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Q: Why do the soft (Ru) and weak (Ruo) pulses appear at the head of the eleven pulse types?
A: Because the five zang organs and six fu organs mutually overcome each other, thus presenting the forms of eleven pulses.

Q: How can one know if it is overcoming a fu organ? How can one know if it is overcoming a zang organ?
A: Whenever yang pulses are floating and rapid, it indicates overcoming a fu organ; whenever yin pulses are slow and choppy, it indicates overcoming a zang organ.

The soft and weak pulses are the most deficient. Why do they rank first among the eleven pulse types? Softness and weakness belong to the Wood image, and Wood precedes in the Five Phases. This is because the five zang organs and six fu organs, due to the soft and weak condition, mutually overcome each other, thereby causing the pulse to exhibit the imagery of the eleven types. For instance, if a soft and weak pulse presents with a wiry (Xian) quality, it represents the overacting of the Liver zang; if it presents with a slightly wiry quality, it represents the overacting of the Gallbladder fu. The Heart pulse is hooked, the Spleen pulse is moderate, the Lung pulse is hairy, and the Kidney pulse is stone-like; these follow by analogy. Therefore, when the pulse exhibits softness and weakness, all five zang and six fu organs come to overact upon it. Thus, within the soft and weak pulse lies the imagery of all eleven types, yet softness and weakness always precede the others. How does one know whether the overactor is a fu or a zang? Whenever yang pulses are floating and rapid, it is an overaction upon a fu organ; whenever yin pulses are slow and choppy, it is an overaction upon a zang organ. (Here, yin and yang refer to the cun and chi positions of the radial pulse.)

Q: In pulse diagnosis, there is mutual overacting, as well as Zong, Heng, Ni, and Shun. What do these mean?
A: Water overcoming Fire, and Metal overcoming Wood, is called "Zong" (Vertical/Longitudinal); Fire overcoming Water, and Wood overcoming Metal, is called "Heng" (Horizontal/Lateral); Water overcoming Metal, and Fire overcoming Wood, is called "Ni" (Rebellious/Opposite); Metal overcoming Water, and Wood overcoming Fire, is called "Shun" (Smooth/Favorable).

In pulse diagnosis, there is mutual overacting between zang and fu organs (see previous chapter), and within this overacting, there are distinctions of Zong, Heng, Ni, and Shun. Water overcoming Fire and Metal overcoming Wood constitute overcoming what one controls (the element I overcome), termed "Zong"; Fire overcoming Water and Wood overcoming Metal constitute overcoming what controls me (the element that overcomes me), termed "Heng"; Water overcoming Metal and Fire overcoming Wood constitute the child overcoming the mother, termed "Ni"; Metal overcoming Water and Wood overcoming Fire constitute the mother overcoming the child, termed "Shun".

In Shaoyang disease, abdominal fullness and delirium, with a floating and tight pulse at the Cun position, indicate Liver overacting on Spleen, termed "Zong". Treat by puncturing Qimen (LR14).
Abdominal fullness and delirium in Shaoyang disease indicate Spleen pathology. The floating and tight pulse at the Cun position reveals the wiry pulse of the Liver, indicating Liver Wood overacting on Spleen Earth, termed "Zong". One should puncture Qimen (LR14) of the Jueyin channel to drain Liver Qi. A floating and tight pulse is termed wiry (see Pulse Method 39). Since the Liver pulse is wiry, we know it is Liver overacting.

In Shaoyang disease, fever, aversion to cold, intense thirst with desire to drink water, and inevitable abdominal fullness, accompanied by spontaneous sweating and free urination, indicate the disease is about to resolve. This is Liver overacting on Lung, termed "Heng". Treat by puncturing Qimen (LR14).
Fever, aversion to cold, intense thirst, and abdominal fullness in Shaoyang disease indicate Lung pathology. Spontaneous sweating and free urination reveal the dispersing action of Wind-Wood, indicating Liver overacting on Lung Metal, termed "Heng". One should also puncture Qimen (LR14) of the Jueyin channel to drain Liver heat. The Lung governs Wei (Defensive) Qi and has a contracting nature; the Liver governs Ying (Nutritive) Blood and has a dispersing nature. Fever, aversion to cold, intense thirst, and abdominal fullness result from Metal Qi being contracted and closed while Wood Qi cannot disperse. Sweating and free urination result from Wood Qi dispersing while Metal Qi cannot contract. When Ying dissipates and Wei disperses, the disease is destined to resolve.