What If Chinese Pulse Diagnosis Was Actually Simple? TCM Made Easy

We’re about to embark together on the hardest part of Chinese medicine diagnosis: taking the pulse. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. This is a hard one. It is a very difficult part of TCM, and we all struggle with it. Including myself, but I wanted to give you today the basics on how to take a pulse, so you don’t make it complicated. Don’t worry, we make it simple, so you don’t struggle with it, and you get to use it with your patients to help you with your overall diagnosis. Does that sound good?

In this video, we’re focusing on why pulse diagnosis matters, the positions and organ correlation and pulse qualities. We’ll also explore common pulse types and what they mean, personal tips and, as usual, my clinical pearls. And why you must always practice, practice, practice.

Whether it’s your first time taking a pulse as an acupunture student, or you’re a practitioner with years of experience and want to refresh your pulse diagnosis skills—this video is for you.

Because you and I both know… acupuncture rocks—and so do you.|
Clara
TCM Geek

PS: Looking for another resource to help you with your Pulse Diagnosis skills? Check out my FREE PDF!

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📗Chinese Medicine Made Easy Book/PDF

What If Chinese Pulse Diagnosis Was Actually Simple? TCM Made Easy

✨ Why Pulse Diagnosis Matters

To begin with, pulse-taking is one of the Four Pillars of Diagnosis in TCM, alongside:

• Looking (inspection)

• Listening and smelling

• Asking (inquiry)

But more importantly, the pulse is more than a rhythm—it reflects the state of Qi, Blood, Yin, Yang, and Zang-Fu organs, offering a window into the patient’s internal environment. In other words, it’s a tactile art form that reveals patterns not easily seen, helping us tailor treatments with more precision.

🎯 Pulse Positions & Organ Correlations

Let’s break it down simply. TCM pulse-taking involves feeling the radial pulse at the wrist, across three positions (Cun, Guan, Chi) and three depths (superficial, middle, deep) on both wrists. That gives us 18 diagnostic points!

👈🏼 Left Wrist

• Front (Cun): Heart

• Middle (Guan): Liver

• Rear (Chi): Kidney Yin

👉🏼 Right Wrist

• Cun (front): Lung

• Guan (middle): Spleen

• Chi (rear): Kidney Yang / Ming Men Fire

👇🏼 Depths

• Superficial: Reflects Qi and Yang organs

• Middle: Blood and function

• Deep: Yin and Zang organs

So as you can see, each pulse location offers insight into a different organ system and level of the body.

🌀 Understanding Pulse Qualities

Now that we’ve covered locations, let’s talk about qualities.

While classical texts mention 27–28 types, most practitioners focus on 10–15. To keep it simple, I’ve grouped them into seven key categories to guide your pulse interpretation:

🔹 Speed

• Rapid (>90 bpm): Heat or Yin deficiency

• Slow (<60 bpm): Cold or Yang deficiency

🔸Depth

• Superficial: External invasion (e.g., Wind-Cold)

• Deep: Internal disorder

🔹 Strength

• Forceful: Excess pattern

• Weak: Deficiency of Qi, Blood, or Yang

🔸Width

• Thick: Excess condition

• Thready (Thin): Blood or Yin deficiency

🔹 Shape / Texture

• Slippery: Dampness, Phlegm, Pregnancy, or Food Stagnation

• Wiry: Liver Qi stagnation, pain, or stress

• Choppy: Blood stasis or deficiency

🔸Length

• Long: Excess

• Short: Qi deficiency

🔹 Regularity

• Knotted: Slow and irregular—may indicate Cold, stagnation, or Heart pathology

• Intermittent: Irregular pauses—often serious Zang organ deficiency

🧠 Common Pulse Types & What They Mean

Let’s look at some examples to help you memorize these qualities in action:

🛠 Clinical Tips from the Treatment Room

To help you get the most accurate pulse, here are a few clinical pearls I’ve learned over the years:

• Avoid pulse-taking after caffeine, exercise, or strong emotions.

• Give the patient a few minutes to settle. This alone can shift the pulse.

• Remember: Pulse changes in real-time. A single needle or a deep breath can alter it—fascinating, right?

• Always correlate with the tongue, symptoms, and case history. This diagnostic method doesn’t stand alone.

💬 A Personal Reflection

Before becoming a TCM practitioner, I was a fitness instructor, teaching hip-hop and aerobics. One of my students was deaf, and she taught me to feel rhythm through vibration.

That same tactile awareness is what pulse diagnosis is all about. You don’t always “see” what’s under your fingers—you sense it.

🎹 Technique 101: How to Take the Pulse

Ready to try it out? Here’s your step-by-step:

1. Make sure both you and your patient are relaxed.

2. Support their wrist below heart level.

3. Use your index, middle, and ring fingers to assess each of the three positions on the wrist.

4. Press in sequence: Start light (superficial), then moderate (middle), then deep.

Think of it like playing the piano—fluid, sensitive, and rhythmic.

🌱 Practice Makes Progress

As many of you know, I’ve been in practice since 2003, and I still see pulse-taking as a lifelong journey.

There’s no final destination—just deeper understanding with each patient. The more you practice, the more intuitive it becomes.

To sum up, pulse diagnosis is more than just a technique—it’s a connection. It anchors us in the moment and allows us to truly listen—not to words, but to the body’s subtle language.

So take a breath, feel the rhythm, and trust your hands. With time, they’ll speak the language of TCM fluently.