‘阳痿’ (yáng wěi) is a traditional Chinese medical term referring to erectile dysfunction—the persistent inability to achieve or maintain a firm erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. Literally, ‘阳’ (yáng) means ‘yang energy’—a concept in traditional Chinese medicine representing warmth, activity, and male vitality—while ‘痿’ (wěi) means ‘atrophy’ or ‘weakness’, often used in medical contexts to denote functional decline of an organ or system. Together, the term implies a deficiency or imbalance in yang energy affecting penile function.

The word is used clinically and conversationally in Chinese-speaking regions, though it carries moderate formality and sensitivity. It appears in health discussions, medical consultations, advertisements for herbal remedies, and public health education—but rarely in casual small talk. Unlike colloquial English terms, 阳痿 is not slang; it’s a standard, widely understood medical descriptor rooted in TCM theory, though modern clinical practice increasingly uses the transliteration 勃起功能障碍 (bóqǐ gōngnéng zhàng'ài) alongside it.