4. 巨阳引精者三日，中年者五日，不精者七日。(《素问•评热病论篇》）
如何理解上面这句话中的“精”呢？凭借字典无法解决。那么就让我们根据上下文的关系来理解吧。我们可根据与之对偶的 “中年者”为线索，推知“精”就是“精旺” (vigor)之意，在这里指代“少年”；同理，“不精”就是“败精”，在这里应指代“老年”。通过这样的推理释义，使“精”在这个具体语言环境里的音和义灵活地被统一起来，全句的句义也才通顺。所以上面这句话可译为：
By needling the points along the Taiyang meridian for obtaining qi，young people are alleviated in three days, middle-aged people in five days and old people in seven days.
古文词语的另一个特点是单音词（也就是字）较多。翻译时光了解一般含义是不行的，还必须研究其在中医学上的特殊涵义。现举例说明研究特殊含义的重要性并附相应的译文，请对照推敲。

II. 前
—般含义：方位或次第（direction or gradation)
特殊含义：
(1) 寸部（cun or inch)，如：
前大后小，即头痛目眩；前小后大，即胸满短气。 (《难经》)
As to headache and dizziness, the pulse appears hig in cun (or inch) and small in chi (or bar) ； as to stomach fullness and short breath, the pulse appears small in cun and big in Chi.
(2) 小便（urine)，如：
伤寒哕而腹满，视其前后，知何部不利。（《伤寒论》）
As to the exogenous fehrile disease with hiccups and abdominal fullness, the focus of the disease can be located by examining the urine and stool.
(3) 前阴（external genitalia both in male and female)
前后不溲便，宜八正散之属。(《儒门事亲》）
Dysuria and difficulty in defication can be cured by a prescription such as Bazheng Powder.
(4) 提高（raise),如：
发汗则声乱咽嘶，舌萎声不得。 (《医宗金鉴》）
Two much sweating results in hoarseness and Jow voice due to fatigue of the tongue.

III. 浮沉
一般意义：飘浮下降（floating and descending)
特殊意义：

(1) 升降（ascending    and descending)，如：
非阴阳之气，浮沉之势也。(《灵枢•行针》）
As for yin and yang, it is nothing but their action to ascend and descend.
"浮沉”是阴阳功能之表现，而非其自身之表现.
(2) 指表里（internal and external)，如：
夫病变化，浮沉深浅，不可胜穷。 (《灵枢•卫气失常》）