Bob Flaws Pulse Images Flashcards
normal pulse (ping mai)
has spirit/shen
has stomach/wei
has root/gen
some degree of slipperiness is normal, suggests qi & blood flowing at least somewhat freely
has stomach
Stomach- earth- harmonizing- has a sense of moderation to it
has spirit
lively
has root
felt at the chi position all the way down to the bone
or at deepest depth in all three positions
located in the exterior
with finger raised, it has surplus
when pressing down it is insufficient
when pressure is released, it regains full strength
floating pulse (fu mai)
floating wide hard hollow (Li Shizhen, wiry/strong, rapid)
drumskin (subset of scallion)
ge mai
floating
wide
forceful
(Li Shi zhen felt at all 3 levels)
surging/flooding
hong mai
floating
wide
forceless
vacuous/empty
xu mai
floating wide forceless hollow (forceless at the middle depth) (disappears completely and rapidly)
scallion stalk/hollow
kou mai
floating wide/large forceless no edges (disappears with pressure)
scattered
san mai
floating
fine
forceless
soft /soggy
ruan mai
cannot be felt with light pressure
cannot be felt with moderate pressure
can only be felt with heavy pressure
deep pulse/sinking
chen mai
deep
fine
forceless
weak pulse
ruo mai
very deep
fine
forceless/forceful
hidden pulse
fu mai
very deep
bowstring/firm
forceful
(all 3 positions but only deepest level)
confined
lao mai
less than 60 bpm
3 beats per breath
slow
chi mai
50-60 bpm
4 beats per breath
moderate
huan mai
> 90 bpm
>5 beats per breath
rapid
shuo mai
> 120 bpm
>7-8 beats per breath
racing
ji mai
wide
forceful
(all three levels, stronger as you press downward)
replete “forceful”
(shi mai)
not clinically used because found with other qualities
feels like a taught violin string
finer than tight pulse
staccato
bowstring/wiry
xian mai
feels like a taught rope
wider/larger than bowstring
vibrating side to side
tight
jin mai
extends beyond the cun/chi positions
long
chang mai
located only in the guan position
or
located only in the guan & chi, absent in the cun
short
duan mai
located in the guan/”short”
rapid
forceful
(feels like there is something in the pulse)
stirring, moving, spinning bean
dong mai
feels smooth like pearls rolling in a dish
comes and goes freely, no obstruction
legato
slippery
(hua mai)
*can be normal
changes rate with the breath
goes from normal to slow and back to normal
inconsistent rhythm, lots of hesitation
choppy
se mai
fine
forceless
(deep, disappears with pressure)
fine/thin subset of weak
xi mai
very, very fine
very, very forceless
difficult to feel
vague shape
sometimes you feel it, and sometimes you lose it
(Li Shizhen floating, disappears with pressure)
faint
wei mai
wide diameter
large
(da mai)
not really a pulse image, used with other pulse images
slow
skips a beat at irregular intervals
bound/knotted
jie mai
slow
skips beats at regular intervals
pause may be long
intermittent
dai mai
rapid
skips beats at irregular intervals
skipping
cu mai
pulse not where it is expected, dorsal side of arm radial side
fan guan mai
