Pulse Dx Flashcards
Felt with light pressing.
Floating/Superficial
Ext. invasion, severe interior Qi xu, Yin xu
Floating/Superficial
felt only at the superficial level. Very soft and only slightly floating.
Soggy/soft
Qi xu w/ damp, yin xu, essence xu
Soggy/soft
felt at the superficial level. Feels big but empty on slightly stronger pressure. Soft
empty
Qi & blood xu/Qi xu w/ dampness
empty
feels hard and tight at the superficial level and stretched like a drum. Feels completely empty at the deep level. Pulse is full, not thin.
Leather
Severe KD essence or KD yin xu
Leather
feels very small, relatively superficial. NO WAVE. Feels broken in small dots
scattered
severe xu of blood/Qi or KD Qi, serious condition
scattered
felt at the superficial level. Disappears with slightly harder pressure. Felt again at the deep level with a stronger pressure. Empty in the middle
hollow
hemorrhage, forthcoming hemorrhage if rapid
hollow
Felt with a heavy pressure of the fingers and is felt near the bone
deep
interior, Qi or blood stasis (excess) or yang xu (weak)
deep
felt only at the deep level and it feels hard and rather wiry
confined/firm
blood stasis, interior cold (if slow), pain
confined/firm
feels as if it were hidden beneath the bone
hidden
severe yang xu
hidden
extends slightly beyond the normal pulse position
long
heat
long
superficial and generally it feels as if it overflows the normal pulse channel. Also extends beyond the normal pulse positions
surging/overflowing
excess heat injuring the body fluids
surging/overflowing
occupies a shorter space then the normal pulse position
short
severe Qi xu, ST Qi Xu
short
five beats per breath
rapid
excess or xu (+empty) heat
rapid
rapid and stops at irregular intervals
hasty/abrupt
HT Qi xu or HT fire
hasty abrupt
very rapid, agitated, urgent
hurried
heat consuming yin
hurried
normal in depth, speed, strength and width
moderate/slowed down
generally a healthy pulse
moderate
3 beats/breath
slow
excess (strong) or Deficiency (weak) cold
slow
slow and stops at irregular intervals
knotted
HT blood stasis or Yang xu
knotted
Feels full, rather hard & long
full/excess
Excess
full/excess
thinner than normal, doesn’t fill the vessel
thready/thin
Qi, blood or yin xu
thready/thin
extremely thin, small and difficult to feel. Doesn’t fill the vessel
minute
severe Qi & blood xu
minute
feels smooth, rounded, slippery as if it were oily, slides under the fingers
slippery/rolling
Phlegm accumulation, damp or full, phlegm or damp with Qi xu, normal during pregnancy
slippery/rolling
feels rough under the finger instead of smooth pulse wave. Feels as if it has a jagged edge
choppy/hesitant
blood xu or body fluid exhaustion due to profuse sweating or vomiting
choppy/hesitant
feels taut like a guitar string, is thinner, more taut and harder than a tight pulse, really hits the fingers
wiry/string-taut
LV disharmony, pain or phlegm
wiry/string-taut
feels twisted like a thick rope
tight/tense
cold, exterior cold (+floating), interior cold (+full, deep), interior empty cold (+weak, deep), pain
tight/tense
round and shaped like a bean. It is short and trembles under the finger, having no head or tail, it just rises in the center and feels as if its shaking and is also somewhat slippery
moving/stirred/spinning bean
shock, fright, anxiety, pain
moving/stirred/spinning bean
