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The Lung corresponds to Metal in the Five Elements and combines with the Large Intestine to form a Fu organ (the Large Intestine is the Fu organ responsible for conducting waste). Its meridian is the Hand-Taiyin (Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian), which is exterior-interior related to the Hand-Yangming (Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian).

The pulse of the Lung presents as Floating (Floating is the major characteristic of the Lung pulse). It corresponds to the season of Late Summer, the sixth month (when Earth Qi is prosperous and Metal Qi cooperates with it). It is Prosperous during the three months of Autumn, Withered during the three months of Winter, Imprisoned during the three months of Spring, and Dead during the three months of Summer (because Fire is prosperous in Summer, overcoming Metal, causing Death). It is associated with the Heavenly Stems Geng and Xin days, and the times of dusk and sunset; it is Trapped on Jia and Yi days, at dawn and sunrise; it is Dead on Bing and Ding days, at mid-morning and noon. The Spirit housed is Po (Corporeal Soul); it governs voice; it nourishes the skin and hair; its orifice is the nose; its sound resembles crying; its color is White; its odor is Fishy; its fluid is nasal mucus; its taste preference is Pungent; it favors Salty; it dislikes Bitter. The Back-Shu point of the Lung is located beside the third thoracic vertebra (some say the fifth), and its Front-Mu point is Zhongfu (located between the nipples in the intercostal space). The Back-Shu point of the Large Intestine is located beside the sixteenth thoracic vertebra, and its Front-Mu point is Tianshu (one and a half cun lateral to the umbilicus), newly compiled.

The Lung belongs to Western Metal, the place where all things terminate (Metal nature is rigid, thus ruling in the West, cutting off all things, so all things end in Autumn). Like leaves falling from branches, sparse and scattered, leaving only bare twigs standing alone. The pulse at this time is slightly Floating and Hairy (Sparse describes the appearance of withering plants, meaning autumn leaves fall with the wind, leaving only bare twigs. At this time, Yang Qi retreats slowly, and the pulse is deficient and slight like hair). Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi) moves fast. Fast means [Qi] is above, slow means [Qi] is below, hence named "Hairy" (Generally, Yang pulses are fast, Yin pulses are slow. Ying Qi is Yin and should not be fast; saying Ying Qi is fast implies that Yin Qi, influenced by the Autumn solar term, rises and turns to the Yang position, thus appearing fast above. At this time, Yin Qi begins to take charge, and Yang Qi descends and hides; its movement becomes slow, so the Lung pulse is scattered like hair). If Yang Qi should descend but does not, and Yin Qi should ascend but does not, one is struck by pathogenic factors (If Yin-Yang exchange does not occur according to time, the two Qi agitate, leading to contraction by Wind-Cold). When Yang is struck by pathogens, it contracts; when Yin is struck, it becomes tight. Contraction causes aversion to cold; tightness causes shivering. Cold and shivering clash, hence named Malaria. Weakness indicates fever; Floating indicates the pathogen emerging ("Contract" refers to bodily stiffness; "Tight" refers to the pulse. This describes the time when a country suffers Wind-Cold: the pulse is tight, the person feels cold; after the cold stops, the pulse becomes weaker; weakness indicates fever; after the fever stops, the pulse becomes Floating, indicating the resolution of malaria and the emergence of the normal Lung pulse). Pathogens contracted in the morning cause onset in the morning; contracted in the evening cause onset in the evening (meaning malaria attacks follow the timing of Wind-Pathogens in the region). Zang organs have near and far positions; pulses have slow and rapid speeds; circulation has degrees; movement has clepsydra measurements (Zang refers to the five Zang organs: Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney. Heart and Lung are above the diaphragm; exhalation sends Qi out, called Near; exhalation is Yang, pulse is rapid. Kidney and Liver are below the diaphragm; inhalation draws Qi in, called Far; inhalation is Yin, pulse is slow. Degrees refer to the length of meridians; the circulation of Ying and Wei Qi around the body. Moving through Yin 25 degrees and Yang 25 degrees constitutes one cycle, corresponding to 100 marks of the clepsydra). Slow pulse above injures the luster of the skin and hair; Rapid pulse below injures the Lower Jiao. If the Middle Jiao has pathology, it manifests; if healthy, it remains hidden (In Autumn, Yang Qi is slow, Yin Qi is rapid. Slowness should be below, rapidity above; following seasonal changes, it is said to injure the luster of skin and hair. Human skin and hair are the pathways of Lung Qi. The Lower Jiao is below the umbilicus, governed by Yin, and its pulse should be slow; now it is rapid, hence injuring the Lower Jiao. The Middle Jiao is the Spleen; when healthy, its pulse is usually imperceptible, appearing only when deficient. Hence, it manifests only when pathological). When Yang Qi sinks, Yin Qi becomes warm (meaning Yang Qi sinking warms and nourishes the Zang organs). If Yang reverses to be below and Yin reverses to be at the top, it is named Long and Lingering (Yin-Yang transition follows seasons; human blood vessels are peaceful, meaning it can remain stable for a period). Quoted from *Si Shi Jing*.

