 (C) minority nationality; ethnic group in the PRC
miser (mi ser) common people; used widely in Tibet’s pre-1959 society to refer to people of low social class; still sometimes used to refer to rural Tibetans
mo (mo) divination; prophecy
moné (mo nad) women’s illness
namkha (nam mkha’) sky; space; one of the five elements
namthar (rnam thar) hagiography; biography
natsa taya (na tsha bltas) “look at illness”; to examine and review an illness
nepa taya (na pa bltas) seeing patients
ngakpa (sngags pa) “someone practicing mantra”; tantric practitioner
ngojor (sngo sbyor) medical compounding of herbs
ngomen (sngo sman) simple herbal medicines
ngönma (sngon ma) before; earlier; in the past
nüpa (nus pa) potency, effect; sometimes a gloss for the strength of a medicine
Nyamdre (mnyam ’brel) one of two major political groups formed in Tibet during the Cultural Revolution
nyelwa (dmyal ba) underworld; hell
nyépa / nyépa sum (nyes pa gsum) commonly translated as three humors; the three faults or dynamics corresponding to wind, bile, and phlegm; three forces
nying (snying) heart
nyingjé (snying rje) compassion
Nyingma (rnying ma) School of the Elders; one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism
nyingné (snying nad) disease/illness of the heart; heart distress
nyom (snyoms) medicine of neutral character
nyomba (snyom ba) crazy; mentally unstable
peja (dpe cha) Tibetan-style book in which loose pages are held together between two boards made of wood or paper, wrapped in a piece of cloth
pennü (phan nus) benefit
pentok (phen thogs) benefit
Pökar 10 (pos dkar 10) name of a Tibetan medicine
polha (pho lha) deity of the patrilateral kin group
putsé (pu tse) quality
rangzhin (rang bzhin) inherently existing; natural; spontaneous
rapjampa (rabs ’byams pa) an advanced degree in Tibetan medicine
rigné chu (rig gnas bcu) tenfold system of the Tibetan sciences derived from the Indian system of the (Skt) vidyāsthāna
rik (rigs) kind, category, hereditary social status
rik thopo (rigs mtho po) high rank
rikgyü dzinpa (rigs rgyud ’dzin pa) lineage holder
rilbu (ril bu) Tibetan medical pill
rinchen rilbu (rin chen ril bu) precious pills
Rinchen Tsotru Dashel (Rin chen btso bkru zla shel) a particular type of “precious jewel” pill
rinpoche (rin po che) precious jewel; honorific title given to religious teachers; precious and semiprecious gems used in Tibetan medicinal compounds
ro druk (ro drug) six tastes
rogré (rogs res) mutual aid teams
rü (rus) bone; the father’s side of one’s lineage or biological inheritance
rügyü (rus rgyud) patrilineage
sa (sa) earth; soil; land; a categories of ingredients used in Tibetan medical compounds; one of the “five elements”
Sakya (Sa skya) one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism; a place in central Tibet
sang (srang) 1 ounce (28.35 grams)
sangbo druk / sang druk (bzang po drug / bzang drug) “six excellent ones”; six medicines, including bamboo pith, saffron/safflower, green and black cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg
Sangyé Menla (Sangs rgyas sman bla) “master of remedies”; Medicine Buddha; Skt. Bhaisajyaguru
Seljé 25 (gsal byad 25) name of a Tibetan medicine
sem (sems) heart/mind
sem sangpo (sems bzang po) a pure heart/mind
Sendu nyikhyil (sendu nyi kyil) name of a Tibetan medicine
ser khab (gser khab) Tibetan medical golden needle therapy
sha (sha) flesh
shabden (zhabs rten) longlife prayer; blessing
shabdrung (zhabs drung) a type of lay tantric family in Tsang
Shégyü (Bshad rgyud) Explanatory Treatise, the second volume of the Four Treatises
sil (bsil) medicine of cooling character
sok lung (srog rlung) “life-force wind”; a type of disease in Tibetan medicine
solo marpo (sro lo dmar po) rhodiola crenulata
sorig dang menrig (gso rig dang sman rigs) “healing and types of medicines/pharmaceuticals”; Tibetan translation of yiyao 医药 (C) “medicine and pharmacology”
