黄帝问曰∶“气口何以独为五脏主？”岐伯曰∶“胃者，水谷
之海，六腑之大源也。五味入口，藏于胃，以养五脏气。气口，太
阴也。是以五脏六腑之气味，皆出于胃，变见于气口。”（气口者，六部之总
称，非专指右关之前也。
【按】《素问·经脉别论》云∶“食气入胃，经气归于肺。肺朝
百脉，气归于权衡。权衡以平，气口成寸，以决死生。”由是知气口即寸口也。曰变
见者，饮食所变之精微，皆显见于手太阴之气口，而阴阳盛衰之象，莫不从此
见矣。吴草庐曰∶“两手寸部俱名为气口，不仅言右寸肺脉为气口者也。”）
《难经》曰∶“‘十二经皆有动脉，独取寸口何谓也？’扁鹊
曰∶‘寸口者，脉之大会，手太阴之动脉也。’”（肺为五脏六腑之华盖，位处至高，受百脉之朝
会，布一身之阴阳，故经曰，“脏真高于肺，以行营卫阴阳”者是也。是以十二
经皆有动脉，独取肺家一经之动脉，可以见五脏六腑强弱吉凶之征兆也。）
《内经》曰∶“人一呼脉再动，一吸脉亦再动，呼吸定息脉五
动，闰以太息，命曰平人。（出气曰呼，入气曰吸。一呼一吸，谓之一息。动，至也。再动，
再至也。常人之脉，一呼两至，一吸亦两至。呼吸定息，谓一息将尽，而换息未起之际，脉又一至，
故曰五动。闰，余也，犹闰月之义。言平和之脉，若得五动，即太过矣；惟当太息之际，亦为平脉，何
也？凡人之呼吸，三息后必闰以一息之长，五息再闰，谓之太息。故曰‘闰以太息’，
乃应历家三岁一闰、五岁再闰之数也。此即平人不病之常度。然则总计定息太息
之间，大约一息脉当六至，故《五十营篇》曰，‘呼吸定息，脉行六寸’，乃合一至一寸
也。呼吸脉行丈尺，凡昼夜五十度，合一万三千五百息，五十营气脉之数，以应周
天二十八宿。人之经脉十二，左右相同，则为二十四脉。加以跷脉二，任、督脉二，
共二十八脉，周身十六丈二尺，以分昼夜也。是为常度。使五十营之数，常周备无
失，则寿亦无穷，故得尽天地之寿矣。周行八百一十丈，昼夜五十营之总数也。）一呼脉一动，一吸脉一动，曰少
气。（一呼一吸，脉各一动，则一息二至，减于常人之半，脉之迟者也。
迟主阴寒，阳气衰微也，故曰少气。《十四难》谓之离经脉。）一呼脉三
动，一吸脉三动而躁，尺热，曰病温；尺不热，脉滑曰病风，脉涩
曰痹。（若不因定息太息，而呼吸各三动，是一息六至矣。《难经》亦曰‘离经’。躁
者；急疾之谓，阳盛阴衰，热之象也。尺热，言尺后近臂有热，则必通身皆
热。脉来数躁，而身有热，故知其病温。数滑而尺不热，阳邪内盛，当病内风。若
使外感于风，宁有尺不热之理乎！滑，不涩也。涩，不滑也。滑为血实气壅，涩为气滞血少，故当病痹。）
一呼脉四动以上曰死。脉绝不至曰死。乍疏乍数曰
死。”（一呼四动，则一息八至矣，而况以上乎。《难经》谓之夺精。四至曰脱精，五
至曰死，六至曰命尽。是皆一呼四至以上也，故死。脉绝不至，则元气已
竭。乍疏乍数，则阴阳败乱无主。三脉若见，不死安待。）
黄帝问道：“为什么气口脉能够单独作为判断五脏状况的依据？”岐伯回答说：“胃，是饮食水谷汇聚的海洋，也是六腑功能的根本来源。各种味道进入口中后，储藏于胃中，用来滋养五脏之气。气口脉属于手太阴肺经。因此，五脏六腑的精微气味，都来源于胃，并变化显现于气口脉上。”（注：气口，是两手寸关尺六部脉的总称，并非专指右手关前的一寸部位。【按语】《素问·经脉别论》说：“食物进入胃后，其精气通过经脉归于肺。肺朝会百脉，调节气的平衡。当阴阳平衡时，气口形成寸脉，以此可以决断生死。”由此可知，气口即寸口。所谓“变见”，是指饮食所化生的精微物质，都显现在手太阴肺经的气口处，而阴阳盛衰的现象，无不从这里显现出来。吴草庐说：“两手的寸部都称为气口，不仅仅指右寸肺脉为气口。”）
《难经》说：“‘十二经脉都有动脉，为什么唯独取寸口脉？’扁鹊回答：‘寸口，是脉气大会合的地方，是手太阴肺经的动脉。’”（注：肺是五脏六腑的华盖，位置最高，接受百脉的朝会，布散全身的阴阳之气，所以经文说，“脏真之气高于肺，用以运行营卫阴阳”就是这个道理。因此，虽然十二经脉都有动脉，但唯独取肺经这一条经脉的动脉，就可以观察到五脏六腑强弱吉凶的征兆。）
《内经》说：“人每呼气时脉搏跳动两次，每吸气时脉搏也跳动两次，在一呼一吸之间（定息）脉搏跳动五次，如果加上偶尔的长呼吸（太息），就叫做平人（健康正常的人）。（注：呼出气叫呼，吸入气叫吸。一呼一吸，称为一息。动，指脉搏跳动。再动，指跳动两次。常人的脉搏，一呼跳动两次，一吸也跳动两次。呼吸定息，指一息将尽、换息未起之际，脉搏又跳动一次，所以说跳动五次。闰，指余数，就像闰月的意思。意思是平和的脉搏，如果固定得到五次跳动，就是太过；只有在太息的时候，才算是正常的平脉，为什么呢？因为人的呼吸，三次呼吸后必然会有一个较长的呼吸来补充，五息之中会有两次这样的长呼吸，称为太息。所以说‘闰以太息’，这是对应历法中三年一闰、五年再闰的规律。这就是健康人不生病的正常标准。那么总计在定息和太息之间，大约一息脉搏应当跳动六次，所以《五十营篇》说，‘呼吸定息，脉行六寸’，这就是一至一寸的意思。呼吸间脉气运行丈尺，凡昼夜五十周，合计一万三千五百息，这是五十营气脉运行的次数，以对应周天二十八宿。