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The detailed absence of the three Yin pulses should be attributed to following the practice of leaving blank spaces for missing text in ancient documents. The *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) states: "When the Taiyin pulse arrives, it is tight, large, and long; when the Shaoyin pulse arrives, it is tight, thin, and minute; when the Jueyin pulse arrives, it is deep, short, and solid."

A healthy Heart pulse comes continuously like linked pearls, similar to touching polished jade, indicating a balanced Heart state. (Commentary: 'Linked pearls' implies the beats are continuous without interruption, and lustrous like jade. 'Langgan' refers to bright, lustrous jade; the annotation claiming it resembles beads is incorrect.) Summer relies on Stomach Qi as its foundation. (Commentary: All things are born from Earth, and humans are nourished by the Stomach; thus, each season corresponds to Earth elements, and without Stomach Qi, death ensues.) A diseased Heart pulse comes hurriedly and continuously, with a slight curvature within, indicating Heart disease. A dying Heart pulse comes with an initial curve followed by rigidity, resembling handling a leather belt hook, indicating impending death of the Heart. ('Ju' means immobile. 'Cao' means holding. 'Hook' refers to the buckle of a leather belt. Commentary: The morphological characteristics of fatal pulses often do not perfectly align; observers should grasp the general meaning.')

A healthy Lung pulse comes lightly and softly, like falling elm seeds, indicating a balanced Lung state. (This describes a floating, thin, and deficient pulse.) Autumn relies on Stomach Qi as its foundation. A diseased Lung pulse comes neither ascending nor descending, similar to tracing a chicken feather, indicating Lung disease. (This refers to a pulse that is firm in the center but deficient on both sides.) A dying Lung pulse floats like an object adrift or blows like wind-driven feathers, indicating death of the Lung. (Commentary: While Lung pulses are naturally light and void, excessive floating and thinness indicate death. Floating like an object or blowing like wind represents a rootless, excessively superficial image.)

A healthy Liver pulse comes soft and swaying, like the tip of a long pole held high, indicating a balanced Liver state. (Like the tip of a pole, describing length and softness.) Spring relies on Stomach Qi as its foundation. A diseased Liver pulse comes full, solid, and slippery, similar to tracing a long pole, indicating Liver disease. (Long but not soft, hence feeling like tracing a pole.) A dying Liver pulse comes urgent and increasingly forceful, like a newly drawn bowstring, indicating death of the Liver. ('Jin' refers to stiffness and strength, representing extreme urgency.)

A healthy Spleen pulse comes harmonious and distinct, like a chicken walking on the ground, indicating a balanced Spleen state. (Commentary: The Spleen pulse is especially valued for being gentle and level. A slow and level pulse is called harmonious and soft, not approaching weakness, much like a chicken walking slowly rather than running urgently.) The Long Summer relies on Stomach Qi as its foundation. (Commentary: The Long Summer refers to the last eighteen days of summer. Earth qi dominates all four seasons, but summer is uniquely honored as 'long' because Summer Fire generates Earth, making Earth qi particularly prosperous. Since Earth qi reigns during the Long Summer, and the Stomach belongs to Earth, if one stops eating, hunger ensues, leading to death after seven days. Therefore, even though the Long Summer is the time of Earth's dominance, it still relies on Stomach Qi as its foundation.) A diseased Spleen pulse comes solid, full, and rapid, like a chicken lifting its foot, indicating Spleen disease. (Commentary: The Spleen prefers tranquility, so movement indicates disease. Like a chicken lifting its foot, this describes the urgency of movement.) A dying Spleen pulse comes sharp and hard like a bird's beak, like a bird's spur, like water leaking from a roof, or like flowing water, indicating death of the Spleen. ('Beak' and 'spur' describe sharpness and hardness. Flowing water and leaking roof describe the arrival pattern. Flowing water means flat arrival without pulsation; leaking roof means intermittent beating. Commentary: The feet of birds are called spurs. The chicken spur moves slightly urgently, indicating disease; the bird spur moves even faster, indicating death.)

A healthy Kidney pulse comes hurriedly and continuously, like a hook, becoming firm upon pressure, indicating a balanced Kidney state. (Commentary: Yue Ren [Bian Que] said: "If the pulse comes larger at the top and narrower at the bottom, moist and smooth like a sparrow's beak, it is balanced." Lu Guang said: "'Larger at the top' refers to the Foot-Taiyang bladder meridian, 'narrower at the bottom' refers to the Foot-Shaoyin kidney meridian; when Yin and Yang harmonize as strong Stomach Qi, it is called balanced. 'Sparrow's beak' means large at the base but narrow at the tip.' Commentary: This merely describes the balanced pulse of the Kidney, not an explanation of the classic text. The meanings of 'hurried/continuous like a hook' are originally difficult to interpret; it is best to leave them as questions.) Winter relies on Stomach Qi as its foundation. A diseased Kidney pulse comes like pulling on a vine, becoming firmer upon pressure, indicating Kidney disease. (Commentary: The meaning of 'pulling on a vine' is also difficult to interpret.) A dying Kidney pulse comes like ropes being pulled in contention, clicking like stones being struck, indicating death of the Kidney. ('Clicking like stones' describes urgency and hardness. Commentary: The Kidney pulse should be deep and收敛 (collecting). 'Ropes in contention' implies dispersion. Although the Winter pulse should be like stone, if it strikes the hand like stones, it lacks the gentle and relaxed Qi.)