Excerpt from “Binhuh Pulse Studies”
1. Fu Mai (Floating Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
The floating pulse travels only on the surface, like the light touch of a willow catkin;
In autumn, it indicates health, but in chronic illness, it can be alarming.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Floating like wood in water, large and hollow is the Kuo pulse,
It floats and swells like a flood pulse, though it comes strong, it departs slowly.
The floating pulse is light and even like twisting scallions,
Weak and late, it feels empty and wide,
Floating and soft is the Ru pulse, scattered like willow fluff with no fixed trace.
Main Disease Poem:
The floating pulse indicates exterior Yang diseases, with slow wind, heat, and tight cold;
Strong and floating suggests wind-heat, weak and floating indicates blood deficiency.
Floating at the cun position indicates headache and dizziness from wind,
Or phlegm wind gathering in the chest,
At the guan position, earth is weak and wood is strong,
At the chi position, urination is obstructed.
2. Chen Mai (Deep Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Water flows down, the pulse comes deep, soft and smooth between muscles and bones,
Women at the cun position, men at the chi position,
In all seasons, this is called normal.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Deep helps adjust muscles and bones, pressing down feels like touching the bones;
Deep and fine like cotton is a true weak pulse,
While a long and solid pulse is a strong form.
Main Disease Poem:
Deep indicates water retention in Yin channels, with heat and cold, slippery with phlegm,
Weak and deep indicates deficiency of Qi, deep and strong indicates accumulation and cold,
At the cun position, phlegm stagnates and water stops in the chest,
At the guan position, it indicates internal cold pain,
At the chi position, it indicates turbidity and diarrhea.
3. Chi Mai (Slow Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Slow pulse arrives with only three beats, Yang cannot overcome Yin, Qi and blood are cold,
Only by distinguishing floating and deep can one understand the surface and interior,
To dispel Yin, one must nourish the source of fire.
Similar Pulse Poem:
A pulse arriving three times is called slow,
Like a small horse, it moves slowly,
Slow and fine, difficult to discern is the Se pulse,
Floating and slow, large indicates deficiency.
Main Disease Poem:
Slow governs organ diseases or phlegm, deep chronic conditions require careful observation,
Strong and slow indicates cold pain, slow and weak indicates deficiency cold.
At the cun position, it must be cold in the upper jiao,
At the guan position, it indicates unbearable cold pain,
At the chi position, it indicates kidney deficiency and heaviness in the lower body.
4. Shuo Mai (Rapid Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Rapid pulse beats six times in a breath, Yin is weak and Yang is strong, leading to agitation,
Floating and deep distinguish between deficiency and excess,
Only children show auspicious signs.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Rapid beats more than a normal person, tight like a string,
Rapid and stopping is called Cu,
Rapid seen at the guan position indicates arterial shape.
Main Disease Poem:
Rapid pulse indicates Yang heat, treat with the fire of the ruler,
It is appropriate to cool and drain, or warm and tonify,
Lung diseases in autumn are to be feared.
At the cun position, it indicates throat and tongue sores,
Vomiting red, coughing indicates lung ulcers,
At the guan position, it indicates stomach fire and liver fire,
At the chi position, it indicates nourishing Yin and lowering fire decoction.
5. Hua Mai (Slippery Pulse) (阳中阴)
Body Condition Similarity Poem:
Slippery pulse is like beads, flowing smoothly yet returning,
Do not confuse slippery with rapid, rapid pulse is only seen in intervals.
Main Disease Poem:
Slippery pulse indicates Yang Qi deficiency, phlegm causes various diseases, food causes disasters,
Above it indicates vomiting, below it accumulates blood,
In women, the pulse regulates and indicates pregnancy.
At the cun position, it indicates phlegm causing vomiting,
Swallowing acid, strong tongue or coughing,
At the guan position, it indicates retained food, liver and spleen heat,
Thirst and frequent urination indicate issues at the chi position.
6. Se Mai (Wiry Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Fine, slow, and short, the pulse comes and goes with difficulty,
Like rain touching sand, it easily disperses,
Illnesses consume leaves slowly and painfully.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Imbalance in the combination is called Se,
Lightly scraping bamboo is short and difficult,
Similar to a fine hair, it is softer,
Floating and deep are indistinguishable.
