岐伯曰。诊法常以平旦。阴气未动。阳气未散。饮食未进。经脉未盛。络脉调匀。气血未乱。故
乃可诊有过之脉。切脉动静。而视精明。察五色。观五脏有余不足。六腑强弱。形之盛衰。以
此参伍。决死生之分。（机按。诊法以平旦。主无病者言。若遇有病。则随时皆可以诊。不必以平旦
为拘也。于此又知前圣决死生之分。不专于脉。必须察色观形。以此相参伍也。今世专尚诊脉。
而不复问其余。是不知前圣垂训之意也。故表而出之。示警后人。）
十二经皆有动脉。独取寸口以决五腑六腑死生吉凶之候者。然。寸口脉之大会。手太阴之动脉也。
脉行五十度。周于身。而复会于手太阴。太阴者寸口也。即五脏六腑之终始。故取法于寸口。
（机按。此以气口决死生者。谓气口为五脏主也。难经四难言。五脏皆以胃气为主。其脉在关上。是人
之生死亦系于关上。八难十四难又言。人之有尺。譬如树之有根。脉有根本。人有元气。故知不死。
是生死又系于尺脉也。可见寸关尺各有所归重。故越人所以错综其义也。）
脉经曰。从鱼际至高骨。却行一寸。其中名曰寸口。从寸至尺。名曰尺泽。故曰尺寸。寸后尺前。
名曰关。阳出阴入。以关为界。阳出三分。阴入三分。故曰三阴三阳。阳生于尺动于寸。阴生于寸
动于尺。（机按。难经曰尺寸。脉之大要会也。从关至尺。是尺内。阴之所治也。从关至鱼际。
是寸内。阳之所治也。故阴得尺内一寸。阳得寸内九分。尺寸始终。一寸九分。故曰尺寸也。于一寸
九分之中。曰尺曰寸。而关在其中矣。一难言。寸口脉之大会。以肺朝百脉而言也。此言尺寸为
脉之大要会。以阴阳对待而言也。大抵尺阴寸阳。人之一身。经络荣卫。五脏六腑。莫不由于阴
阳。而或过与不及。于尺寸见焉。故为脉之大要会也。一说古法寸部占九分。关尺部各占一寸。
三部共二寸九分。若臂短者亦根据此法。则头指诊在关部。次指诊在尺部。第三指诊在闲处。如何
知病之所在。今但以高骨为准。揣得高骨。压中指于高骨。以定关位。然后下前后两指以取尺寸。
不必拘九分一寸之说也。）
Qibo said: Pulse diagnosis is usually performed at dawn (pingdan). At this time, Yin qi has not yet stirred, Yang qi has not yet dispersed, food and drink have not been ingested, the Qi of the meridians has not yet become full, the collaterals are harmonious and even, and the blood and Qi are not in chaos. Therefore, only then can abnormal pulses be diagnosed. By palpating the movement and stillness of the pulse, observing the spirit in the eyes (shi jingming), examining the five colors of the face, inspecting the excess or deficiency of the Zang organs, the strength or weakness of the Fu organs, and the flourishing or declining state of the body, these factors are cross-referenced to determine the boundary between life and death. (Hua Shou's note: Performing pulse diagnosis at dawn primarily refers to the routine for those without disease. If a patient is already ill, diagnosis can be conducted at any time; one should not be rigidly bound to dawn. From this, we also understand that the ancient sages did not rely exclusively on pulse diagnosis to determine life and death but must also observe facial color and physical form, referencing them mutually. Modern practitioners who focus solely on pulse diagnosis and neglect other symptoms fail to grasp the original intent of the ancients' teachings. I hereby highlight this to warn future generations.)
All twelve meridians have arterial pulsation points, yet it is uniquely the Cun Kou (Cun-Port) pulse that is selected to determine the prognostic signs of life, death, auspiciousness, and misfortune of the Five Zang and Six Fu organs. This is because Cun Kou is the great convergence of the body's pulse Qi, belonging to the arterial pulse of the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. The pulse circulates fifty times throughout the body and reconverges at the Hand-Taiyin. Hand-Taiyin is Cun Kou, which represents the beginning and end of the Qi and Blood circulation of the Five Zang and Six Fu organs; thus, it is taken as the standard for pulse diagnosis.
(Hua Shou's note: Determining life and death via the Qi Kou indicates that the Qi Kou serves as the master of the Five Zang organs. *Nan Jing* Chapter 4 states: "The Five Zang organs all depend on Stomach Qi, and their pulse manifestations appear at the Guan position." This implies that human life and death are also tied to the Guan pulse. *Nan Jing* Chapters 8 and 14 further state: "The Chi pulse in humans is like the roots of a tree; the pulse has its root, and humans have Yuan Qi, thus knowing they will not die." This implies that life and death are also tied to the Chi pulse. It is evident that the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions each hold specific significance, which is why Yue Ren (Bian Que) intricately interwove their meanings in his discussions.)
*Mai Jing* (Pulse Classic) states: From the Yuji point to the high bone (radial styloid process), moving backward one cun, the area is named Cun Kou. From Cun Kou to the Chize point, it is named Chi Ze, hence collectively referred to as Cun-Chi. Behind Cun Kou and in front of Chi Ze lies the Guan. Yang emerges outward, Yin enters inward, with the Guan serving as the boundary. Yang emerges three fen outside the Guan, and Yin enters three fen inside the Guan, hence referred to as Three Yin and Three Yang. Yang Qi originates from the Chi position and manifests dynamically at the Cun position; Yin Qi originates from the Cun position and manifests dynamically at the Chi position.
(Hua Shou's note: *Nan Jing* states that "Cun-Chi" is the great essential convergence of the pulse. From the Guan to the Chi region is the inner Chi, governed by Yin; from the Guan to the Yuji region is the inner Cun, governed by Yang. Thus, Yin occupies one cun within the Chi, and Yang occupies nine fen within the Cun. The total length of Cun and Chi is one cun and nine fen, hence called Cun-Chi. Within this one cun and nine fen, there are the Chi and Cun, with the Guan situated in between. *Nan Jing* Chapter 1 states that Cun Kou is the great convergence of pulses, speaking from the perspective of the Lung governing all meridians. Here, stating that Cun-Chi is the great essential convergence speaks from the perspective of Yin-Yang duality. Generally, Chi corresponds to Yin and Cun to Yang. The meridians, Ying and Wei Qi, and the Five Zang and Six Fu organs of the human body are all governed by Yin and Yang; whether excessive or deficient, these conditions manifest in the Cun-Chi pulses, hence termed the great essential convergence of the pulse. Another theory suggests that in ancient methods, the Cun portion occupied nine fen, while the Guan and Chi portions each occupied one cun, totaling two cun and nine fen for the three positions. If individuals with short arms followed this method, the thumb would diagnose the Guan, the index finger the Chi, and the middle finger the empty space, making it difficult to locate the disease accurately. Currently, we use the high bone as the standard: upon locating the high bone, place the middle finger on it to define the Guan position, then place the anterior and posterior fingers to assess the Cun and Chi. There is no need to rigidly adhere to the nine-fen and one-cun measurements.)