The Yellow Emperor asked: The autumn pulse is like Floating. What constitutes Floating? Qibo replied: The autumn pulse corresponds to the Lung, Western Metal, the season of harvest and maturity. Thus, its Qi comes light, deficient, and floating; it comes urgent and scatters upon departure, hence named Floating. Opposite to this is disease. The Yellow Emperor asked: How is it opposite? Qibo said: When the Qi comes hairy but firm in the center and empty on both sides, this is Excess, disease in the Exterior; when the Qi comes hairy and slight, this is Deficiency, disease in the Interior. The Yellow Emperor asked: Regarding Excess and Deficiency of the autumn pulse, what are the diseases? Qibo said: Excess causes Qi rebellion and back pain with a sensation of internal heat (In *Nei Jing*, "Wen Wen" is synonymous with "Yun Yun", meaning oppressive heat); Deficiency causes panting, shortness of breath, cough, upward-rebellious Qi with hemoptysis, and audible pathological sounds from below.

When the Lung pulse comes gentle and continuous, like falling elm seeds, it is called Normal Lung Pulse. Autumn relies on Stomach Qi as its root (In *Nan Jing*: Gentle and continuous, like touching elm leaves, is Spring Normal Pulse; lush like a chariot canopy, larger upon pressure, is Autumn Normal Pulse). When the Lung pulse comes neither up nor down, like touching chicken feathers, it is called Lung Disease Pulse (In *Zhu Bing Yuan Hou Lun*, there is no "not"). When the Lung pulse comes like a floating object, like wind blowing hair, it is called Lung Death Pulse. The True Lung pulse arrives large and empty, like a feather piercing human skin; if the complexion is red-white without luster and hairs break, death ensues. In Autumn, a slight Hairy quality with Stomach Qi indicates Normal; more Hairy than Stomach Qi indicates Lung Disease; only Hairy without Stomach Qi indicates Death. Hairy with String-like quality indicates Spring disease; severe String-like indicates current disease. The Lung stores Qi, and Qi houses Po. Unrestrained joy injures Po; injury to Po leads to mania, where the manic person disregards others; skin and leather become scorched, hair withered, complexion dead, dying in Summer. In Autumn, Metal is prosperous, and the Lung is also prosperous. Its pulse is Floating (In *Qian Jin Fang*, "Floating" is written as "Slight"), Choppy, and Short, indicating Normal Pulse. If instead one obtains a Surging, Large, and Scattered pulse (In *Qian Jin Fang*, written as Floating, Large, and Surging), this is Heart overacting on Lung, Fire overcoming Metal, constituting Robber Evil, a great reversal, ten deaths incurable (Another version says: Day, Month, Year counts to four, avoiding Bing-Ding days). If instead one obtains a Deep, Soft, and Slippery pulse, this is Kidney overacting on Lung, Child supporting Mother, constituting Solid Evil; although sick, it will heal spontaneously. If instead one obtains a Large and Moderate pulse, this is Spleen overacting on Lung, Mother returning to Child, constituting Empty Evil; although sick, it is easy to treat. If instead one obtains a String-like, Thin, and Long pulse, this is Liver overacting on Lung, Wood encroaching on Metal, constituting Minor Evil; although sick, it will recover quickly. When the Lung pulse comes floating and light, like a breeze blowing feathers on a bird's back, arriving twice per respiration, it is Normal; three times, it is Li Jing (Departing from the Channel), Disease; four times, Essence is depleted; five times, Death; six times, Life ends. This is the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. A very Tight Lung pulse indicates Epilepsy; slightly Tight indicates Lung Cold-Heat, lethargy, coughing up blood, drawing pain to waist, back, and chest, suffering from nasal polyps obstruction. Very Moderate indicates excessive sweating; slightly Moderate indicates Pi Feng (or Lou Feng), uncontrollable sweating from the head downward. Very Large indicates swelling of the shins; slightly Large indicates Lung Bi, drawing pain to chest and back, originating from within the waist. Very Small indicates undigested diarrhea; slightly Small indicates Xiao Dan (Wasting-Thirst). Very Slippery indicates Xi Ben (Breathful Distension) and upward Qi rebellion; slightly Slippery indicates bleeding from above and below. Very Choppy indicates vomiting blood; slightly Choppy indicates Shu Luo (Rat Abscess) between the neck and armpits, lower body unable to support upper body, craving Sour taste. When Hand-Taiyin Qi perishes, skin and hair become scorched. Taiyin circulates Qi to warm and nourish skin and hair; without Qi nourishment, skin and hair scorch; scorched skin and hair lose fluids; lost fluids injure skin joints; injured skin joints cause nails to wither and hairs to break; broken hairs mean Qi dies first. Condition worsens on Bing day, dies on Ding day, because Fire overcomes Metal. The dead organ pulse of the Lung: superficially empty, deeply weak like a green onion leaf, without a root below, indicates death. Content from *Su Wen*, *Zhen Jing*, and Zhang Zhongjing.