晦庵朱子曰古人察脉非一道今世惟守寸关尺之法所谓关者多不明独俗传脉诀词最鄙浅非
叔和本书乃能直指高骨为关然世之高医以其书赝遂委弃而羞言之（跋郭长阳书）
东阳柳贯曰王叔和撰脉经十卷为医家一经今脉诀熟在人口直谓叔和所作不知叔和西晋时
尚未有歌括此乃宋之中世人伪托以便习肄尔朱子取其高骨为关之说不知其正出脉经也
庐陵谢缙翁曰今称叔和脉诀不知起于何时宋熙宁初校正脉经尚未有此陈孔硕始言脉诀出
而脉经隐则脉诀乃熙宁以后人作耳惟陈无择三因方言高阳生剽窃作歌诀刘元宾从而和之其说
似深知脉经者而又自着七表八里九道之名则陈氏亦未尝详读脉经矣
河东王世相曰诊候之法不易精也轩岐微蕴越人叔和撰难经脉经犹未尽泄其奥五代高阳生
着脉诀假叔和之名语多 牾辞语鄙俚又被俗学妄注世医家传户诵茫然无所下手不过借此求食
而已于诊视何益哉
云间钱溥曰晋太医令王叔和着脉经其言可守而不可变及托叔和脉诀行而医经之理遂微盖
叔和为世所信重故假其名而得行耳然医道之日浅未必不由此而误之也
金陵戴起宗曰脉不可以表里定名也轩岐越人叔和皆不言表里脉诀窃叔和之名而立七表八
里九道为世大惑脉之变化从阴阳生但可以阴阳对待而言各从其类岂可以一浮二芤为定序而分
七八九之名乎大抵因浮而见者皆为表因沉而见者皆为里何拘于七八九哉庐山刘立之以浮沉迟
数为纲以教学人虽似捷径然必博学反约然后能入脉妙若以此自足亦画矣
撄宁滑寿曰脉之阴阳表里以对待而为名象也高阳生之七表八里九道盖凿凿也求脉之明为
脉之晦谢氏曰脉经论脉二十四种初无表里九道之目其言芤脉云中央空两边实云芤则为阴而脉
诀以芤为七表属阳云中间有两头无仲景脉法云浮大数动滑为阳沉涩弱弦微为阴而脉诀以动为
阴以弦为阳似此背误颇多则脉诀非叔和书可推矣
草庐吴澄曰俗误以脉诀为脉经而王氏脉经知者或鲜脉书往往混牢革为一夫牢为寒实革为
虚寒安可混乎脉之浮沉虚实紧缓数迟滑涩长短之相反匹配自不容易况有难辨如洪散俱大而洪
有力微细俱小而微无力芤类浮而边有中无伏类沉而边无中有若豆粒而摇摇不定者动也若鼓皮
而如如不动者革也俱对待也又有促结代皆有止之脉促疾结缓故可为对代则无对总之凡二十七
脉不止于七表八里九道二十四脉也（详文集）
濒湖李时珍曰脉经论脉止有二十四种无长短二脉脉诀歌脉亦有二十四种增长短而去数散
皆非也素难仲景论脉只别阴阳初无定数如素问之鼓搏喘横仲景之 平荣章纲损纵横逆顺之类
是也后世脉之精微失传无所依准因立名而为之归着耳今之学人按图索骥犹若望洋而况举其全
旨乎此草庐公说独得要领也
晦庵朱熹说：古人诊察脉象并非只有一种方法，当今世人只拘守寸、关、尺三部的诊法。所谓“关”的位置，大多并不明确。唯独世俗流传的《脉诀》，文辞最为粗浅鄙陋，它不是王叔和的书，却能直接指出高骨作为“关”的位置。然而世间的名医因为这本书是伪作，于是将其抛弃并羞于提及。（跋郭长阳书）
东阳柳贯说：王叔和撰写了《脉经》十卷，成为医家的经典。如今《脉诀》熟记在人口中，人们径直认为是王叔和所作。却不知道王叔和是西晋时人，当时还没有歌诀这种形式。这是宋代中间时期的人伪造出来，为了方便学习背诵罢了。朱子采纳了他关于以高骨为“关”的说法，却不知道这正出自《脉经》。
庐陵谢缙翁说：如今所称的《叔和脉诀》，不知道起源于何时。宋神宗熙宁初年校正《脉经》时，还没有这本书。陈孔硕才开始说《脉诀》出现后，《脉经》就隐没不显了。那么《脉诀》乃是熙宁年以后的人所作罢了。只有陈无择在《三因方》中说，是高阳生剽窃内容写成歌诀，刘元宾随之附和。他们的说法似乎很懂《脉经》，却又自己创立了“七表、八里、九道”的名称，那么陈氏也未曾详细阅读过《脉经》啊。
河东王世相说：诊候的方法不容易精通。黄帝、岐伯深奥的理论，以及扁鹊、王叔和撰写的《难经》《脉经》，都未能完全揭示其中的奥秘。五代时期的高阳生著《脉诀》，假托王叔和之名，言语多有矛盾，文辞鄙俗粗野，又被世俗学者胡乱注释。世间的医生家家相传，户户诵读，却茫然不知从何下手，不过是借此谋生而已，对诊断治疗有什么益处呢？
云间钱溥说：晋代太医令王叔和著《脉经》，其言论可以坚守而不可随意更改。等到假托王叔和之名的《脉诀》流行之后，医经的道理便衰微了。大概是因为王叔和被世人所信任和尊重，所以假借他的名字得以流传。然而医道日益浅薄，未必不是由此造成的误导。
金陵戴起宗说：脉象不可以用表里来定名。黄帝、岐伯、扁鹊、王叔和都不曾谈论表里脉。《脉诀》窃取王叔和的名声，设立“七表、八里、九道”，使世人产生巨大的困惑。脉的变化源于阴阳，只能以阴阳相对待而言，各从其类，怎么能以第一浮、第二芤等固定顺序来划分七八九的名称呢？大抵因浮而显现的都属于表，因沉而显现的都属于里，何必拘泥于七八九呢？庐山刘立之将浮、沉、迟、数作为纲领来教导后人，虽然看似捷径，但必须博学然后反归简约，才能进入脉学的妙境。如果以此自满，那就画地为牢了。
