Difference

Sameness

Floating pulse

Sensible under light pressure, weak and constant under heavy pressure

Superficial beating

Weak pulse

Weak beating pulse of cun, guan and chi

Hollow pulseg

Floating, large and hollow, like the leaf of scallion

Scattered pulse

Thin, soft pulse, almost insensible under pressure

    Difference

Sameness

Slow pulse

No more than 4 beats in a cycle of breath (<60/min)

Slow beating

Moderate pulse

4 beats in a cycle of breath (60-70/min)

    Difference

Sameness

Fast pulse

Over 5-6 times in a cycle of breath (75-90/min)

Beating freely

Slippery pulse

Smooth beating, like the movement of the beads of an abacus

Swift pulse

Over 7 times in a cycle of breath (≥140/min)

    Difference

Sameness

Powerful pulse

Be powerful sensation at cun, guan and chi under superficial, moderate and heavy pressure

Full content

Full pulse

Wide size, beating like roaring waves, surges as well as sudden flowing and ebbing.

    Difference

Sameness

Thin pulse

Be sensible under pressure

Thin, weak pulse

Indistinct pulse

Be very thin and soft, almost insensible under pressure

Feeble pulse

Deep, sensible and weak under heavy pressure

Slow pulse

Be superficial, sensible and weak under light pressure

    Difference

Sameness

Taut pulse

Straight, energetic and hard like the feeling of pressing the string of a violin

Long and tense pulse

Long pulse

Surpassing cun, guan and chi

Tense pulse

Like pulling a rope and flicks the finger when pressed. Tenser and more powerful than taut pulse

    Difference

Sameness

Slow-intermittent-regular pulse

Slow pulse with regular and linger intermittence

Intermittent pulse

Slow-intermittent pulse

Slow pulse with irregular intermittence

Rapid and intermittent pulse

Fast pulse with irregular intermittence