Pulse

Front 1

Feels strong under slight pressure, but loses its strength when pressure is increased.

Back 1

Floating Pulse

Front 2

Cannot be felt clearly unless strong pressure is exerted to the level of the tendons & bones. It feels like a ball of cotton wool on sand, soft at the surface but strong & rigid below.

Back 2

Sinking Pulse

Front 3

Beats only 3 times per respiration

Back 3

Slow Pulse

Front 4

beats six times per respiration.

Back 4

Rapid Pulse

Front 5

Feels round & smooth & flows evenly - like a greasy round ball which slides under the fingers.

Back 5

Slippery Pulse

Front 6

Feels thin, minute, & short and has an uneven flow, beating three & five times with irregular rhythm. Like a knife scraping bamboo, rough & jagged.

Back 6

Choppy Pulse

Front 7

Feels floating & big with slow beats, but becomes obviously soft & deficient when slightly more pressure is applied.

Back 7

Empty Pulse

Front 8

Felt both superficially & deeply, & has big, long, wiry, strong beats.

Back 8

Full Pulse

Front 9

Neither big nor small, but feels long, soft, & calm, like the end of a bamboo shoot.

Back 9

Long Pulse

Front 10

Fails to fill both the cun & chi positions, fills the chi position but not the cun position or fills the cun position but no the chi.

Back 10

Short Pulse

Front 11

Rough & big with beats that rise strongly but fade out as they fall.

Back 11

Flooding Pulse

Front 12

Very thin & very soft

Back 12

Minute Pulse

Front 13

Rises and falls with strength & vibrates to the left & right.

Back 13

Tight Pulse

Front 14

Slightly faster than a slow pulse, with exactly 4 beats per respiration.

Back 14

Leisurely Pulse

Front 15

Feels floating, big & soft under slight pressure but w/o substance at the center under heavier pressure.

Back 15

Hollow Pulse

Front 16

Feels taut, long, & strong, whether under pressure or not, & passes straight under the fingers w/o vibrating to the left & right or giving any wavelike sensations. Like a bow string about to shoot an arrow & is firmly fixed.

Back 16

Wiry Pulse

Front 17

Feels wiry, almost rapid & without substance in its center.

Back 17

Leather Pulse

Front 18

Very deep, almost hidden, and not only strong & long but also wirey & impatient.

Back 18

Firm Pulse

Front 19

Feels floating, very thin, & without strength.

Back 19

Soft Pulse

Front 20

Felt to be very soft & thin under deep pressure, but cannot be felt at the superficial level.

Back 20

Weak Pulse

Front 21

Feels indistinct, big w/o strength when slight pressure is applied, but vanishes when pressure is increased.

Back 21

Scattered Pulse

Front 22

Feels like a fine thread, even though it is soft, weak, & w/o strength.

Back 22

Thin Pulse

Front 23

Cannot be felt until deep pressure is applied to the level of the bone, & even then the beats seem to come from beneath the tendons.

Back 23

Hidden Pulse

Front 24

Feels rapid, tight, slippery, & short with strong beats.

Back 24

Moving Pulse

Front 25

Feels rapid but loses a beat at irregular intervals. Like a person who stumbles whie walking briskly.

Back 25

Hasty Pulse

Front 26

Feels leisurely, but loses a beat at irregular intervals.

Back 26

Knotted Pulse

Front 27

Loses a beat & then pauses a little longer before starting again, at regular intervals.

Back 27

Intermittent Pulse