撄宁滑寿说：脉的阴阳表里是以相对待的形象来命名的。高阳生的“七表、八里、九道”大概是穿凿附会的。探求脉理的明晰反而导致脉理的晦暗。谢氏说：《脉经》论述脉象有二十四种，起初并没有表里九道的目次。它论述芤脉说：“中央空，两边实。”又说“芤则为阴”。而《脉诀》将芤脉列为七表，归属于阳。又说“中间有两头无”。张仲景的脉法说：“浮、大、数、动、滑为阳；沉、涩、弱、弦、微为阴。”而《脉诀》将动脉列为阴，将弦脉列为阳。像这样背谬错误很多，那么《脉诀》不是王叔和的书是可以推断出来的。
草庐吴澄说：世俗错误地将《脉诀》当作《脉经》，而知道王氏《脉经》的人或许很少。脉书往往将牢脉和革脉混为一谈。夫牢脉主寒实，革脉主虚寒，怎么可以混淆呢？脉象的浮沉、虚实、紧缓、数迟、滑涩、长短等相反相成的匹配，本来就不容易分辨。何况有难以辨别的，如洪脉和散脉都大而洪脉有力、散脉无力；微脉和细脉都小而微脉无力、细脉有根；芤脉类似浮脉但边有中无；伏脉类似沉脉但边无中有。像豆粒一样摇摇不定的是动脉；像鼓皮一样外坚内空、按之如鼓皮者是革脉。这些都是对待（相对）的概念。又有促、结、代脉，都是有止歇的脉象。促脉疾速，结脉缓慢，所以可以相对；代脉则没有相对的脉象。总之，凡二十七种脉，不止于《脉诀》所说的七表、八里、九道共二十四种脉。（详见文集）
濒湖李时珍说：《脉经》论述脉象只有二十四种，没有长、短二脉。《脉诀》歌诀也有二十四种，增加了长、短二脉而去掉了数、散二脉，都是错误的。《素问》《难经》及张仲景论述脉象，只是辨别阴阳，起初没有固定的数量。如《素问》中的鼓搏、喘横，张仲景《伤寒论》平脉篇中的荣卫、章纲、损纵、逆顺之类，就是这种情况。后世脉学的精微之处失传，无所依凭准则，于是创立名称来进行归类。现在的学人按图索骥，犹如面对汪洋大海般茫然，更何况要掌握其全部宗旨呢？只有草庐公（吴澄）的说法独得要领。
Zhu Xi (Hui'an) stated: In ancient times, pulse diagnosis was not conducted by a single method. Nowadays, people only adhere to the methods of the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions. The location of the "Guan" is often unclear. Only the popularly circulated *Mai Jue* (Pulse Mantra), despite its vulgar and shallow language, can directly point to the prominent bone as the "Guan". However, eminent physicians of the world, knowing this book to be a forgery, discard it and speak of it with shame. (Postscript on Guo Changyang's Book)
Liu Guan from Dongyang stated: Wang Shuhe compiled the *Mai Jing* (Classic of Pulse Diagnosis) in ten volumes, which became a classic for medical practitioners. Today, the *Mai Jue* is widely memorized and spoken of, and people directly attribute it to Wang Shuhe. Yet, they do not know that Wang Shuhe lived during the Western Jin Dynasty, when verse mnemonics had not yet been created. This was forged by someone in the middle of the Song Dynasty for the convenience of learning and recitation. Master Zhu accepted his theory of using the prominent bone as the "Guan", unaware that this concept actually originates from the *Mai Jing*.
