Tcm Pulse Dx (Normal + 28 Pulses)

Front 1

Normal pulse (Ping mai)

Back 1

• Felt at moderate level, even & smooth at all 3 positions with moderate force

• Has regular rate (60-90 bpm) and rhythm

• Has 3 characteristics
[Shen/Spirit: has force and can be felt clearly with regular rhythm]
[Wei/Stomach Qi: is harmonious, supple and uninhibited, slight slipperiness]
[Gen/Root: can be felt all the way to bone, harmonious at all 3 levels]

Hint 1

LEFT
1. Cun (distal) = HT - SI
2. Guan (middle) = LV - GB
3. Chi (proximal) = KD Yin - UB

RIGHT
1. Cun (distal) = LU - LI
2. Guan (middle) = SP - ST
3. Chi (proximal) = KD Yang - UB

Front 2

Floating/Superficial (Fu mai)

Back 2

• Felt only at top level with light palpation, disappears with pressure

Hint 2

• Exterior syndrome
• Deficiency syndrome
[e.g. floating, large & weak pulse + chronic dz + weakened or lacking vitality stage = Yang Qi floating out]

Front 3

Sinking/Deep (Chen mai)

Back 3

• Felt at deep level with deep pressure

Hint 3

• Interior syndrome
[Deep + forceful = interior excess syndrome]
[Deep + weak = interior deficiency syndrome]

Front 4

Slow (Chi mai)

Back 4

• < 4 beats/breath (<60 bpm)

Hint 4

• Cold syndrome
[Slow + forceful = excess cold syndrome]
[Slow + weak = deficiency cold syndrome (Yang deficiency)]

Front 5

Rapid (Shu mai)

Back 5

• > 5 beats/breath (>90 bpm)

Hint 5

• Heat syndrome
[Rapid + forceful = excess heat syndrome ]
[Rapid + weak = deficiency heat syndrome (Yin deficiency)]

Front 6

Swift (Ji mai)*

Back 6

• > 7-8 beats/breath (>140-180 bpm)

Hint 6

• Extreme heat and Yin exhaustion, approaching Qi collapse

Front 7

Excess/Forceful/Strong (Shi mai)

Back 7

• Felt strong and forceful at all 3 levels

Hint 7

• Excess syndrome
[Any kind of excess - e.g excess cold or heat or phlegm, food stagnation, Qi & blood stagnation, excessive Xie Qi and strong Zheng qi]

Front 8

Slippery/Rolling (Hua mai)

Back 8

• Felt smooth & flowing
("pearls rolling on a plate")

Hint 8

• Phlegm damp retention
• Food stagnation
• Excess heat
• Pregnancy (90% typical)
[50% typical: R > L = girl baby, L > R = boy baby]

Front 9

Hesitant/Choppy/Rough (Se mai)

Back 9

• Felt rough, uneven, unsmooth
("bread knife edge")

Hint 9

• Excess or deficiency syndrome

1. Hesitant + forceful = excess syndrome
[○ Qi or blood stagnation]
[○ Food stagnation]
[○ Phlegm retention]
2. Hesitant + weak = deficiency syndrome
[○ Essence impairment]
[○ Blood deficiency ]

Front 10

Flooding/Tidal (Hong mai)

Back 10

• Felt broad, large & forceful that comes on powerfully & fades away quickly
("roaring waves")

Hint 10

• Excess heat
[Tidal pulse (Big 4) = Yangming channel syndrome (aka Qi Fen syndrome)]
[Flooding pulse + chronic dz + weak constitution = critical condition]

Front 11

Appendix: Big/Large (Da mai)*

Back 11

• Broad & large but NOT forceful like roaring waves

Hint 11

• Excess or deficiency syndrome
[Large + forceful = excess syndrome]
[Large + weak = deficiency syndrome]

Front 12

Thin/Thready (Xi mai)