人的经脉有十二条，左右相同，所以是二十四条脉。再加上跷脉两条，任脉、督脉两条，共二十八条脉，周身长度十六丈二尺，以分配昼夜的时间。这是正常的度数。如果五十营的次数，经常周全没有失误，那么寿命也就无穷无尽，所以能享尽天年的寿命。周行八百一十丈，是昼夜五十营的总数。）如果每呼气脉搏跳动一次，每吸气脉搏也跳动一次，叫做少气。（注：一呼一吸，脉搏各跳动一次，则一息共跳动两次，比常人减少了一半，是脉搏迟缓的表现。迟脉主阴寒，表示阳气衰微，所以叫做少气。《难经·十四难》称之为离经脉。）如果每呼气脉搏跳动三次，每吸气脉搏也跳动三次且急促，尺部皮肤发热，叫做温病；尺部不发热，脉搏滑利，叫做风病；脉搏涩滞，叫做痹证。（注：如果不考虑定息或太息的情况，而呼吸各跳动三次，就是一息六次了。《难经》也称此为‘离经’。躁，指急疾，是阳盛阴衰、热象的表现。尺热，指尺后靠近手臂处发热，那么全身都会发热。脉搏来势数且躁动，身体又有热，所以知道是温病。脉数且滑而尺部不热，说明阳邪内盛，应当患内风病。如果是外感风邪，怎么会有尺部不热的道理呢！滑，就是不涩。涩，就是不滑。滑脉代表血实气壅，涩脉代表气滞血少，所以应当患痹证。）如果每呼气脉搏跳动四次以上，叫做死证。脉搏完全停止不再跳动，叫做死证。脉搏忽快忽慢，叫做死证。”（注：一呼四动，则一息八次了，何况还有超过这个次数的。《难经》称之为夺精。四至曰脱精，五至曰死，六至曰命尽。这些都是指一呼四至以上的情况，所以主死。脉搏绝迹不至，说明元气已经枯竭。忽疏忽数，说明阴阳败乱、失去主宰。这三种脉象如果出现，不死还等待什么呢？）
Huangdi asked, "Why can the Qi Kou (Radial Pulse) alone serve as the master indicator for the Five Zang Organs?" Qibo replied, "The Stomach is the sea of water and grain, and the great source of the Six Fu Organs. When flavors enter the mouth, they are stored in the Stomach to nourish the Qi of the Five Zang Organs. The Qi Kou belongs to the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. Therefore, the Qi and flavor of the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs all originate from the Stomach and manifest at the Qi Kou." (Note: Qi Kou is a general term for the six positions on both wrists, not specifically referring to the Cun position before the Guan on the right hand. [Commentary] The *Suwen: Jingmai Bulun* states, "When food enters the Stomach, its essence travels through the meridians to return to the Lung. The Lung receives the assembly of all vessels, and Qi returns to balance. When balanced, the Qi Kou forms the Cun pulse, by which life and death can be determined." From this, we know that Qi Kou is synonymous with Cun Kou. By 'manifesting,' it means that the refined essence transformed from food and drink appears clearly at the Qi Kou of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, and no phenomenon of Yin-Yang excess or deficiency fails to be revealed here. Wu Caolu said, "Both Cun positions on the two hands are called Qi Kou; it does not refer only to the Right Cun Lung pulse as Qi Kou.")
