Depth:
Floating pulse 浮脈
a superficially located pulse which can be felt by light touch and grows faint on hard pressure
Sunken pulse 沈脈
a deeply located pulse which can only be felt when pressing hard, also called deep pulse
Hidden pulse 伏脈
a pulse which can only be felt upon pressing to the bone, located deeper than sunken pulse or even totally hidden
Speed:
Slow pulse 遲脈
a pulse with less than four beats to one cycle of the physician’s respiration (<60 BPM), the same as bradycardia
Rapid pulse 數脈
a pulse with more than five or six beats to one cycle of the physician’s respiration (>90 BPM), the same as tachycardia
Moderate pulse 緩脈
a pulse with four beats to one cycle of the physician’s respiration, even and harmonious in its form (about 65 BPM)
Racing pulse 疾脈
a pulse having more than seven beats per respiration (>110 BPM)
Strength:
Vacuous pulse 虛脈
a general term for a feeble and void pulse
Replete pulse 實脈
a general term for a pulse felt forceful at all the three sections, cun/inch, guan/bar and chi/cubit, also called forceful pulse
Size:
Surging pulse 洪脈
a pulse beating like dashing waves with forceful rising and gradual decline, also called flooding pulse
Fine pulse 細脈
a pulse as thin as a silk thread, straight and soft, feeble yet always perceptible upon hard pressure, also called thin/thready pulse
Large pulse 大脈
a broad pulse with a bigger amplitude than normal
Tension
String-like pulse 弦脈
a straight, long and taut pulse, like a musical string to the touch
Tight pulse 緊脈
a pulse feeling like a tightly stretched cord
Relaxed pulse 緩脈
a pulse with decreased tension
Soft pulse 軟脈
a pulse felt softer than normal
Length:
Long pulse 長脈
a pulse with beats of long duration, exceeding cun/ inch, guan/bar and chi/cubit sections
Short pulse 短脈
a pulse with beats of short duration, only felt at guan/bar section
Flow:
Slippery pulse 滑脈
a pulse coming and going smoothly like beads rolling on a plate
Rough pulse 澁脈
a pulse coming and going unsmoothly with small, fine, slow joggling tempo like scraping bamboo with a knife
Rhythm
Intermittent pulse 代脈
a moderate weak pulse, pausing at regular intervals
Bound pulse 結脈
a moderate weak pulse, pausing at irregular intervals
Skipping pulse 促脈
a rapid pulse with irregular intermittence
Combination Pulses:
Soggy pulse 濡脈
a thin and floating pulse which can be felt on light pressure, but growing faint upon hard pressure
Faint pulse 微脈
a thready and soft pulse, scarcely perceptible
Weak pulse 弱脈
a pulse that is deep, soft, thin and forceless
Dissipated pulse 散脈
a pulse that feels diffusing and feeble upon a light touch and faint upon hard pressure
Hollow pulse 芤脈
a floating, large, soft, and hollow pulse
Drum skin pulse 革脈
a pulse felt hard and hollow as if touching the surface of a drum
Firm pulse 牢脈
a broad, forceful and taut pulse, deeply seated and felt only by hard pressure
Stirred pulse 動脈
a quick, jerky pulse, like a bouncing pea, slippery, rapid and forceful
Terminologies and definitions used in this section are adopted from the WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific Region, 2009