Xie Jinweng from Luling stated: It is unknown when the so-called *Shuhe Mai Jue* originated. When the *Mai Jing* was corrected in the early Xining era of the Song Dynasty, this book did not yet exist. Chen Kongshuo was the first to claim that after the *Mai Jue* appeared, the *Mai Jing* fell into obscurity. Thus, the *Mai Jue* must have been composed by someone after the Xining era. Only Chen Wuze in the *San Yin Fang* (Treatise on Three Causes) stated that Gao Yangsheng plagiarized content to create verse mnemonics, and Liu Yuanbin followed suit. Their theories seemed to demonstrate a deep understanding of the *Mai Jing*, yet they invented the names "Seven Superficial, Eight Interior, Nine Dao". This implies that Chen Wuze had not read the *Mai Jing* in detail.
Wang Shixiang from Hedong stated: The art of pulse diagnosis is difficult to master. The profound teachings of Huangdi and Qibo, as well as the *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) and *Mai Jing* compiled by Bian Que and Wang Shuhe, did not fully reveal their mysteries. Gao Yangsheng of the Five Dynasties period authored the *Mai Jue*, falsely attributing it to Wang Shuhe. The text contains many contradictions and uses vulgar language. It has been wrongly annotated by secular scholars. Physicians pass it down family to family and recite it household to household, yet remain confused about where to begin. They merely use it to make a living; what benefit does it bring to clinical diagnosis?
Qian Pu from Yunjian stated: Wang Shuhe, Grand Physician of the Jin Dynasty, authored the *Mai Jing*, whose words are reliable and should not be altered arbitrarily. However, once the fake *Mai Jue* attributed to Wang Shuhe circulated, the principles of medical classics declined. This is likely because Wang Shuhe was highly trusted by the world, allowing those who borrowed his name to gain traction. Nevertheless, the gradual superficiality of medical knowledge may well have been misled by this.