Main Disease Poem:
Se is due to blood deficiency or injury to essence,
Rebellious stomach Qi leads to sweating,
Cold dampness enters the Ying causing blood stasis,
Women not pregnant or without menstruation.
At the cun position, it indicates heart deficiency and chest pain,
Stomach deficiency and rib distension at the guan position,
At the chi position, it indicates injury to essence and blood,
Constipation, frequent urination, or blood in stool.
7. Xu Mai (Weak Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Similarity Poem:
Weak pulse is soft and gentle,
Soft and fine, not floating,
Yang sinks into Yin, essence and blood are weak,
White hair can still be youthful worries.
Main Disease Poem:
Weak pulse indicates Yin deficiency and Yang Qi decline,
Chills, fever, and weakness in bones and muscles,
Excessive fright and sweating reduce spirit,
Nourishing Qi and blood must not be delayed.
At the cun position, it indicates Yang deficiency,
At the guan position, it indicates stomach weakness and spleen decline,
To seek Yang sinking into Yin disease,
One must push at the two parts of the Shenmen.
8. Shi Mai (Full Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Floating and deep are both large and long,
At the finger, there is no emptiness,
Heat accumulates in the three burners forming strong fire,
Clearing the intestines and inducing sweating begins health.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Full pulse is strong in both floating and deep,
Tight like a spring, turning without regularity,
One must know the strong pulse helps muscles and bones,
Full and large, fine and longer.
Main Disease Poem:
Full pulse indicates Yang fire accumulation,
Causing madness, delirium, and frequent vomiting,
Or Yang toxicity or food injury,
Constipation or Qi pain.
At the cun position, it indicates heat in the face,
Throat pain, strong tongue, and Qi filling the chest,
At the guan position, it indicates spleen heat and fullness in the middle palace,
At the chi position, it indicates waist and intestinal pain and obstruction.
9. Chang Mai (Long Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Similarity Poem:
Exceeding the normal position, the pulse is called long,
Wiry is not the same, but full and stretched,
Wiry pulse and long pulse are quite different,
A good craftsman can measure accurately.
Main Disease Poem:
Long pulse is long and even,
Abnormality indicates illness like a tethered rope,
If not Yang toxicity or epilepsy,
It is Yangming heat deeply.
10. Duan Mai (Short Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Similarity Poem:
Both ends shrink, called short,
Se and short are slow and fine,
Short and slippery, autumn is pleasant,
Spring and summer are thieves with evil interference.
Main Disease Poem:
Short pulse is only found at the cun position,
Short and slippery indicates drunkenness harming the spirit,
Floating indicates blood stasis, deep indicates fullness,
At the cun position, it indicates headache, at the chi position, abdominal pain.
11. Hong Mai (Surging Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Surging pulse comes strong and departs weak,
Full at the finger, it surges like waves in summer,
If in spring, autumn, or winter,
Rising Yang and dispersing fire must not be doubted.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Surging pulse comes with a strong wave,
Departing weakly, like waves rolling,
To know the full pulse, observe the unevenness,
Pressing down, the wiry pulse is strong.
Main Disease Poem:
Surging pulse indicates Yang excess and blood deficiency,
Yang fire is blazing, heat diseases reside,
Stomach fullness must be treated early,
Yin deficiency and diarrhea can be hesitated.
At the cun position, it indicates heart fire in the upper jiao,
At the guan position, it indicates lung pulse is too strong.
At the chi position, it indicates liver fire and stomach deficiency.
12. Wei Mai (Weak Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Similarity Poem:
Weak pulse is very light,
Pressing it feels like it might disappear,
Weak indicates weak Yang and weak Yin,
Fine is slightly thicker than weak.
Main Disease Poem:
Qi and blood are weak, the pulse is also weak,
Chills, fever, and profuse sweating,
Men suffer from exhaustion and various deficiencies,
Women experience bleeding and discharge.
At the cun position, it indicates shortness of breath or heart fright,
At the guan position, it indicates fullness and distension,
At the chi position, it indicates weak essence and blood,
Chills and pain lead to groaning.
13. Jin Mai (Tight Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Pressing like a twisted rope, cutting like a string,
The pulse is named tight due to this.
It is all due to cold evil invading,
Internally causing abdominal pain, externally causing body aches.
Similar Pulse Poem:
See wiry and full pulses.
