Pulse Images

Floating

Located in exterior

w/ fingers raised: has surplus

w/ pressing down : its insufficient

w/ pressure released it regains full strength

Floating

‘feels like a piece of wood floating on water’

Deep

located near bone

cannot be detected w light or moderate pressure, only can be felt w heavy pressure

slow

pulse beats below 60 BPM or less than 4 beats per breath

Rapid

pulse beats above 90 BPM or more than 5 beats per breath

Vacuous : Xu Mai

a slow, large, floating, forceless pulse image.

Vacuous

generalized term for various types of forceless pulses

Replete : Shi mai

long-bodied, wiry, large, hard and replete pulse that has surplus either floating or deep

Replete

generalized term for various types of forceful pulses

Scallion Stalk

• Floating, soft, large bodied, but empty centre.

• this pulse can be felt superficially

• Soft and large

• when pressure applied it disappears rapidly and completely

Wiry

This pulse is fine, long, has strength, and feels like a lute string under fingers

Surging

• Large, floating,

• comes on exuberant but departs debilitated

• traditionally likened to a wave coming on shore w force but retreating without force

Faint Pulse

• insufficient, extremely fine, soft, barely palpable

• sometimes felt sometimes lost

Long Pulse

• can be felt beyond its own location or range

• can be felt further than usual up the forearm

Short pulse

• does not reach its location or range

• pulse only reaches distally to the guan position (not to first/cun position)

Slippery pulse

“feels smooth like pearls rolling in a dish”

• this pulse comes smoothly slowing and uninhibited

Choppy pulse

“feels like a knife scraping across bamboo”

• slow, relaxed, stagnant, fine, small and short

• may lose a beat but then recovers,

• is not smooth flowing

• aka 3/5 pulse

Tight pulse

Tight, has strength and feels like a taught rope

Moderate pulse

• can be normal pulse

• as disease image; relaxed, loose, slack

  • on verge of being slow, coming in at abt 60bpm

Hidden Pulse

• this pulse is difficult to feel, not obvious

• its under the sinews and requires heavy pressure to bone to obtain

• pulse is deeper than deep pulse

Thready pulse

• feels like a silken thread

• weak, without force but persistent

• (very common in females)

Bound pulse

slow, relaxed and stops at irregular intervals

Weak Pulse

• deep, fine and soft like a thread

Soft pulse

• floating, fine, relatively forceless.

• can be felt w light pressure but cannot be obtained w deep pressure

Regularly interrupted pulse

• comparatively relaxed and weak pulse that stops at regular intervals

• both intervals and pauses may be strikingly long

Drumskin Pulse

• floating, wiry, large with empty centre

• outside is tight, inside is empty

Confined pulse

• when pressed superficially or moderately, does not respond

• can only be obtained by heavy pressure

• when found, its large wiry, forceful and long

Scattered pulse

• floating, large, without root,

• with light pressure, easily changeable- becoming scattered and chaotic

• heavy pressure leads to its absence

Stirring Pulse

• mostly felt in guan position

• slippery rapid, wiry, forceful

• feels like jumping bean

Skipping Pulse

• mainly felt in cun position

• rapid and irregularly interrupted

Racing Pulse

• very rapid, over 120 BPM pr 7-8 beats per breath