Pulse Verification

黄蕴兮Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

2.8

Word count: 20K words
Chapters: 43

Summary

Mai Que (Pulse Certainty) is a one-juan work on pulse studies written by Huang Yunxi of the Qing dynasty and published around 1746. Huang discusses the twenty-six pulses and the diseases they indicate in the form of mnemonic verses. The verses have distinctive features in their arrangement: for example, when introducing the floating (fu) and sinking (chen) pulses, he composes the verse for each pulse using rhymes belonging to the rhyme category of the characters fu, chen, and so on. The diseases indicated by each pulse are based mainly on the records in the Inner Canon, with brief selections from the Pulse Classic and later works on pulse studies added as supplements. The work was later incorporated into medical works such as the Complete Compendium of External Medicine. In 1981 the Traditional Chinese Medicine Antiquarian Books Press issued a photocopy edition.

Editor's review

Mai Que, in one juan, was written by Huang Yunxi of the Qing dynasty and published around 1746. It is an introductory work on pulse studies that discusses the twenty-six pulses and their indicated diseases in mnemonic verse. Its cleverest feature lies in how the verses are composed: when introducing pulses such as floating (fu) and sinking (chen), Huang builds each verse from rhymes in the same rhyme category as the pulse name, so that the name and the rhyme echo each other and the sound itself hints at the pulse, making it easy to remember. The diseases indicated by each pulse take the records of the Inner Canon as their backbone, with brief selections from the Pulse Classic and later pulse writings as supplements, clear in organization without being cluttered. The book is short but balances tracing sources with practical use. It was later incorporated into medical works such as the Complete Compendium of External Medicine, and in 1981 the Traditional Chinese Medicine Antiquarian Books Press issued a photocopy edition, a sign of its textual value. For readers new to pulse studies who dread long treatises, this verse format lowers the barrier to entry; for those already familiar with pulse diagnosis, the verses can serve as a framework for reviewing the indicated diseases of the twenty-six pulses. Read it aloud and check the verses against the original texts of the Inner Canon and the Pulse Classic to appreciate the author's intent of unifying the pulses by rhyme.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Medical students beginning to study Chinese medicine diagnostics who wish to memorize the twenty-six pulses through verse
Teachers of Chinese medicine who need a verse-based text for teaching pulse fundamentals
Enthusiasts of Chinese medical literature compiling or studying Qing-dynasty verse works on pulse studies
Practitioners who already know pulse diagnosis and want a concise verse review of the diseases indicated by each pulse

Not a good fit for

Advanced readers seeking systematic, in-depth analysis of pulse theory and discussion of clinical cases
General readers with no familiarity with Chinese medical terminology who are merely browsing out of curiosity
Readers seeking modern medical knowledge of cardiovascular examination

Reading tips

Read aloud as the primary method, using the rhymes of the verses for repeated recitation: learn the pulse names first, then study the indicated diseases.
For each pulse, return to the relevant passages in the Inner Canon and the Pulse Classic to verify what the verses are based on and what has been added.
Sort the twenty-six pulses into a table by rhyme category, such as floating and sinking, to observe the internal logic of the author's arrangement.
After reading, self-test with the verses: recite the indicated diseases upon hearing a pulse name, check retention, and mark weak points.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
序
脉原
脉名
脉类
寸关尺脏腑部位
诊法
平脉
病脉
主诸病脉
可治病脉
诸可治病脉
死脉
诸病死脉
奇经
内经切脉之图
浮
洪
虚
芤革
散
微
沉牢
伏
实
迟
缓
数
结
促
代
弦
紧
长
短
细
涩
滑
动
胎脉
附送戴原礼还浦阳序
赠医师葛某序
赠医师贾某序

FAQ

What is distinctive about the verse arrangement in Mai Que?

According to the source, when Huang Yunxi introduces pulses such as floating and sinking, he composes each verse using rhymes in the rhyme category of the characters fu, chen, and so on. In other words, the pulse name itself becomes part of the rhyme, so that sound and pulse correspond in recitation. This is a marked feature distinguishing the book from ordinary pulse verses and is the key to its memorability.

How many pulses does the book discuss?

According to the source, the book discusses the twenty-six pulses and their indicated diseases in verse. Readers can plan their study around the number twenty-six, reciting and memorizing pulse by pulse, and should not pick only the common pulses and leave out the rest, or they will fail to grasp the book's framework.

What are the sources for the diseases indicated by each pulse?

According to the source, the diseases indicated by each pulse are based mainly on the records in the Inner Canon, with brief selections from the Pulse Classic and later pulse writings added as supplements. The book therefore has a clear source-tracing character; when readers encounter a specific entry, they can follow this lead back to the original texts of the Inner Canon and the Pulse Classic.

Into which works was the book later incorporated?

According to the source, Mai Que was later incorporated into medical works such as the Complete Compendium of External Medicine, and in 1981 the Traditional Chinese Medicine Antiquarian Books Press issued a photocopy edition. This shows that although short, the book circulated to some extent in later ages; those studying editions or seeking the original form may consult these collected editions and the photocopy.

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About the author

黄蕴兮 Author

Huang Yunxi's biographical details are very limited in publicly available sources; the author's name appears in connection with the traditional Chinese medicine pulse-study work Mai Que. Surviving bibliographic records list only this one title under Huang Yunxi, classified under medicine and centred on pulse diagnosis, a specialised branch of traditional Chinese diagnostic method. Works on pulse study typically focus on the positions for taking the pulse, the differentiation of pulse images, and clinical verification, and are usually written in a clearly organised, concise style that makes them easy for practitioners to memorise and consult. The title Mai Que itself suggests an effort to define pulse images and clarify their meanings, indicating that the author devoted careful attention to the coherence and accurate naming of pulse patterns. Because nothing is confirmed about Huang Yunxi's dates, native place, or teachers, it is difficult today to reconstruct the author's medical practice or the circumstances of composition. Nevertheless, the work's inclusion in bibliographic catalogues under medicine indicates that it retains a place in the transmission of Chinese pulse studies. Readers interested in traditional Chinese diagnostics, and especially in pulse-study literature, may use this book to observe one approach to organising pulse images within the tradition.