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The pulse under the fingers is faint and difficult to discern, hardest to know; tracing the threads to comprehend treatment is like sorting silk (Old rules included Seven Superficial, Eight Deep, and Nine Miscellaneous, totaling twenty-four characters; Li Shicai added three more, totaling twenty-seven. The more there are, the more chaotic it becomes. Observe that one who sorts silk must find the head/thread to begin with order.) Holding the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions in three parts forms a fixed method; the Eight Principles of Floating, Sinking, Slow, Rapid, Large, Fine, Long, and Short are easily seen, constituting good regulations (The opening four lines summarize the general outline of pulse diagnosis.) Stomach Qi nourishes water and grain, the root of human life (All three positions—Cun, Guan, Chi—belong to the Lung, yet the Lung receives Qi from the Stomach.) Earth possesses balanced harmony, the pulse winds gently (Not rigid and straight, but harmonious and slow. Thus, the pulse obtains the vital energy of balance and harmony; this emphasizes observing Stomach Qi as the primary necessity.) Zang organ Qi relies entirely on verification through generation and restriction (Examining the generation and restriction of Zang Qi is the second necessity. For example, Spleen disease fears the Wiry pulse, as Wood restricts Earth; Lung disease fears the Surging pulse, as Fire restricts Metal. Conversely, this does not harm the Zang Qi.) Heavenly timing can be窥探ed (observed) through compliance or opposition (Deducing the compliance or opposition of Heavenly movement is the third necessity. For instance, Spring Qi belongs to Wood, so the pulse should be Wiry; Summer Qi belongs to Fire, so the pulse should be Surging, etc. Conversely, this does not correspond to Heavenly timing.) Yang manifests as Floating, Moving, Slippery, Large, combined with Rapid (Zhang Zhongjing considers Floating, Large, Moving, Slippery, and Rapid as Yang pulses; any pulse with force belongs here.) Yin manifests as Choppy, Sinking, Wiry, Weak, and Slow (Zhang Zhongjing considers Sinking, Choppy, Weak, Wiry, and Slow as Yin pulses; any pulse without force belongs here. This again raises the concept of Yin and Yang to introduce the following four lines. Distinguishing the suitability and taboos of pulse and disease is the fourth necessity.) In external contraction, if Yin appears, it is not an auspicious sign (In external contraction syndromes, the pulse should be Floating and Surging; if it is instead Fine and Weak, then Righteous Qi cannot overcome Pathogenic Qi.) In internal deficiency, if Yang reality manifests, it is truly sorrowful (After massive blood loss, the pulse should be Quiet and Fine; if it is instead Surging and Large, then Qi is also escaping outward.) One must know that excess of either side leads to disease (Excess of Yang presents as Surging and Large; excess of Yin presents as Fine and Weak; both are pathological pulses.) Sudden changes into the extraordinary mean incurability (Old rules mention seven strange pulses: Sparrow Pecking, House Leaking, Fish Swimming, Shrimp Swimming, Stone Flicking, Rope Untying, and Cauldron Boiling. These all arise because Yin and Yang have separated, suddenly presenting abnormal phenomena.) Key words are not troublesome for you to remember; pulse books' elaborate narratives are always disjointed (Disease names number in the tens of thousands, while pulse images do not exceed a few dozen. Moreover, a single disease may present with dozens of different pulses. How can one diagnose the specific disease merely by feeling the pulse? Words in pulse books that deceive people are the least trustworthy.)