Fluid-retention syndrome refers to syndrome caused?by retention of fluid in the viscera and tissues, usually caused by stoppage of fluid and retention of fluid resulting from six exogenous pathogenic factors, or overstrain and weakness.

Clinical manifestations:
Epigastric and abdominal fullness and distension, borborygmus, vomiting of clear fluid; or cough and asthma, profuse thin sputum, chest oppression and palpitation, even inability to lie flat on bed; or thoracic and hypochondriac fullness, distending pain, aggravation of pain after cough, spitting or rotating the body; or dizziness, dysuria, dropsy and aching?heaviness of the limbs; whitish slippery fur and taut pulse.
 
Analysis of symptoms:
The symptoms are various due to different location of fluid-retention. In his Synopsis of Golden Chamber, Zhang Zhongjing divided fluid-retention syndrome into phlegmatic fluid-retention (in a narrow sense), suspended fluid-retention, sustained fluid-retention and extravasating fluid-retention. Phlegmatic fluid-retention is marked by epigastric and abdominal distension, borborygmus and vomiting of clear fluid due to retention of fluid in the stomach and intestines, inactivation of gastrosplenic yang and dysfunction of transportation and transformation.

Suspended fluid-retention is marked by chest and hypochondrium fullness, distending pain, aggravation of pain after cough, spitting or rotating the body due to retention of fluid in the chest and hypochondrium; sustained fluid-retention is marked by cough and asthma, profuse thin sputum, chest oppression and palpitation, even inability to lie flat on bed due to retention of fluid in the lung and fluid-retention invading the heart; extravasating fluid-retention is marked by dizziness, dysuria, dropsy and aching heaviness of the limbs due to retention of fluid in the muscles of the four limbs; whitish slippery tongue and taut pulse are signs of fluid-retention.
 
Key points for syndrome differentiation:
Phlegmatic fluid-retention is marked by epigastric and abdominal fullness and distension as well as borborygmus; suspended fluid-retention is marked by thoracic and hypochondriac fullness, distending pain, aggravation of pain due to spitting, cough or rotation of the body; sustained fluid-retention is marked by cough and asthma, profuse and thin sputum, chest oppression and palpitation; extravasating fluid-retention is marked by dropsy of limbs and dysuria.