Back 12

• Felt like fine thread, but distinct & clear

Hint 12

• Deficiency syndrome (Qi & blood deficiency, Yin deficiency)
• Damp syndrome

Front 13

Appendix: Small/Fine (Xia mai) *

Back 13

• Felt like fine thread, but distinct & clear
(same as Thin/Thready)

Hint 13

• Deficiency syndrome (Qi & blood deficiency, Yin deficiency)
• Damp syndrome

Front 14

Tight/Tense (Jin mai)

Back 14

Felt tight & forceful like stretched rope

Hint 14

• Cold syndrome
• Pain syndrome
• Food stagnation

Front 15

Moderate/Leisurely (Huan mai)

Back 15

• Rate = 4 beats/breath (60 bpm)

Hint 15

• Normal (harmonious, gentle with moderate tension)
• Damp syndrome
• SP & ST deficiency
• Qi or blood deficiency

FYI: Morbid (diseased) moderate: sluggish + another pulse (floating, weak, etc.)

Front 16

Long (Chang mai)*

Back 16

• Felt long (up to 4th finger) and straight

Hint 16

• Normal pulse
• LV yang hyperactive
• Excess heat syndrome

{Normal long = long & gentle}
{Morbid or diseased long = long & wiry}

Front 17

Short (Duan mai)*

Back 17

• Short, only felt distinctly at the Guan position

Hint 17

• Short + forceful = Qi stagnation
• Short + weak = Qi deficiency

Front 18

Wiry/Stringy (Xuan mai)

Back 18

• Felt taut, long & straight
("violin string")

Hint 18

• LV & GB dz
• Phlegm and damp retention
• Pain
• Malaria

Front 19

Hollow/Onion Stalk (Hou mai)*

Back 19

• Pulse is felt at the superficial & deep levels, but empty at the middle

Hint 19

• Loss of blood
• Yin impairment

Front 20

Leather/Tympanic/Drumskin (Ge mai)*

Back 20

• Felt at superficial level, large, hollow & taught

Hint 20

• Loss of blood
• Essence impairment

Front 21

Confined/Fixed/Prison (Lai mai)*

Back 21

• Felt at deep level, long, taut & forceful

Hint 21

• Cold accumulation
• Qi or blood stagnation

Front 22

Hidden (Fu mai)*

Back 22

• Felt at the very deepest level (to the bone), thready, feeble & hardly palpable

Hint 22

• Pathogens in the interior
• Severe pain
• Jue syndrome, Yin/Yang disconnect

Front 23

Moving/Spinning Bean (Dong mai)*

Back 23

• Feels round like a bean, short, slippery, rapid & forceful

Hint 23

• Pain
• Fright

Front 24

Soggy/Soft (Ru mai)

Back 24

• Felt at the superficial level, thready & soft

Hint 24

• Deficiency syndrome
• Damp

Front 25

Minute (Wei mai)

Back 25

• Felt extremely thready, feeble, barely palpable

Hint 25

• Deficiency syndrome

Front 26

Frail/Weak (Ruo mai)

Back 26

• Felt at the deep level, thready and very soft

Hint 26

• Qi and blood deficiency

Front 27

Scattered (San mai)*

Back 27

• Felt at the superficial level, scattered & uneven

Hint 27

• Qi exhaustion

Front 28

Hurried/Abrupt (Cu mai)

Back 28

• Rapid with irregularly missed beats

Hint 28

• Excess heat syndrome
• Qi and blood stagnation
• Phlegm retention
• Food stagnation
• Prostration – abrupt + weak

• WM: cardiovascular dz

Front 29

Knotted (Jie mai)

Back 29

• Slow with irregularly missed beats

Hint 29

• Excessive Yin
• Cold phlegm retention
• Blood stagnation

• WM: cardiovascular dz

Front 30

Intermittent/Regularly Intermittent (Dai mai)

Back 30

• Missing beats at regular intervals

Hint 30

• Zang Qi deficiency (esp. HT Qi deficiency)
• Wind syndrome (e.g myocarditis)
• Pain
• Fear & fright
• Injury

• WM: cardiovascular dz syndrome