Normal Pulse

Ping mai

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Normal

arrives with force, departs without force

Like an ocean surf

May be normal in summer

1. Has Spirit (distinct and has force)
2. Has stomach Qi (supple, slightly slippery, uninhibited, not deep)
3. Has Root (can be felt both at the cubit and inch position down to the bone

If surging and forceless it may be yin deficiency. 

Floating

Fu mai

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FLOATING

Fu mai

“A wooden pole floating on water—when we push it, there is some resistance but upon release it immediately comes back up” Floating (located on the surface) Surplus Insufficient when pressing down Regains strength when released Meaning: Yang on the surface, exterior factors (Greater Yang) associated with wind invasion, +forceless is a vacuity pattern; +rapid is wind heat; +slow is wind-cold; +relaxed is wind-damp; + choppy is Blood damage; +short is Qi disease; +bowstring is rheumatic condition; +slippery

Vacuous (Empty) (Xu mai)

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VACUOUS - EMPTY

Thin, thready, lacks force, somewhat floating (but not as much as in exterior conditions) Wide (large) Forceless Possibly slow Meaning: Interior Blood and/or Yin vacuity pattern, summer heat evil. It reflects an advanced case of Yin deficiency with floating Yang and empty heat.

 Drumskin

(Leather)
(Ge Mai)

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Drumskin 

Thick wall, ropy drumskin pulses

floating Wide Tense or hard Empty Meaning: severe hemorrhage, loss of fluids, large or wide means excess yin-fluid or qi deficiency. It can also indicate vacuity cold. If it is also rapid it can mean forthcoming hemorrhage. In females miscarriage, flooding; in males it can mean essence deficiency

Scallion Stalk

(Hollow)
(Kou Mai)

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1.Floating

2.Wide

3.Forceless

4.Empty center

Meaning: Blood vacuity and collapse of Yin.

SCATTERED

(SAN MAI)

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1.Floating

2.Wide or large

3.Light pressure it becomes irregular

4.Heavy pressure is disappears.

Meaning: Qi and Blood deficiency, severe

Kidney Qi deficiency, Deficiency of original Qi. +slow is Qi and Yang deficiency; +rapid is

severe blood deficiency with Empty Heat; +floating is Deficient Original Qi with floating yang or with Yin Fire.

Soggy

(Weak-Floating)

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SOGGY

“Like a silk thread floating on water”

1.Floating

2.Fine

3.Forceless

4.Felt only with slight pressure

Meaning: Chronic Qi deficiency with dampness. Common with chronic conditions with Dampness such as post-viral conditions. It also indicates

Stomach Qi deficiency. Commonly felt with

digestive disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma,nocturnal emissions and diarrhea.

Surging

(Hong Mai)

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“Like a wave or rive overflowing its banks”

1.Floating

2.Wide

3.Forceful, comes on strong

4.Peters out

5.Slippery

Meaning: With strength it indicates Full-heat affecting Liver, Heart, Lungs or Stomach and may also be rapid. Without strength it indicates Yin deficiency, empty heat. Indicates Heat or emotional conditions in relation to particular locations such as heart, liver, lungs.

Sunken (Deep)
(Chen Mai)

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 WEAK

Wei Mai

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WEAK

Wei Mai

This is a distinct pulse from other ‘weak’ pulses.
Deep
Soft
Forceless
Meaning: Common in chronic conditions, more than an empty pulse. It may indicate Blood or original Qi deficiency. Weak at the superficial level can mean Yang deficiency due to overwork, lack of sleep, deep at the deep level indicates Yin deficiency. Symptoms cab be digestive disorders, menstrual disorders, profuse sweating, nocturnal emissions, hemorrhages

Moderate 
(leisure also known as the slowed-down pulse)
(Huan Mai)

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MODERATE

This is a relaxed, almost slow pulse. It is normal at the right bar, being characteristic of a normal Spleen pulse. It can be a healthy pulse if it is not Floating, nor Deep, nor Full nor Empty. Slowed-Down-Soggy indicates Dampness with Spleen-Qi deficiency. Slowed-Down-Slippery indicates Cold Phlegm Dampness. Slowed-down-fine indicates Qi and Blood Deficiency. Slowed-down-floating indicates weakness of Defensive Qi. Slowed-down-deep indicates weakness of Nutritive Qi. Slowed-down-choppy indicates blood deficiency. Slowed-down-big without force indicates Yin deficiency.

