(吴氏作决死生论)
形盛脉细。少气不足以息者危(外有余而中不足)形瘦脉大。胸中多气者死(阳有余而
阴不足。故脉反大而多气喘满也)参伍不调者病(言于三部九候。或有一二不调为愆和有病)
三部九候皆相失者死(以天人言上中下。谓之三才。以人身言上中下谓之三部。三部而各分
其三谓之三候三候有天有地有人。合为九候也○上古诊脉。不独寸口于诸经之动脉皆诊之。
如本篇云。上部天。两额之动脉。以候头角之气。上部地。两颊之动脉。以候口齿之气。上
部人。耳前之动脉。以候耳目之气。中部天手太阴也。取寸口以侯肺。中部地。手阳明也。
取合谷以候胸中之气。中部人。手少。阴也。取神门以候心。下部天。足厥。阴也。取太冲
以候肝。下部地。足少阴也。取太 以候肾。下部人。足太阴也。取其门之动脉。又取跗上
之冲阳。以候脾胃之气。此三部九候是也。十八难曰。三部者。寸阙尺也。九候者。浮中沉
也。乃单以寸口而分三部九候之诊。后世言脉者皆宗之)察九候独小者病(九候之中。一部独
小。下同)独大者病。独疾者病。独迟者病。独热者病独寒者病。独陷下者病(陷下。沉伏也
)形肉已脱(脾气大坏)九候虽调犹死。七诊虽见(谓独小独大独疾独迟独寒独热独陷下也)九
候皆从者不死(从。顺也。脉顺四时之令。及合诸经之体者是也)
（吴氏将其作《决死生论》）
形体壮盛但脉象细弱，气息短少不足以呼吸的，属于危重证候（这是外表有余而体内不足的表现）。
形体消瘦但脉象洪大，胸中感觉气多胀满的，属于死证（这是因为阳气有余而阴液不足，所以脉象反而洪大且伴有气喘、胸腹胀满等症状）。
脉象参差杂乱、不调匀的，是有病（意思是说在三部九候的诊察中，如果有一两处不调和，就是失常而有病）。
如果三部九候的脉象都相互失调错乱的，属于死证（从天地人的角度来讲，上中下称为三才；从人体部位来讲，上中下称为三部。每一部又各分天、地、人三候，合起来就是九候。九候中分别对应天、地、人。○上古时期诊脉，不仅仅诊察寸口脉，而是对诸经的动脉都进行诊察。如本篇所说：上部天，是两额部的动脉，用来诊察头角之气；上部地，是两颊部的动脉，用来诊察口齿之气；上部人，是耳前的动脉，用来诊察耳目之气；中部天是手太阴肺经，取寸口脉来诊察肺气；中部地是手阳明大肠经，取合谷穴来诊察胸中之气；中部人是手少阴心经，取神门穴来诊察心气；下部天是足厥阴肝经，取太冲穴来诊察肝气；下部地是足少阴肾经，取太溪穴来诊察肾气；下部人是足太阴脾经，取其内踝前上方的动脉，同时取足背上的冲阳穴，用来诊察脾胃之气。这就是所谓的三部九候。《难经·十八难》说：三部是指寸、关、尺；九候是指浮、中、沉三种指力。这是专门以寸口脉来划分三部九候的诊法，后世谈论脉学的人都尊崇这种方法）。
观察九候脉象，如果其中某一部特别小的，是有病（九候之中，有一部特别小，下同）。
特别大的，是有病。
特别快的（数脉），是有病。
特别慢的（迟脉），是有病。
特别热的，是有病。
特别冷的，是有病。
特别沉伏陷下的，是有病（陷下，即沉伏之意）。
如果形体肌肉已经脱失（说明脾气已经严重败坏），即使九候脉象调和，也属于死证。
如果出现了“七诊”所见的异常脉象（所谓七诊，是指脉象独小、独大、独疾、独迟、独寒、独热、独陷下这七种情况），但如果九候的脉象总体上都顺应四时气候及经脉生理规律的，就不死（从，意为顺从。脉象顺应四时的变化规律，以及符合各经脉的生理特性，就是顺）。
(Wu's work is titled "Treatise on Determining Life and Death")
When the physical constitution is robust but the pulse is fine and thin, and there is shortness of breath insufficient for respiration, the condition is critical (this indicates excess on the exterior but deficiency in the interior). When the body is emaciated yet the pulse is large, and there is a sensation of excessive Qi in the chest, it is a fatal sign (this is due to Yang excess and Yin deficiency; thus the pulse appears unusually large accompanied by panting and chest fullness). A pulse that is irregular and unharmonious indicates disease (meaning that within the Three Regions and Nine Palpations, if one or two areas are unharmonious, it signifies deviation from normalcy and the presence of disease). If the pulses in all Three Regions and Nine Palpations are mutually disordered, it is a fatal sign (Speaking from the perspective of Heaven, Earth, and Man, the upper, middle, and lower are called the Three Realms. Speaking from the human body, the upper, middle, and lower are called the Three Regions. Each of the three regions is divided into its own Heaven, Earth, and Man, constituting nine palpation points. The nine palpations correspond to Heaven, Earth, and Man. ○ In ancient times, pulse diagnosis was not limited to the Cun Kou (radial artery); pulses at arterial sites of various meridians were all palpated. As stated in this chapter: The Heaven of the Upper Region refers to the arteries at both temples, used to observe the Qi of the head and angles; the Earth of the Upper Region refers to the arteries at both cheeks, used to observe the Qi of the mouth and teeth; the Man of the Upper Region refers to the artery in front of the ears, used to observe the Qi of the eyes and ears; the Heaven of the Middle Region is the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, taking the Cun Kou point to observe Lung Qi; the Earth of the Middle Region is the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, taking Hegu LI4 to observe the Qi of the chest; the Man of the Middle Region is the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, taking Shenmen HT7 to observe Heart Qi; the Heaven of the Lower Region is the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, taking Taichong LR3 to observe Liver Qi; the Earth of the Lower Region is the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, taking Taixi KI3 to observe Kidney Qi; the Man of the Lower Region is the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, taking the artery anterior to the medial malleolus, and also taking Chongyang ST42 on the dorsum of the foot, to observe the Qi of the Spleen and Stomach. This constitutes the Three Regions and Nine Palpations. The Eighteenth Chapter of the Nan Jing states: The Three Regions refer to Cun, Guan, and Chi; the Nine Palpations refer to Floating, Middle, and Deep pressures. This method divides the Three Regions and Nine Palpations solely based on the Cun Kou pulse. Later generations discussing pulse diagnosis have all followed this approach).
Observe the nine palpations: if one region alone is small, it indicates disease (among the nine palpations, one region is exclusively small, same for below); if one region alone is large, it indicates disease; if one region alone is rapid, it indicates disease; if one region alone is slow, it indicates disease; if one region alone feels hot, it indicates disease; if one region alone feels cold, it indicates disease; if one region alone is sunken and depressed, it indicates disease ("Sunken and depressed" refers to deep and hidden pulses).
If the flesh and muscles have already wasted away (indicating severe damage to Spleen Qi), even if the nine palpations are harmonious, death will occur. If the "Seven Diagnoses" are observed (referring to the exclusive conditions of small, large, rapid, slow, cold, hot, and sunken pulses), but the nine palpations generally follow the natural order (following implies compliance; the pulse complies with the laws of the four seasons and conforms to the characteristics of the various meridians), then death will not occur.