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(There are ten rules in total)

In the *Mai Jue* (Pulse Classic), the finger placement method for the left Cun position is like the weight of six beans (soybeans), (still distinguished by the patient's fatness or thinness), which represents the primary seat of the Heart. (At the tip of the finger is Yin, pertaining to the Heart; at the finger joint is Yang, pertaining to the Small Intestine. The rest follow this example). Below five beans and above seven beans in pressure are the collateral vessels of the Heart and Small Intestine. The Guan position uses twelve beans as the primary seat of the Liver and Gallbladder; the Chi position, pressing to the bone, is the primary seat of the Kidney and Bladder. On the right side, three beans at the Cun position is the primary seat of the Lung and Large Intestine; the Guan position, between flesh and bone, is the primary seat of the Spleen and Stomach; and one should deduce the rest according to the previous examples.

A pulse that is floating, large, and scattered indicates a normal Heart. A pulse that is wiry and long indicates a normal Liver. Pressing to the bone, with a rapid and solid rebound upon lifting the finger, indicates a normal Kidney. A normal Lung pulse is floating, choppy, and short; a normal Spleen/Stomach pulse is moderate and fills the fingers. Whenever the pulse feels uneven when pressing on its primary seat, one can then investigate the condition of the disease in detail.

When palpating the right Chi position, both hands must be examined simultaneously to deliberate carefully. Taking the pulse corresponding to the Sanjiao (Triple Burner), superficial pressure corresponds to the Upper Jiao, combining with the Heart and Lung pulses; middle pressure corresponds to the Middle Jiao, combining with the Spleen and Stomach pulses; deep pressure corresponds to the Lower Jiao, combining with the Liver and Kidney pulses. If they do not correspond, the Qi must be chaotic and the pulse untruthful, requiring re-examination. This region is where the Fire of the Gate of Vitality (Mingmen) resides, connected to the Pericardium, while the position of the Sanjiao actually exists in the hollow spaces among the five Zang organs. One Qi circulates continuously without ceasing, which is called the root of respiration and the foundation of life. Men prefer a pulse that is full, deep, and solid, appearing weak but lacking slippery waves; women prefer a pulse that is full, floating, and expansive, appearing vigorous but not submerged or choppy. Therefore, it is said that women's pulses are the reverse of this, viewed inversely; the third Chi pulse diagnosis applies similarly to diseases.

Gao Yangsheng, a figure from the Five Dynasties period, authored the *Mai Jue Ge Kuo* (Pulse Classic Rhymes), falsely attributing it to Wang Shuhe. The current version mixes in the "Shanghan Mai Ru Shi Ge" (Cold Damage Pulse Entry Style Song) by Jiegu, and has been wrongly annotated by Xiong Zongli, greatly confusing vulgar scholars. Shuhe was a Jin dynasty person who had his own *Mai Jing* (Pulse Classic), yet there are still contradictions; generally, ancient books cannot be fully trusted. There are many pulse books, all falling within the categories of Seven Superficial, Eight Interior, and Nine Deviant pulses, making the understanding of pulses obscure rather than clear. Only Hua Bolin's *Zhenjia Shuyao* (Essentials of Pulse Diagnosis) takes Floating, Deep, Slow, Rapid, Slippery, and Choppy as the outline. I supplemented it with Forceful and Feeble. Zhu Danxi took Blood, Qi, Phlegm, and Water as the outline of disease; thus, the Slippery pulse is in the Blood aspect, and excess indicates Phlegm, following whatever is tangible; the Choppy pulse is in the Qi aspect, and excess indicates Fire, following whatever is intangible. Floating is in the Exterior, Deep is in the Interior (this is not the Floating/Deep of the Three Regions and Nine Positions, but refers to pulse momentum, whereas that refers to finger technique). Slow indicates Cold, Rapid indicates Heat, Forceful indicates Excess, and Feeble indicates Deficiency. Holding to this outline, the pulse can be clarified.

The *Ru Shi Ge Kuo* was written taking Cold Damage pulses as an example; otherwise, if Yang-Wiry indicates headache without doubt, does every Wiry pulse indicate headache?

The *Mai Jing* states: People with impatient temperaments have urgent pulses; people with slow temperaments have relaxed pulses. The pulse is the operation of Qi and Blood during respiration. Blood, bearing excessive Yin, tends to be slow, which is the stillness of Yin; Qi, bearing excessive Yang, tends to be urgent, which is the restlessness of Yang. Using this theory to discuss which aspect, Blood or Qi, is deficient is acceptable, but it does not refer to temperament.

Major diseases with frequent pulse changes three times a day are difficult to treat. Diseases with a Deep pulse that remains unchanged daily are difficult to treat. Chronic diseases that do not change over years are difficult to treat.

If the main pulse is peaceful but the collateral pulse is abnormal, attack methods should be used. However, there is no case where the main pulse is diseased while the collateral pulse alone is peaceful.

The Hidden pulse is the hardest to locate. For example, after prolonged accumulation of Heat, the pulse may become deep and fine, while external symptoms appear Cold. Without combined therapeutic methods, how could this be resolved? Secular people hide their illness to test doctors, and doctors conceal facts and speculate wildly. Moreover, noblewomen often cannot undergo Inspection (Wang) and Listening/Smelling (Wen); is this not a great error?

For beginners learning pulse diagnosis, place medicinal herbs under a cloth, draw the three positions on silk, and have the teacher place a lute string underneath to verify the Wiry pulse, small millet seeds to verify the Slippery pulse, bamboo scraping marks to verify the Choppy pulse, cut scallion tubes to verify the Hollow pulse, and old cotton wadding to verify the Soft pulse. Allow any hand technique, letting the learner press lightly and heavily, deliberating and searching; with time, truth will naturally emerge. This is the principle behind the diagrams of Seven Superficial and Eight Interior in the *Mai Jue*.

Qi has the *Chu Shi Yi Shu*, which states that women's pulses move in reverse, with the right Chi belonging to the Heart and the left to the Lung. This is likely deduced from the idea that earthly paths turn right and women are born in the Shen month! Heaven and Earth, men and women, are merely Qi. Qi has movement and stillness, hence differences in Slowness, Speed, Forward, Reverse, Left, and Right, but essentially they are not two different things. No other pulse books contain this theory; was it passed down through transmission? Or did Zhu Danxi and others simply not see this book?