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Interior symptoms (deficient bodily fluid)
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Pulse
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Characteristic
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Clinical Significance
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Additional information
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Excess
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Deficiency
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Problem of the location
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Floating
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Pulse is felt when lightly touching with fingers, pressing hard makes it weak
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Exterior symptoms by external cause
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Interior symptoms (deficient bodily fluid)
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Sinking
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Pulse is felt only when pressing hard
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Excessiveness of the interior
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Deficiency of the interior
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Hidden
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Must push away tendons and press to the bone to feel pulse, which is often not felt at all
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Pathologic Ki is trapped; severe pain; sudden coldness
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Explosive loss of Yang Ki
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Problem of the rate
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Slow
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Less than 60 beats/min.
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Accumulation of Coldness (Excess Coldness)
Knotted Heat
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Deficient Yang (Coldness due to Deficiency)
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Obvious when Yang is deficient
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Moderate
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65 beats/min.
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Dampness symptoms
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Weak Spleen and Stomach
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Also felt in normal pulse
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Rapid
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More than 90 beats/min.
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Excess Heat
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Deficient Heat (deficient Eum)
Deficient Yang
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Obvious when Eum is deficient
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Agile
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More than 100 beats/min.
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Extreme Yang and exhausted Eum
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Potential loss of Yang Ki
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Problem of the existence of power
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Empty
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Impotent at light touch and empty-feeling when pressing
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Deficiency of Yang Ki
Deficiency of bodily fluids
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General name for powerless pulses
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Full
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Powerful at both light and hard touch
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Excess of pathologic Ki; Remaining physiologic Ki
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General name of powerful pulse
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Problem of strength
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Thinner than usual pulse, but felt clearly like thread
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Deficiency of Ki & Blood
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Flooding
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Large and strong, like ocean waves when coming, but weak when going
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Excess Heat in the Ki area
Excess pathologic Ki and lack of physiologic Ki
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Deficiency of Eum and overflow of Yang
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Big
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Pulse is thick and double the strength of a normal pulse
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Excess Heat; Disease in progress
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Deficient Eum
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Problem of the tension
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Wiry
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Straight, long, and feeling like harp strings
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Disease of the Liver and Gall Bladder
Pain; Phlegm; Miasmatic fever
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Deficiency of the Liver and Gall Bladder
Lack of Stomach Ki
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Felt in spring time
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Tight
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Pulse is tight and urgent, only felt when pressing hard
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Excess Coldness; Acute pain; Stasis of food
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Long
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Straight and reaching beyond the wrist area
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Ample Liver Yang
Excess Yang causing internal Heat
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Also felt in normal pulse
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Short
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Pulse does not extend through the wrist area
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Clogged Ki
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Deficient Ki
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Problem of the circulation of blood
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Slippery
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Smooth like marbles rolling on a tray
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Phlegm; Indigestion; Excess Heat
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Normal pulse
Pregnant pulse
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Choppy
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Pulse is thin, slow, short and choppy
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Internal excessiveness of Cold
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Damaged Essence; Little Blood
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Includes aspects of Deficiency
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Problem of the vibration
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Knotted
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Pulse is slow in coming and stopping at times. Less than 60 beats/min.
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Stasis of Ki and coagulated blood; Phlegm; Stasis of food
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Deficient Yang
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Hurried
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Rate of pulse is irregular, fast and stopping randomly
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(Excess Yang and Heat)
Stasis of Ki; Coagulated blood; Phlegm; Stasis of food;
Abscess
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Complex Pulses
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Intermittent
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Pulse stops coming at counted times, and takes a long while to beat again
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Wind symptoms; Pain; Emotional problems; Contusion
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Weak organs
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Normal pulse
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Soggy
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Pulse is floating and tender, thin and powerless
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Deficiency
(Lack of Essence and Blood)
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Frail
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Only felt when pressing, very thin and weak, disappears when pressing hard
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Dampness symptoms
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Lack of Ki and Blood
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Deficiency pulse
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Scattered
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Floating, scattered and rootless, uneven rate
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Damaged Blood
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Minute
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Pulse is very thin and tender to the point of not existing, stops when pressing
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Decadence of Yang Ki
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Critical
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Hollow
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Floating, big and empty in the center, like the stem of a green onion
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Excess Heat and damaged bodily fluid
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Excess loss of blood
Severe damage of bodily fluid
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Hollow in the center
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Leather
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Felt on the surface and hollow, firm at the sides, like pressing a drum
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Drainage of blood; Loss of Essence
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Hollow in the center
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Smooth, fast and powerful like beans spinning
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Pain; Easily startled
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Deficiency symptoms
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Common in Excess symptoms
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Pulse is felt at a deep level, is full, big, wiry and long, firm and not moving
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Excess Eum knots Ki
Cold Phlegm; Coagulated blood
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Loss of blood; Deficient Eum
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Common in Deficiency symptoms
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