The *Nanjing* says, "'All twelve meridians have pulsating arteries; why take only the Cun Kou?' Bian Que answered, 'The Cun Kou is the grand meeting of pulses, the pulsating artery of the Hand Taiyin.'" (Note: The Lung is the canopy over the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs, located at the highest position, receiving the assembly of all vessels and distributing Yin and Yang throughout the body. Thus, the classics say, "The True Qi of the Zang Organs is higher in the Lung, used to circulate Ying and Wei Qi and Yin-Yang." Therefore, although all twelve meridians have pulsating arteries, taking only the arterial pulse of the Lung meridian allows one to observe the signs of strength, weakness, auspiciousness, and misfortune of the Five Zang and Six Fu Organs.)
The *Neijing* states, "In one exhalation, the pulse beats twice; in one inhalation, the pulse also beats twice. At the end of a breath cycle (Ding Xi), the pulse beats five times. With occasional deep sighs (Tai Xi), this is called a Ping Ren (healthy person)." (Note: Exhaling air is called Hu; inhaling air is called Xi. One Hu and one Xi constitute one Xi (breath cycle). 'Beat' refers to the pulse movement. Two beats mean two movements. For a normal person, the pulse beats twice per exhalation and twice per inhalation. Ding Xi refers to the moment when one breath cycle ends but the next has not yet begun, during which the pulse beats once more, hence 'five beats.' 'Run' means remainder, similar to the concept of a leap month. It implies that if a peaceful pulse consistently shows five beats, it is excessive; only during a Tai Xi (deep sigh) is it considered a normal pulse. Why? Because after every three breaths, there must be one longer breath to compensate. In five breath cycles, there are two such long breaths, called Tai Xi. Thus, 'Run Yi Tai Xi' corresponds to the calendrical rule of a leap year every three years and two leap years every five years. This is the standard measure for a healthy person without disease. Therefore, counting between Ding Xi and Tai Xi, the pulse should beat approximately six times per Xi. Hence, the *Wushi Ying Pian* states, 'At Ding Xi, the pulse moves six cun,' meaning one beat equals one cun. During respiration, the pulse moves distances measured in zhang and chi. Over day and night, fifty circuits occur, totaling 13,500 breaths. This represents the number of Ying Qi circuits, corresponding to the 28 Lunar Mansions of the celestial sphere. Humans have twelve main meridians; with left and right sides, there are twenty-four. Adding the two Qiao meridians, the Ren Mai, and the Du Mai, there are twenty-eight meridians in total, spanning 16 zhang 2 chi around the body, dividing the day and night. This is the constant measure. If the fifty circuits are always complete and without error, longevity is infinite, allowing one to enjoy the full lifespan granted by Heaven and Earth. The total distance traveled is 810 zhang, the sum of fifty circuits over day and night.) If the pulse beats once per exhalation and once per inhalation, it is called Shao Qi (Deficient Qi). (Note: One beat per Hu and one per Xi results in two beats per Xi, half the normal rate, indicating a slow pulse. Slow pulses indicate Yin-cold and declining Yang Qi, hence 'Shao Qi.' The *Nanjing: Nan 14* calls this Li Jing Mai.) If the pulse beats three times per exhalation and three times per inhalation, and is rapid, with heat at the Chi position, it is called Wen Bing (Warm Disease); if the Chi position is not hot, and the pulse is slippery, it is called Feng Bing (Wind Disease); if the pulse is choppy, it is called Bi Syndrome. (Note: Without considering Ding Xi or Tai Xi, if each breath cycle yields three beats, it totals six beats per Xi. The *Nanjing* also calls this 'Li Jing.' 'Zao' means rapid and urgent, representing Yang excess and Yin deficiency, a sign of heat. 'Chi Re' means heat near the Chi position towards the arm, implying whole-body heat. A rapid, restless pulse combined with body heat indicates Warm Disease. A rapid, slippery pulse without Chi heat suggests internal excess of Yang pathogenic factors, pointing to Internal Wind. If it were an external wind attack, how could the Chi position lack heat? 'Hua' means not choppy. 'Se' means not slippery. Slippery pulses indicate blood excess and Qi stagnation; choppy pulses indicate Qi stagnation and blood deficiency, thus leading to Bi Syndrome.) If the pulse beats four times or more per exhalation, it indicates death. If the pulse ceases completely and does not return, it indicates death. If the pulse is irregularly sparse and rapid, it indicates death." (Note: Four beats per exhalation means eight beats per Xi, let alone more. The *Nanjing* calls this Duo Jing (Loss of Essence). Four beats indicate loss of essence, five beats indicate death, six beats indicate the end of life. These all refer to four or more beats per exhalation, hence fatal. Complete absence of pulse indicates exhaustion of Yuan Qi. Irregularly sparse and rapid pulses indicate chaos and loss of mastery over Yin and Yang. If any of these three pulses appear, death is inevitable.)