Racing
(rapid, urgent)
(Ji Mai)

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Racing 

Ji Mai

“It feels hurried, anxious, agitated and urgent.” Faster than 120 BPM. It indicates Heat, possible Heart palpitations, Yin deficiency with Empty-Heat, rebellious Qi of the Penetrating Vessel.
Racing-floating indicates severe empty-Heat from Yin deficiency. Racing-deep indicates rebellious qi in the Penetrating vessel. Racing-floating-empty indicates severe Yin deficiency. Racy-slippery indicates empty-Heat from Yin deficiency with Phlegm. Racy-surging or overflowing indicates Empty heat from Yin deficiency.

Replete

(full, solid)
(Shi Mai)

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Replete 

shi mai

Long, Wide, Tense, Forceful — it is easily felt at all levels and has a springy quality.

The Replete or Full pulse must be differentiated from other full pulses such as Bowstring, Slippery, Tight, Big, Surging. Full can mean Heart, Stomach or Liver-fire depending on the location, retention of food, Phlegm, Full cold, Stagnant Qi/Blood.
Full-rapid=Full-Heat; Full-Slow=Full-Cold; Full-Tight=Full-Cold; Full-Long=Heat; Full-Bowstring=Full Liver pattern.

 Rapid

(Shu Mai)

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RAPID

Faster than 90 BPM
This pulse indicates Heat which may be full or empty based on whether the pulse is full or empty.

If wiry it indicates liver-fire, if slippery it indicates Phlegm-fire. Rapid-fine indicates yin deficiency with empty Heat. Rapid, floating and empty also indicates yin deficiency with empty Heat. According to Maciocia it is important to recognize that a rapid pulse indicates empty-heat rather than yin-deficiency. He compares this to a red tongue indicates empty-heat rather than yin deficiency itself. It is a tongue that lacks a coat that indicates yin deficiency.

Hidden

FU MAI

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Hidden pulse

fu mai

Very deep, deeper than a deep pulse
This pulse can only be felt with strong pressure at a very deep level, close to the bone.
Meaning: Similar to the Deep pulse but more extreme. If it is Hidden and full it indicates blockage. Hidden and empty it indicates Yang deficiency.

Slow
(Chi Mai)

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Slow

chi mai

Formerly defined in relation to the breathing rate of the doctor. It was slow if there were less than three breathes during a full in-out respiration of the doctor.
On average it is Less than 60 BPM however an infant has a pulse of 120/140, while a senior may have a normal pulse of 68BPM. (see pulse rate chart)
Meaning: indicates a Cold pattern and a problem in the Yin organs while a Rapid pulse indicates a problem in the Yang organs. A very slow pulse beating twice for each breath cycle is called a Harmful Pulse.
Slow and Heat can occur if there is Kidney yang with damp heat, deficiency of both kidney yin and yang. Also a condition of “true cold and false heat”.

Wiry

(bowstring)
(Zian Mai)

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Wiry

“Like a taut string of a musical instrument”
Large
Forceful
Wiry
Indicates Liver disharmony i.e. Liver-Qi stagnation, Liver-Blood stasis, Liver-Yang rising, Liver-Fire, Liver-Wind. Commonly indicates menstrual pain, PMS, Depression, anxiety, mental illness. Chronic phlegm, chronic pain. It can also indicate chronic phlegm as seen in the aged as well as pain.
Wiry and fine on the left -can indicate Liver Blood deficiency, Liver Yang rising. Wiry on the right, weak on the left can indicate Stomach and Spleen deficiency, liver Qi invading the Spleen

Tight
(Jin Mai)

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Tight

jin mai

“Like a rope”
Very deep
Forceful
Like a rope (may move from side to side)

