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The *Ping Ren Qi Xiang Lun* (Treatise on the Normal Person and Pulse Phenomena) states: When a person exhales, the pulse beats twice; when they inhale, the pulse also beats twice. At the pause between breaths (Ding Xi), it beats once more. Occasionally, due to a deep sigh (Tai Xi), it may beat an extra time. This is called a "Ping Ren" (Normal Person/Healthy Individual). A Ping Ren is one who is not diseased. (The meridians circulate through the body once, totaling sixteen zhang and two chi in length. With each respiration, the pulse beats twice, and once at the pause, totaling five beats. Calculating two hundred and seventy pauses, the Qi completes one circuit. If completing fifty circuits, requiring thirteen thousand five hundred pauses, the Qi travels eight hundred and ten zhang in total. Thus, it corresponds to the constant number of Heaven, with pulse Qi neither deficient nor excessive, and the phenomenon harmonious and balanced, hence termed a Normal Person.) Usually, one uses the state of the healthy to gauge the patient. Since the physician is healthy, they adjust their own breathing rhythm to diagnose the patient as a standard method.

(Here, it refers to a pulse beating five times per respiration cycle as indicative of health. Exhaling from the nose is called "Hu" (Exhale), inhaling is called "Xi" (Inhale). The pause between them constitutes one cycle (Yi Xi). It means that for every exhale of the physician, the patient's pulse beats twice; for every inhale, it beats twice; and during the pause, it beats once more, totaling five. This is akin to having a leap month in a year. Such a pulse pattern is referred to as five beats per cycle. One with such a pulse is named a Normal Person. A Normal Person is disease-free. Essentially, within one cycle of the physician, a healthy person also has one cycle, so knowing their pulse beats five times indicates health. Typically, using the state of a healthy person to assess a sick person, because the physician themselves is healthy, they calm their own breath to examine the patient, which constitutes the diagnostic method. The total length of the meridians in the human body is sixteen zhang and two chi. With each exhale, the pulse moves three cun; with each inhale, it moves three cun. In one hundred and thirty-five cycles, the pulse moves eight zhang and one chi. In two hundred and seventy cycles, it moves sixteen zhang and two chi, completing one circuit. Over a full day and night, totaling thirteen thousand five hundred cycles, the pulse moves eight hundred and ten zhang, completing fifty circuits, which accumulates to the length of the sixteen zhang and two chi meridians.)

If a person's pulse beats once per exhale and once per inhale, this is called "Shao Qi" (Deficient Qi). (The pulse beats once per phase of respiration, half that of a normal person. Calculating two hundred and seventy pauses, Qi moves eight zhang and one chi; over thirteen thousand five hundred pauses, it moves only four hundred and five zhang. The principle of Deficient Qi can be understood from this. This describes a pulse of two beats per cycle as Deficient Qi, referring to the deficiency aspect of the normal pulse.)

If a person's pulse beats three times per exhale and three times per inhale, and is rapid, with heat in the Chi position (wrist area corresponding to Kidney/Lower Jiao), it indicates Wen Bing (Warm Disease); if the Chi position is not hot but the pulse is Slippery (Hua), it indicates Feng Bing (Wind Disease); if the pulse is Choppy (Se), it indicates Bi Syndrome (Obstruction/Painful Obstruction). (The pulse beats three times per phase, exceeding the normal by half. In two hundred and seventy cycles, Qi moves thirty-four zhang and three chi, signaling the onset of disease. The Chi position belongs to Yin, and the Cun position (wrist crease) belongs to Yang. If both Yin and Yang are hot, it indicates extreme agitation and excess of Yin and Yang, suggesting Wind attacking Yang. The *Mai Yao Jing Wei Lun* states: Those struck by evil wind suffer because their Yang Qi is affected. A Slippery pulse indicates Yang excess, hence Wind disease. A Choppy pulse indicates lack of Blood, hence Bi syndrome. This describes a pulse of six beats per cycle corresponding to various diseases, referring to the excess aspect of the normal pulse.)

The constant Qi of a normal person is derived from the Stomach; the Stomach is the source of the normal person's constant Qi. (Normal, balanced Qi is generated by the Sea of Grain-Stomach, thus it is said: "When food enters the Stomach, the vessel pathways then flow.") If a person lacks Stomach Qi, it is called "Ni" (Rebellious/Opposite), and those who are Ni die. (The pulse takes Stomach Qi as its root; lacking Stomach Qi is called Ni, and Ni leads to death.)

In Spring, a pulse with a slight String-like (Xian) quality is normal; in Summer, a pulse with a slight Hook-like (Gou) quality is normal; in Late Summer, a pulse with a slight Soft-Weak (Ruan Ruo) quality is normal; in Autumn, a pulse with a slight Feather-like (Mao) quality is normal; in Winter, a pulse with a slight Stone-like (Shi) quality is normal. (This follows the previous text, stating that all five Zang organs rely on Stomach Qi as their foundation.)

If the pulse follows Yin and Yang, the illness is easy to cure; if the pulse opposes Yin and Yang, the illness is difficult to cure. (Pulse and disease corresponding is called "Cong" (Following); pulse and disease opposing is called "Ni" (Opposing). This states that the pulse should correspond and accord with the disease.)

If the pulse conforms to the Four Seasons, the illness poses no other danger; if the pulse contradicts the Four Seasons or involves non-intervening Zang transmission, the illness is difficult to cure. (Spring showing Autumn pulse, Summer showing Winter pulse, Autumn showing Summer pulse, Winter showing pulse of the Four Seasons' end months, are all called contradicting the Four Seasons, with Qi not corresponding. "Intervening Zang" (Jian Zang) transmission means, for example, Liver disease affecting Earth (Spleen), but instead of transmitting to the Spleen, it transmits to the Heart, thereby skipping the conquered organ and transmitting to the generating organ. As stated in the *Nan Jing*, intervening Zang transmission implies survival. Conversely, non-intervening Zang transmission implies difficulty in recovery. This states that the pulse should accord with the seasons.)

Humans rely on Water and Grain as their foundation; thus, if humans cut off Water and Grain, they die. If the pulse lacks Stomach Qi, they also die. What is meant by lacking Stomach Qi is that only the True Zang pulses are seen, without any Stomach Qi. What is meant by the pulse lacking Stomach Qi is that the Liver pulse does not show a String-like quality, and the Kidney pulse does not show a Stone-like quality. (Not String-like and not Stone-like both refer to the absence of even a slight indication.)

If the Hand-Shaoyin pulse (Heart Meridian) in women throbs noticeably, it indicates pregnancy. (The Hand-Shaoyin pulse refers to the depression behind the palm, where the artery moves and is palpable on the little finger side. Qibo said: "When the exterior meridian is diseased but the interior Zang is not, one selects only the meridian at the end of the sharp bone behind the palm," referring to Shenmen (HT7). "Throbbing" refers to the Moving Pulse (Dong Mai). The Moving Pulse is large like a bean, quivering and shaking. The *Zheng Li Lun* states: "When Yin and Yang pulses contend with each other, it is named Moving.")