Dai Qizong from Jinling stated: Pulse cannot be named by "Superficial" (Biao) and "Interior" (Li). Huangdi, Qibo, Bian Que, and Wang Shuhe never spoke of Biao-Li pulses. The *Mai Jue* stole Wang Shuhe's reputation to establish "Seven Superficial, Eight Interior, Nine Dao", causing great confusion among the world. Pulse variations arise from Yin and Yang; one can only discuss them in terms of Yin-Yang opposition and categorization. How can one fix an order like "First Floating, Second Knotted" to divide them into Seven, Eight, and Nine? Generally, pulses revealed by floating belong to Biao, and those revealed by sinking belong to Li. Why stick to Seven, Eight, and Nine? Liu Lizhi of Mount Lu used Floating, Sinking, Slow, and Rapid as guidelines for teaching. Although this seems like a shortcut, one must study extensively and then return to simplicity to enter the subtleties of pulse diagnosis. If one becomes complacent with this, it is like drawing a boundary around oneself.
Hua Shou (Yingning) stated: The Yin and Yang, Biao and Li of the pulse are named based on opposing images. Gao Yangsheng's "Seven Superficial, Eight Interior, Nine Dao" were likely forced interpretations. Seeking clarity in pulse leads to its obscurity. Mr. Xie stated: The *Mai Jing* discusses twenty-four types of pulses, originally without categories of Biao, Li, or Nine Dao. Regarding the Kou (Hollow) pulse, it says: "Empty in the center, solid on both sides." It also states: "Kou belongs to Yin." However, the *Mai Jue* lists Kou under Seven Superficial, attributing it to Yang. It also says: "Two ends present, middle absent." Zhang Zhongjing's pulse method states: "Floating, Large, Rapid, Agitated, Slippery are Yang; Deep, Choppy, Weak, String-like, Faint are Yin." But the *Mai Jue* classifies Agitated as Yin and String-like as Yang. There are many such errors, proving that the *Mai Jue* is not by Wang Shuhe.
Wu Cheng (Caolu) stated: People mistakenly confuse the *Mai Jue* with the *Mai Jing*, while few know Wang's *Mai Jing*. Pulse books often confuse Lao (Solid) and Ge (Drum-skin) pulses. Lao indicates Cold-Excess, while Ge indicates Deficiency-Cold; how can they be mixed? The matching of opposite pulse qualities like Floating/Sinking, Deficiency/Excess, Tight/Relaxed, Rapid/Slow, Slippery/Choppy, Long/Short is not easy. Consider those hard to distinguish: Hong (Surging) and San (Scattered) are both large, but Hong is forceful while San is weak. Wei (Micro) and Xi (Fine) are both small, but Wei lacks strength while Xi has roots. Kou resembles Floating but is empty in the center; Fu (Hidden) resembles Deep but is absent at the surface. A pulse that wavers like a bean grain is Dong (Agitated); a pulse that feels like a drum skin—hard outside but empty inside—is Ge. These are pairs. There are also Cu (Rapid-intermittent), Jie (Slow-intermittent), and Dai (Intermittent) pulses, all having pauses. Cu is rapid, Jie is slow, so they can be paired; Dai has no pair. In total, there are twenty-seven pulses, not just the twenty-four mentioned in the Seven Superficial, Eight Interior, and Nine Dao. (See detailed writings)
Li Shizhen (Binhu) stated: The *Mai Jing* discusses only twenty-four pulses, lacking Long and Short. The *Mai Jue* also lists twenty-four, adding Long and Short while removing Rapid and Scattered, which is incorrect. The *Su Wen* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), *Nan Jing*, and Zhang Zhongjing discussed pulses only by distinguishing Yin and Yang, without fixed numbers. Examples include Drumming/Pounding and Panting/Horizontal in the *Su Wen*, and Ying-Wei, Gang-Gang, Sun-Zong, Ni-Shun in Zhang Zhongjing's Ping Mai Chapter. Since the subtleties of pulse diagnosis were lost in later generations, lacking standards, names were created for classification. Modern students searching for horses according to pictures are like gazing at the ocean in awe; how can they grasp the full essence? Only Master Caolu's (Wu Cheng) statement captures the key point.