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[Verse] The floating and sinking pulses represent the upward and downward movements of Qi and Blood within the body. The pulse felt at the skin level belongs to the Lung Meridian and Heart Meridian; the pulse felt at the tendon level belongs to the Liver Meridian; the pulse felt at the bone level belongs to the Kidney Meridian; and the pulse felt at the muscle level belongs to the Spleen.

[Annotation] When the pulse Qi moves upward and outward from the interior, it is called Floating Pulse (Fu Mai). When the pulse Qi moves downward and inward from the interior, it is called Sinking Pulse (Chen Mai). However, both Heart and Lung pulses manifest as floating. If the pulse is obtained by palpating superficially at the skin and hair level, it is the floating pulse of the Lung; if it is obtained by palpating deeper at the blood vessel level, it is the floating pulse of the Heart. Hence, it is said that "floating at the skin belongs to the Lung, and in the blood vessels belongs to the Heart." Both Lung and Kidney pulses manifest as sinking. If the pulse is obtained by moderate pressure at the tendon level, it is the sinking pulse of the Liver; if it is obtained only after pressing deeply to the bone, it is the sinking pulse of the Kidney. Hence, it is said that "sinking at the tendons belongs to the Liver, and at the bones belongs to the Kidney." The muscles lie between the floating and sinking levels, belonging to the Spleen. Its pulse manifestation is located in the middle, hence it is said that "the manifestation is in the middle." All pulse names derived from their depth/location are subsumed under Floating and Sinking; therefore, Floating and Sinking serve as the general principles to categorize various pulses such as Soft (Ru), Weak (Ruo), Knotted/Kou (Kou), Hidden (Fu), Firm (Lao), Leathery (Ge), Deficient (Xu), Excess (Shi), Fine (Wei), and Scattered (San) pulses.

[Verse] If the pulse feels weak upon floating or sinking, they are respectively called Soft (Ru) and Weak (Ruo) pulses; if it feels weak upon moderate pressure, one should examine for the Knotted/Kou (Kou) pulse; if it sinks extremely deep and is only felt when pressing to the tendons and bones, it is the Hidden (Fu) pulse; if it feels extremely forceful upon floating or sinking, one should refer to the Leathery (Ge) and Firm (Lao) pulses respectively.

[Annotation] A pulse that is floating but weak is called the Soft (Ru) Pulse. A pulse that is sinking but weak is called the Weak (Ruo) Pulse. A pulse that is forceful at both floating and sinking depths but weak at moderate pressure, feeling hollow like a green onion stalk, is called the Knotted/Kou (Kou) Pulse. A pulse that sinks to the extreme depth and is only felt after pressing down to the tendons and bones is called the Hidden (Fu) Pulse. A pulse that is extremely forceful upon floating is called the Leathery (Ge) Pulse. A pulse that is extremely forceful upon sinking is called the Firm (Lao) Pulse.

[Verse] If the pulses at the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions are all forceful, it is called the Excess (Shi) Pulse; if all three positions are weak, it is called the Deficient (Xu) Pulse; if the three positions are weak and thin, appearing present yet almost absent, it is called the Fine (Wei) Pulse; if the three positions are weak and large, appearing scattered and uncollected, it is called the Scattered (San) Pulse.

[Annotation] If the pulses at the superficial, moderate, and deep levels are all forceful, it is called the Excess (Shi) Pulse. If the pulses at the superficial, moderate, and deep levels are all weak, it is called the Deficient (Xu) Pulse. If the pulses at the superficial, moderate, and deep levels are all weak, and upon pressure appear small and indistinct, appearing present yet almost absent, it is called the Fine (Wei) Pulse. If the pulses at the superficial, moderate, and deep levels are all weak, and upon pressure appear large, scattered, and uncollected, it is called the Scattered (San) Pulse.