It mainly indicates cold evils, all kinds of pain. Floating and tight is exterior, Floating and Deep is interior.
Similar to bowstring pulse but the tight pulse is thicker

Long (Large)
(Chang Mai)

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Long Pulse

chang mai

Longer than normal - determine by rolling the finger back and forth distil and proximal.
Meaning: Heat, rebellious Qi, phlegm. Long-rapid = internal heat; long-slow=qi stagnation; long-floating = invasion of wind-heat; long-deep = internal Heat; long-wiry = liver disharmony of the full type; long -slippery = Phlegm-Heat; Long-surging = excess Yang and Heat; Long-firm = internal accumulation; long-overflowing-hollow = may indicate hypertension or diabetes.

Short
(duan Mai)

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Short

duan mai

can only be felt in one position

This has two distinct descriptions: 1. only felt in the middle bar pulse or 2. that it can only be felt in the center of each position and has no head nor a tail.
Meaning: severe Qi and Blood deficiency.

Stirring (Moving)
(Dong Mai)

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Stirring (moving)

dong mai

“Like a spinning bean”
Slippery
Rapid
Forceful
No head nor tail
Meaning: severe emotional problems, shock, fright, severe anxiety. In cases of shock, the pulse can remain this way for years as in post traumatic stress syndrome (PMT).

Slippery
(Hua Mai)

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Slippery

hua mai

“Like pearls rolling on a plate” or “raindrops on a lotus leaf”
Smoothly flowing with a horizontal rolling flow
Uninhibited
Learn by feeling the pulse of a pregnant woman in and advanced state of pregnancy.
Meaning: Phlegm, food retention possible Blood stagnation. It usually indicates damp heat, however it can also indicate cold-phlegm, damp-phlegm, wind-phlegm, etc. This meaning is transferred according the organ position the pulse is found.

Choppy (Rough)
(Se Mai)

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Choppy

se mai

“Like a knife scrapping bamboo” “raindrops in the sand”
Moderate — almost slow
Fine
Speeds up and slows down and/or beats with uneven strength.
Meaning: Blood deficiency, damaged essence, blood stagnation,. It can indicate heart diseases and palpitations.

Knotted - Bound 
(Jie Mai)

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Knotted

jie mai

Slow, Irregular
Meaning: Internal cold with stagnation of Qi and Blood. It always indicates a Heart disharmony, Heart palpitations. It can be felt after surgery. In young people it can indicate a constitutional deficiency of Original Qi, or severe yang deficiency caused by overwork or excessive sexual activity during puberty.
Bound with strength means Qi stagnation from Cold; chronic Phlegm in the aged; food retention; Qi stagnation, emotional problems, Blood stagnation, abdominal masses. Bound without strength may indicate Heart disease or constitutional deficiencies.

Intermittent
(Dai Mai)

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Intermittent

dai mai

Slow with regular intermittent stops
Meaning: Heart disharmony, Shock, deficient yin. Need to count the beats as I may only stop after 50 beats.

Hasty (Skipping) 
(Cu Mai)

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Hasty (skipping) pulse

cu mai

Rapid and intermittent (irregular stops)

Meaning: Replete Heat and is always related to a Heart disharmony. It can also indicate food retention or Phlegm with internal Heat or stagnant Qi or Blood. It also can be rebellious Qi with anger.
It is associated with mental illness, chronic bronchitis, Phlegm-Heat and heart disease.

Faint (Minute)
(Wei Mai)

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Faint, Minute

wei mai

Thin, thready
Meaning : deficient Blood and Qi. It can also indicate Yin deficiency.
Fine with fullness (wiry or tight) indicates dampness.
Fine and weak in very young people indicates constitutional deficiency of Original Qi.
Is often associated with digestive weakness, diarrhea and menstrual disorders.

Fine
(thready)

(ru mai)

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Thready

ru mai

Small, like a thread floating on water

no force if pressed and it becomes weaker and weaker. 

spleen deficiency with dampness, blood and qi deficiency. 
Indicates all kinds of vacuity and deficiency.  

If Fine and rapid then it is yin vacuity with internal heat