Sowa Rigpa (gso ba rig pa) “science or art of healing”; one of the five “major Tibetan sciences”; Tibetan medicine
suku 诉苦 (C) “speaking of bitterness” (the hardship in pre-Communist China)
ta rek dri (bltas reg dris) the main three Tibetan medical diagnostic methods: visual observation, feeling the pulse, and questioning the patient
tangmen (tang sman) Communist medicines; Chinese-style biomedicine; the term combines the Chinese term for “Communist [Party]” with the Tibetan word for “medicine”
terma (gter ma) “treasure”; hidden texts that are revealed at later times and under more favorable conditions
thamzing (’thab ’dzing) struggle sessions; fighting
thanka (thang kha) Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting
thob wang (thob dbang) rights; sovereignty
torma (tor ma) ritual barley cake offering
trak (khrag) blood, female reproductive substance
trakshé thopo (khrag tshad mtho po) high blood pressure
trelpa (khral pa) “taxpayer”; landholders in the pre-1959 Tibetan sociopolitical organization
trenpa (dren pa) memory
Trinsel 25 (mgril tshal 25) a medicine to treat drumbu
tripa (mkhris pa) bile; one of the three nyépas or humors
trungpé (’khrungs dpe) medical simple; single medical raw ingredient
trungyi (khrung dbyi) Tibetanized compound word rendering the Chinese term zhong yi 中医 (Chinese medicine). Trung was the new, politically correct term for the PRC, in contrast to Gyanag (China), while yi was imported from Chinese and spelled phonetically as dbyi (yi) in Tibetan
tsa (rtsa) channels; roots; often translated as veins, arteries, and nerves, depending on context
tsab (mtshabs) substitute; used to refer to medical materials that replace an original in a recipe or formula
tsadrum (rtsa ’grum) medical condition that affects bodily channels; conventionally translated as “rheumatism” or “arthritis”
Tsagyü (Rtsa rgyud) Root Treatise, the first volume of the Four Treatises
tsakar (rtsa dkar) white channels in the body
tsampa (tsam pa) roasted barley flour; Tibetan staple food
tsatsa (tsa tsa) small clay icon of a deity
tshek (tsheg) intersyllabic punctuation mark in written Tibetan
tsön, ken, chak (mtshon kan chag) three points at the radial arteries where the pulse is felt in a Tibetan medical diagnosis, when the index, middle, and ring fingers are pressed at different levels and at three points; the general pulse qualities, specific organs pulses, and the upper, middle and lower parts of the body are examined through palpation by the different fingers
tsotel (btso thal) mercury-sulfide powder; purified mercury for use in medicines
tulku (sprul sku) reincarnated lama
tursel lung (thur sel rlung) downward cleansing wind; a physiological function in the body
uchen (dbu can) Tibetan print letters
Ü-Tsang (Dbus gtsang) central Tibet
wang (dbang) empowerment; consecration
xiang 乡 (C) township
Xizang 西藏 (C) “western treasure”; Tibet
yartsa gunbu (dbyar rtswa dgun ’bu) “summer grass-winter insect”; Ophiocordyceps sinensis; valuable medicinal plant exported from the Tibetan plateau to China proper
yenlak dün (yan lag bdun) seven-limb procedure for preparing medicines, described in the Four Treatises
yiku sitian 忆苦思甜 (C) recalling of bitterness (of the past) and thinking of sweetness (of the present)
yiyao 医药 (C) medicine and pharmacology
yokpo (gyog po) servants; landless laborer; in Communist parlance, “serf”
yonten (yon tan) good qualities; aptitude; virtue; a personal Tibetan name
zang yi 藏医 (C) Tibetan medicine
Zhijé 6 or Zhijé 11 (Zhi byed 6 or 11) two kinds of Tibetan medical formulas
zhong yi 中医 (C) Chinese medicine
zukpo (gzugs po) the corporeal body
Zurlug (zur lugs) major medical tradition, the Southern School, founded by Zurkhar Nyamnyi Dorjé (fifteenth century)