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Original
Text
Original text from “Shang Han Lun” (Treatise on Cold Damage) Section 201: In Yangming disease, if the pulse is floating and tight, there will be periodic tidal fever; if it is only floating, there will be night sweats.
Interpretation
Explanation
When a person suffers from “Yangming disease” (a heat-related illness characterized by high fever, constipation, and thirst), the following two pulse patterns will present different manifestations:
1. Floating and tight pulse (like a taut string):
Patients with this pulse will experience “tidal fever”—a fever that occurs periodically like the tides (often worsening in the afternoon or evening). This tight pulse indicates the accumulation of pathogenic heat within the body, and there may also be an unresolved exterior pathogen, creating a complex situation of “interior heat and exterior cold.” It may also indicate excessive interior heat in Yangming, where heat pathogens and dry stool are obstructed in the gastrointestinal tract (excess syndrome), leading to stagnation of Qi and blood, hence the tense pulse.
2. Purely floating pulse (detectable with light pressure but without tightness):
Patients with this pulse are prone to “night sweats”—sweating during sleep that stops upon waking. This pulse indicates that the heat pathogen primarily exists deep within the body (Yin deficiency with internal heat), damaging the Yin fluids, and the body cannot retain sweat during the night when Yang Qi is inwardly consolidated.
In summary:
– Floating tight pulse + periodic high fever → Excess syndrome of conflicting internal and external pathogenic Qi
– Purely floating pulse + night sweats → Deficiency syndrome of internal Yin deficiency with heat
(Note: This differentiation method reflects the TCM characteristic of assessing disease depth and nature through pulse patterns; actual diagnosis and treatment should consider other symptoms comprehensively.)
This article is for reference only; please seek medical attention promptly if you feel unwell!