Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

TCM Pulses

Terms in this set (18)

Floating
Indications: EXTERIOR/DEFICIENCY; felt easily with light pressure, superficial
Surging
Arrives with force, departs weakly - like a wave coming in strongly, leaving weakly; EXCESS HEAT
Soggy
Floating, thin, soft; disappears when pressing deeply; cotton ball on water; DEFICIENCY; DEFICIENCY + DAMPNESS; DAMPNESS
Deep
Only felt with heavy pressure; stone sunk to bottom of river, NORMAL or INTERIOR (forceful - excess, weak - deficiency)
Weak
QI/BLOOD XU; Deep, thin, soft; disappears with hard pressure; like a thread with no force, deep
Slow
Less than 4 beats per breath (<60 BPM); arrives and departs slowly, COLD
Moderate
4 BPB, leisurely coming and going; slightly faster than slow/on verge of slow; SP/ST QI DEFICIENCY (w/ Dampness)
Choppy
Slow, rough, uneven; like a knife scraping lightly on a piece of bamboo...jagged (weak - damaged essence, strong - stagnation)
Knotted
Stops irregularly, slow or moderate; slow and relaxed with irregular pauses; EXCESS COLD/COLD PHLEGM
Rapid
6-7 BPB (>90 BPM); HEAT
Skipping
Rapid with irregular pauses; arrives and departs rapidly, sometimes with pause; EXCESS HEAT or PHLEGM (food stag)
Deficient/Vacuous
Weak in all 3 positions - feels soft and empty; DEFICIENCY of Qi/Blood/Organs
Thin/Fine
Like a fine thread, but distinct; straight and soft, larger than faint; DEFICIENCY/DAMPNESS
Regularly Intermittent
Relatively moderate pulse with irregularly long pauses; DEFICIENCY and BLOOD STASIS
Excess/Replete
Long, large, strong, slightly wiry in all 3 positions and all 3 depths; EXCESS HEAT/COLD
Slippery
Arrives and departs smoothly, round and smooth, like "pearls rolling around in a bowl"; PHLEGM/FOOD STAG/EXCESS HEAT, INTERIOR
Tight
Has strength, "snaps left and right like a large twisted rope or a tight cutting string"; strong tensile strength; EXCESS COLD/PAIN/FOOD STAG
Wiry
Long, straight, stiff, wavelength sensation beneath fingers; like pressing on guitar strings; LIV/GB DISODERS, PHLEGM-RHEUM Fluids, PAIN, MALARIAL DISORDERS
Other sets by this creator