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Pulse Qualities
Shape
width
Large / big (da mai)
thick/wide and felt over finger tip
heat in in stomach / intestines
Thready / fine / thin (xi mai)
thin/fine but very distinct and clear
deficiency
stress
overstrain
qi or blood
yin and blood of weak constitution
if extremely find and barely felt
Faint / minute pulse (wei mai)
extreme deficiency
length
Long (chang mai)
feels like it stretches beyond its position
if also String-taut sign of excess
Short (duan mai)
does not full the length of its position
deficient Qi
String-taut / Wiry / Bowstring (xuan mai)
feels taut, straight and long like taut violin string
liver / gall bladder disorders
pain
phlegm and retained fluids
Tense / tight (jin mai)
feels tight and forceful like stretched rope, thicker than String-taut
cold
pain
retention of food
Strength
Deficient / empty / vacuous (xu mai)
deficient Qi or Blood
forceless pulse
Excess / full / replete (shi mai)
excessive Qi or Blood
forceful pulse
if large, roaring waves, (rapid)
Surging / Flooding Pulse (hong mai)
superficial large pulse enters with force and leaves weak
excess heat
Depth
Superficial / Floating (fu mai)
felt strong at first touch but with pressure disappears
external invasion
weak and rapid (no external symptoms)
deficiency of yin
strong (no external symptoms)
interior wind
if thready
Soft / soggy pulse (ru mai)
superficial, thready (thin) and with out force
damp disorders
deficient blood or jing
if hard and large
Drum-skin / leather pulse (ge mai)
deficient blood or jing
if forceless and large
Scallion-stalk / hollow pulse (kong / kou mai)
deficient / loss of blood
if pulse has no feeling of boundry
Scattered pulse (san mai)
Kidney yang exhaustion
Deep / Sinking (chen mai)
only distinct with deep pressure
disharmony internal
strong/forceful
excess interior condition
weak
interior deficiency
if thready
Weak / frail pulse (ruo mai)
deep, thready (thin) and with out force
deficiency of both blood and Qi
if only felt close to bone
Hidden pules (fu mai)
if strong cold obstructing meridians
if weak deficient yang
if hard and large
Confined / prison pulse (lao mai)
Rythm
Rolling / slippery (hua mai)
constant uninhibited flow like a rolling perl on a dish
phlegm / retained fluids
retention of food and excess heat
during pregnancy
if rapid and forceful
Stirring / spinning bean / moving pulse (dong mai)
Hesitant / choppy (se mai)
slow/relaxed and thing with rough and uneven feeling of slowing and quickening
stagnation of Qi or blood
also forceful
impairment of essence (jing) and deficiency of blood
Regularly Intermittent / Regularly interrupted (dai mai)
slow and week with a pattern of missing beats even long stops
declining Zang qi
wind syndromes
painful syndromes
disorders due to fear and fright
traumatic contusions or sprains
if long stops - advanced cardiac disease
Speed
Slow (chi mai)
less than 4bps per breath
< 60bpm
cold
strong
excess yin
weak
deficiency of yang
if missing beats
Knotted / bound pulse (jie mai)
slow with irregular missing beats
excessive yin
accumulation of Qi
retention of cold phlegm and stagnant blood
Rapid (shu mai)
faster than 5bps per breath
> 90bpm
heat
strong
excess yang
weak
deficiency of yin
if missing beats
Abrupt / hurried / skipping (cu mai)
hurried and rapid with irregular missing beats
excessive yang heat
stagnation of Qi and Blood
retention of phlegm or food
Moderate (huan mai)
4 bps per breath
~ 60bpm
Racing (ji mai)
7-8 bps per breath
> 120bpm
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