Practice Questions
1.The method of seeking is（ ）
A)The doctor applies pressure with fingers from light to heavy, pressing into the muscle, and adjusts the appropriate finger strength to push left and right
B)The doctor uses light finger techniques to take the pulse
C)The method of pulse diagnosis using three fingers simultaneously
D)The method of pulse diagnosis using one finger to designate three positions
E)The fingers apply heavier pressure, even pressing into the tendons and bones to feel the pulse condition
2.The method of pressing is( )
A)The doctor applies pressure with fingers from light to heavy, pressing into the muscle, and adjusts the appropriate finger strength to push left and right
B)The doctor uses light finger techniques to take the pulse
C)The method of pulse diagnosis using three fingers simultaneously
D)The method of pulse diagnosis using one finger to designate three positions
E)The fingers apply heavier pressure, even pressing into the tendons and bones to feel the pulse condition
3.The characteristics of a rootless pulse are( )
A)The pulse lacks the meaning of harmony and should indicate a firm beat
B)The pulse is weak and large without a root or weak and should not indicate
C)The pulse is scattered, and the rhythm is disordered
D)The pulse is thin like a thread, and should indicate clearly
E)The pulse comes floating, large, and hollow, pressing it feels like a drum skin
4.The characteristics of a pulse without a stomach are( )
(A)The pulse lacks the meaning of harmony and should indicate a firm beat
B)The pulse is weak and large without a root or weak
C)The pulse is scattered, and the rhythm is disordered
D)The pulse is thin like a thread, and should indicate clearly
(E)The pulse comes floating, large, and hollow, pressing it feels like a drum skin
5. The three diagnostic methods in Zhang Zhongjing’s “Treatise on Febrile Diseases” refer to the pulse at ( )
A)Renying, Cunkou, Taixi
B)Cunkou, Taixi, Fuyang
C)Shenmen, Cunkou, Taixi
D)Renying, Cunkou, Taichong
E)Renying, Cunkou, Fuyang
6. A pulse that can be seen in normal individuals is
A)Xuan pulse
B)Hong pulse
C)Shu pulse
D)Chang pulse
E)Duan pulse
7. The method of comprehensive diagnosis first appeared in
A)“Nanjing”
B)“Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Bian Que”
C)“Neijing”
D)“Pulse Classic”
E)“Complete Book of Jingyue”
The answers are in the knowledge below
The relationship between Cunkou pulse and the organs
The left Cunkou reflects the heart, the right Cunkou reflects the lung, and encompasses diseases above the chest and head. The left Guan reflects the liver and gallbladder, the right Guan reflects the spleen and stomach, and encompasses diseases above the diaphragm and below the navel. The two Chi reflect the kidneys and include diseases below the navel to the feet.
Pulse Diagnosis Techniques
1.布指 (Bu Zhi)
Three fingers are aligned, with the middle finger designating the Guan. The fingers press on the pulse ridge
(1)Food, Middle, and Unnamed designate the three parts of Cunkou: Cun, Guan, Chi
(2)The method of Bu Zhi
Using the fingers to cut the pulse (the ridge at the fingertip), three fingers slightly bent, maintaining a straight line.
(3)Finger techniques
General pressing with three fingers simultaneously on the pulse, applying even force, single pressing with one finger on a specific part, while the other fingers are lightly lifted. It is essential to first apply general pressure before single pressing, combining both methods. For children, one thumb designates the three positions.
2.Lift, Press, Seek
This refers to the application of finger strength. Finger strength can be divided into light, medium, and heavy
(1)Using light finger strength to press on the skin, referred to as “floating” or “light” or “lifting”, mainly to examine exterior symptoms
(2)Using heavy finger strength to press between tendons and bones, referred to as “sinking” or “heavy” or “pressing”, mainly to examine interior symptoms
(3)Finger strength that is neither light nor heavy, or both light and heavy, is used to explore.
