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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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