Main Disease Poem:
Tight indicates various pains due to cold,
Wheezing, coughing, and vomiting cold phlegm,
Floating tight indicates exterior cold,
Tight and deep indicates warmth dispersing naturally.
At the cun position, it indicates Qi at the throat,
At the guan position, it indicates abdominal pain,
At the chi position, it indicates cold and tightness,
Indicating running piglet and hernia pain.
14. Huan Mai (Slow Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Slow pulse is gentle and flowing,
Like willow branches swaying in the breeze,
To seek spirit and Qi from the pulse,
It lies in calmness and gentleness.
Similar Pulse Poem:
See slow pulse.
Main Disease Poem:
Slow pulse indicates weak Ying and excess Wei,
Either wind, dampness, or spleen deficiency,
Above indicates stiff neck, below indicates weakness,
Distinguish between floating and deep, large and small.
At the cun position, it indicates wind evil causing neck and back stiffness,
At the guan position, it indicates dizziness and stomach weakness,
At the chi position, it indicates moistening or wind secretions,
Or it is a sign of weakness in the legs.
15. Kuo Mai (Hollow Pulse) (阳中阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Hollow pulse is large and soft like scallions,
With solid edges, it indicates emptiness within,
Fire invades Yang channels, blood overflows,
Heat invades Yin vessels, causing red flow.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Hollow is empty in the middle, floating large and slow indicates deficiency,
Kuo with a wiry pulse is called Ge,
Kuo indicates blood loss and blood deficiency.
Main Disease Poem:
At the cun position, it indicates blood accumulation in the chest,
At the guan position, it indicates intestinal and stomach abscesses,
At the chi position, it indicates excessive bleeding,
Red urination, diarrhea, or bleeding in the middle.
16. Xian Mai (Wiry Pulse) (阳中阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Wiry pulse is long and straight,
In the liver channel, wood is strong and earth is harmed,
Anger fills the chest, always wanting to shout,
Cloudy eyes and tears flow.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Wiry comes straight like a silk string,
Tight like a rope, bouncing left and right,
Tight indicates strength, wiry indicates form,
Full pulse is wiry and long, hidden in between.
Main Disease Poem:
Wiry corresponds to the liver and gallbladder channels,
Phlegm, cold, heat, and malaria afflict the body,
Floating, deep, slow, and rapid must be distinguished,
Large and small have weight and lightness.
At the cun position, it indicates headache and phlegm accumulation,
Cold and heat, masses must be checked at the left guan,
At the right guan, it indicates stomach cold and abdominal pain,
At the chi position, it indicates Yin hernia and leg cramps.
17. Ge Mai (Leather Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Main Disease Poem:
Leather pulse feels like pressing on drum skin,
Kuo and Xian combine, pulse is cold and deficient,
Women may have postpartum bleeding,
Men may have deficiency or nocturnal emissions.
Similar Pulse Poem:
See Kuo and Lao pulses.
18. Lao Mai (Firm Pulse) (阴中阳)
Body Condition Similarity Poem:
Wiry, long, and solid pulse is firm and strong,
Lao is often found in the deep and hidden,
Ge and Kuo are floating,
Ge is deficient, Lao is solid, must be observed carefully.
Main Disease Poem:
Cold leads to firm and strong,
Abdominal and heart cold pain, wood overcomes spleen,
Hernia and masses are not to be worried about,
Blood loss and Yin deficiency must be avoided.
19. Ru Mai (Soft Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Soft pulse is floating and fine, press lightly,
Floating on water, it cannot be restrained,
After illness or childbirth, there are still remedies,
Normal people see it as rootless.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Floating and soft indicates Ru,
Deep and fine indicates weakness,
Weak indicates floating, weak as if about to disappear,
Fine and deep is close to weak.
Main Disease Poem:
Ru indicates blood loss and Yin deficiency,
Marrow and essence are already depleted,
Profuse sweating at night steams into the bones,
Blood mountain collapses, dampness invades the spleen.
At the cun position, it indicates weak Yang and excessive sweating,
At the guan position, it indicates Qi deficiency,
At the chi position, it indicates injury to essence and severe cold,
Warmth and tonifying true Yin can alleviate illness.
20. Ruo Mai (Weak Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Weak pulse comes without strength, pressing it feels soft,
Soft and fine, not floating,
Yang sinks into Yin, essence and blood are weak,
White hair can still be youthful worries.
Main Disease Poem:
Weak pulse indicates Yin deficiency and Yang Qi decline,
Chills, fever, and weakness in bones and muscles,
Excessive fright and sweating reduce spirit,
Nourishing Qi and blood must not be delayed.
At the cun position, it indicates Yang deficiency,
At the guan position, it indicates stomach weakness and spleen decline,
To seek Yang sinking into Yin disease,
One must push at the two parts of the Shenmen.
21. San Mai (Dispersed Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Dispersed like willow fluff, scattered and flying,
Coming and going without fixed rhythm,
In childbirth, it indicates birth signs, in pregnancy, it indicates miscarriage,
In chronic illness, it is not necessary to treat.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Dispersed pulse is unconfined and scattered,
Soft and fine in water,
Floating and slow indicates deficiency,
Kuo pulse is hollow on both sides.
Main Disease Poem:
At the left cun position, it indicates fright and sweating,
Overflowing drink at the left guan indicates soft and dispersed,
At the right guan, it indicates soft and swollen,
Dispersed at both chi positions indicates soul is broken.
22. Xi Mai (Fine Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Fine pulse is thin and delicate like silk,
Pressing it feels heavy and endless,
Spring and summer are not favorable for youth,
Autumn and winter are suitable for the old and weak.
Similar Pulse Poem:
See weak and soft pulses.
Main Disease Poem:
Fine pulse indicates blood and Qi deficiency,
Various deficiencies and emotional disturbances,
If not dampness invading the waist and kidneys,
It is injury to essence and sweating.
At the cun position, it indicates frequent vomiting,
At the guan position, it indicates abdominal distension and stomach deficiency,
At the chi position, it indicates cold in the lower dantian,
Diarrhea, loss of essence, and leakage of Yin.
23. Fu Mai (Hidden Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Hidden pulse presses down to feel the bones,
Between fingers, it moves subtly and deeply,
In cold damage, one desires sweating to resolve,
Reversal and abdominal pain belong to Yin.
Similar Pulse Poem:
See deep pulse.
Main Disease Poem:
Hidden indicates frequent vomiting due to cholera,
Abdominal pain often due to retained food,
Accumulated drink and old phlegm form masses,
Chest pressure at both cun positions,
Desiring to vomit but unable to,
At the guan position, it indicates abdominal pain and heaviness,
At the chi position, it indicates hernia pain and abdominal rupture.
24. Dong Mai (Moving Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Moving pulse shakes and sways at the guan position,
Without head or tail, it is like a bean-shaped lump,
Its origin is the clash of Yin and Yang,
Weakness shakes, strength remains stable.
Main Disease Poem:
Moving pulse governs pain and fright,
Sweating due to Yang movement, heat due to Yin,
Or diarrhea, cramping diseases,
Men lose essence, women experience bleeding.
25. Cu Mai (Rapid Pulse) (阳)
Body Condition Poem:
Rapid pulse is frequent and stops at intervals,
This indicates extreme Yang wanting to lose Yin,
Three burners are congested with fire,
Advancing leads to no life, retreating can bring life.
Main Disease Poem:
Rapid pulse must treat fire diseases,
Its cause has five details to explore,
Frequent wheezing and coughing indicate phlegm accumulation,
Or madness, spots, and toxic sores.
26. Jie Mai (Knotted Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Knotted pulse is slow and stops at intervals,
Only Yin predominates, wanting to lose Yang,
Floating indicates Qi stagnation, deep indicates accumulation,
Clear distinctions are evident in the main pulse.
Main Disease Poem:
Knotted pulse is due to Qi and blood stagnation,
Old phlegm accumulates, suffering from deep sighs,
Internal accumulation and external swelling,
Hernia and masses are calamities belonging to Yin.
27. Dai Mai (Intermittent Pulse) (阴)
Body Condition Poem:
Moving and stopping cannot return,
Returning movement creates an intermittent pulse,
Patients can be treated, but normal people relate to longevity.
Similar Pulse Poem:
Rapid and stopping is called Cu,
Slow stopping must be called Jie pulse,
Stopping without returning is Dai,
Jie gives rise to Dai, leading to different paths.
Main Disease Poem:
Dai pulse is due to organ Qi decline,
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and lower body deficiency,
Or vomiting and diarrhea in the middle palace,
Women in the third month of pregnancy.