Cunkou “Three Parts and Nine Positions” Concept
Also known as “Comprehensive Diagnosis Method”, it is a method of pulse diagnosis that examines the upper, middle, and lower three parts of the arteries to determine the condition of the disease. The upper part corresponds to the head, the middle part to the hands, and the lower part to the feet. Each of the upper, middle, and lower parts is further divided into three positions: Heaven, Earth, and Human, thus forming a total of nine positions, hence the name three parts and nine positions diagnosis method.
1.The pulse without a stomach is characterized by the absence of harmony, indicating a firm beat as the main feature. For example, the pulse comes in a tense and urgent manner, like a knife edge, referred to as the “Yandao pulse”; the pulse is short and firm, like a small bean, referred to as the “Zhu pulse”; or it is urgent and hard like a stone, referred to as the “Dan stone pulse”, indicating a severe condition where the evil is strong and the righteous is weak, and the stomach qi cannot follow, with the heart, liver, and kidney qi manifesting alone, which is a sign of critical illness.
2.The rootless pulse is characterized by being weak and large without a root or weak and should not indicate as the main feature. For example, it is extremely floating and rapid, to the point of being uncountable; like boiling water in a pot, floating without a root, referred to as the “Boiling pulse”, indicating extreme Yang heat and the dryness of Yin fluids; the pulse is on the skin, with a steady head and a swaying tail, like a fish swimming in water, referred to as the “Fish Swimming pulse”. The pulse is on the skin, like a shrimp swimming in water, sometimes leaping away and then returning, accompanied by signs of urgency and restlessness, referred to as the “Shrimp Swimming pulse”, all indicating extreme cold of the three Yin, with Yang lost to the outside, and the signs of floating Yang.
3.The pulse without spirit is characterized by disordered rhythm and scattered shape. For example, the pulse is rapid and continuous between the muscles, with five irregularities, stopping and starting again, resembling a bird pecking at food, referred to as the “Bird Pecking pulse”; like a leaking roof with a long time between drops, referred to as the “Leaking Roof pulse”; the pulse comes and goes erratically, like a tangled rope, referred to as the “Tangled Rope pulse”. These pulse characteristics are mainly caused by the decline of the spleen (stomach) and Yang qi, indicating a scattered spirit and imminent death.
Pulse Diagnosis Timing:1.Diagnosis is often best performed at dawn.2.Diagnosis should be done in a quiet environment.3.The pulse should not be less than“fifty movements”.
Each hand should be at least1 minute, which is beneficial for distinguishing the rhythm changes of the pulse, differences between initial diagnosis and prolonged pressing, and has certain significance for clinical differentiation.
)Pulse Diagnosis Position
The patient should sit or lie flat, with the arms resting at the same level as the heart, straight wrists, palms facing up, and the pulse pillow placed on the wrist joint for easy pulse diagnosis.
Pulse Diagnosis Finger Techniques
1.布指 (Bu Zhi):
First use the middle finger to designate the Guan, then use the index finger to press on the Cunkou pulse area, and the ring finger to press on the Chi pulse area. The three fingers should be arched, with the fingertips aligned, pressing the pulse body at the junction of the fingertip and finger belly, as this area is more sensitive. The spacing of the fingers should be appropriate and adapted to the patient’s height; taller patients should have wider spacing, while shorter patients should have closer spacing. For children, the Cunkou area is very short, and generally, one finger is used to designate the three pulse positions, using the thumb to press on the Cun, Guan, and Chi.
2.Finger Movement:
General Pressing:Three fingers are evenly spaced, applying equal force to diagnose the pulse.
Single Diagnosis:Pressing with one finger on a specific pulse position to focus on understanding the characteristics of that pulse.
Lift Method:The physician’s fingers apply lighter pressure on the Cunkou pulse area, also called floating.
Press Method:The physician’s fingers apply heavier pressure, even pressing into the tendons to feel the pulse condition, also called sinking.
Seek Method:The physician’s fingers apply moderate pressure, not too light or too heavy, pressing into the muscle and adjusting the finger strength appropriately to feel the pulse condition, also called medium.
Breath Regulation:The physician’s breathing should be natural and even, using the time of one breath to count the patient’s pulse rate. Additionally, the physician must concentrate and focus to accurately perceive the pulse condition.
Editor: Liu Xuan
