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Formula补益剂· 补气

四君子汤

Sì Jūn Zǐ Tāng

Four Gentlemen Decoction

Composed of ren shen, bai zhu, fu ling, and zhi gan cao, this is the foundational formula for Spleen-Stomach qi vacuity. Its four mild, tonifying herbs are all 'gentlemanly' in nature (hence the name), and it inaugurated the entire lineage of qi-supplementing formulas in Chinese medicine.

Source《太平惠民和剂局方》卷之三治一切气

Treatment Principle

益气健脾

Augment qi and fortify the Spleen

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
人参Rén Shēn	君Sovereign	9g	大补元气，健脾养胃，为君药
白术Bái Zhú	臣Minister	9g	健脾燥湿，加强人参补气健脾之力
茯苓Fú Líng	佐Assistant	9g	健脾渗湿，与白术相配，健脾祛湿之功更强
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	6g	益气和中，调和诸药；用炙甘草

Modifications · 加减

呕吐
+ 半夏
胃气上逆
胸膈痞满，不思饮食
+ 陈皮、半夏
气滞痰阻
痰多
+ 陈皮、半夏、木香、砂仁
脾虚生痰

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

脾气虚证

Pí Qì Xū Zhèng

Spleen Qi Vacuity Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-08

PractitionerPatientDate

四君子汤Sì Jūn Zǐ Tāng

Four Gentlemen Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
人参	Rén Shēn	Jun (Sovereign)	9g
白术	Bái Zhú	Chen (Minister)	9g
茯苓	Fú Líng	Zuo (Assistant)	9g
甘草	Gān Cǎo	Shi (Courier)	6g

Preparation: 水煎服。

This prescription is provided only by the dispensing TCM practitioner. Take as directed; do not modify the dose or share it. If you experience any adverse effect, stop immediately and contact your practitioner. The content of this platform is educational reference, not medical advice.
Bencao Dian · https://bencaodian.org · CC BY-SA 4.0

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-si-jun-zi-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Sì Jūn Zǐ Tāng 四君子汤 (Four Gentlemen Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/si-jun-zi-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

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Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
人参Rén Shēn	君Sovereign	9g	大补元气，健脾养胃，为君药
白术Bái Zhú	臣Minister	9g	健脾燥湿，加强人参补气健脾之力
茯苓Fú Líng	佐Assistant	9g	健脾渗湿，与白术相配，健脾祛湿之功更强
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	6g	益气和中，调和诸药；用炙甘草

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

人参

Rén Shēn

Jun (Sovereign)

白术

Bái Zhú

Chen (Minister)

茯苓

Fú Líng

Zuo (Assistant)

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Shi (Courier)

@misc{bencaodian-si-jun-zi-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Sì Jūn Zǐ Tāng 四君子汤 (Four Gentlemen Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/si-jun-zi-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }