Foundations first, patterns second
The foundation layer is made of individual clues: pulse, tongue, and symptoms. The pattern layer organizes those clues into fuller pattern judgments, so the whole page no longer feels mashed together.
- Open pulse, tongue, and symptoms first.
- Then enter the pattern layer for integrated judgment.
- Each item still keeps its original linked content.
Foundation Contents
Tongue
Greasy Coating
A greasy coating commonly indicates phlegm, dampness, food retention, or other turbid obstruction.
Scanty Coating
A scanty coating often suggests fluid or Yin deficiency and is an important clue to a deficiency-rooted pattern.
White Coating
A white coating often suggests cold, an exterior pattern, or a relatively mild stage of disease. A thick white greasy coat may suggest cold-damp or phlegm-damp.
Yellow Coating
A yellow tongue coating is an important sign of heat. Thick yellow suggests stronger excess heat; thin yellow suggests milder heat.
Pale Tongue
A pale tongue usually points toward deficiency, especially qi deficiency, blood deficiency, or yang deficiency.
Purple Tongue Body
A purple tongue body often suggests blood stasis, cold congealing, or prolonged stagnation.
Red Tongue
A red tongue usually indicates heat, but whether that heat is excess or deficiency must be determined from the coating and pulse.
Red Tongue Tip
A red tongue tip often points to Heart heat or disturbance of the shen.
Pulse
Deep Pulse
A deep pulse usually points to an interior pattern and is often seen in deficiency or cold conditions.
Floating Pulse
A floating pulse is felt at the superficial level and often suggests an exterior pattern, though not exclusively.
Rapid Pulse
A rapid pulse most often suggests heat, but it can also occur in deficiency heat from Yin deficiency.
Slippery Pulse
A slippery pulse commonly points to phlegm, dampness, or food retention, and may appear with phlegm-heat patterns as well.
Slow Pulse
A slow pulse often suggests cold and may also appear in Yang deficiency.
Thin Pulse
A thin pulse commonly suggests Blood deficiency, Yin deficiency, or general deficiency of substance.
Weak Pulse
A weak pulse usually indicates deficiency of qi, blood, or yang and feels forceless on palpation.
Wiry Pulse
A wiry pulse is commonly associated with Liver patterns, pain, and phlegm-fluid disorders. It feels taut and straight, like a tightened string.
Symptoms
Aversion to Cold
Aversion to cold commonly appears in yang deficiency or cold patterns. With cold limbs and frequent night urination, Kidney yang deficiency is more likely.
Cough
Cough may arise from external or internal causes; the key is the course, sputum, and associated signs.
Dizziness
Dizziness may come from upward disturbance or from lack of nourishment. It is often used in stems to test whether you can distinguish excess from deficiency.
Fatigue
Fatigue commonly appears in qi deficiency and after prolonged illness.
Headache
In TCM-style stems, headache is not a diagnosis by itself. The quality of the pain, accompanying signs, and triggers determine the direction.
Hypochondriac Pain
Hypochondriac pain commonly appears in Liver qi stagnation, Liver fire, or Shaoyang disorders.
Insomnia
Insomnia may occur in Heart blood deficiency, Heart-Spleen deficiency, yin deficiency heat, or phlegm-heat disturbing the Heart.
Irritability
Irritability often points toward Liver-related dysfunction, but the background may be stagnation, rising Yang, or blazing fire.
Palpitations
Palpitations can appear in both deficiency and excess patterns involving the Heart.
Spontaneous Sweating
Spontaneous sweating is commonly related to qi deficiency and insecure exterior defense.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus often relates to the Liver, Kidney, or upward disturbance, but it should not be reduced to Kidney deficiency alone.
Pattern Contents
Patterns
Blood Deficiency
Blood Deficiency emphasizes insufficient nourishment. Common clues include dizziness, pale complexion, palpitations, scant menses, pale tongue, and thin pulse.
Heart Blood Deficiency
Heart blood is insufficient and fails to nourish the spirit, causing palpitations, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, and a pale complexion.
Heart–Spleen Deficiency
Deficient Spleen transformation leads to insufficient blood production, failing to nourish the Heart and causing insomnia, palpitations, poor appetite, and fatigue.
Kidney Yang Deficiency
Kidney yang is insufficient and fails to warm, producing aversion to cold, low back weakness, and frequent night urination.
Kidney Yin Deficiency
Kidney yin deficiency gives rise to deficient heat and presents with low-back weakness, tinnitus, and night symptoms.
Liver Fire Blazing
Liver Fire Blazing is a more clearly excess-heat pattern. In exam stems it often appears with red eyes, bitter taste, irritability, constipation, red tongue, yellow coating, and a forceful wiry rapid pulse.
Liver Qi Stagnation
Failure of the Liver to course and discharge leads to qi stagnation, typically with emotional depression and hypochondriac distention.
Liver Yang Rising
Liver Yang Rising is usually a mixed root-branch pattern: the root is Yin deficiency, while the branch is upward disturbance of Yang. In exam stems it often appears with headache, dizziness, tinnitus, irritability, a red tongue, scanty coating, and a wiry pulse.
Lung Qi Deficiency
Lung qi is insufficient; diffusion and descent are impaired and the exterior is insecure, causing shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, and frequent colds.
Lung Yin Deficiency
Lung yin is insufficient and fails to moisten, leading to dry cough, dry throat, and tidal heat in the afternoon.
Phlegm Misting the Heart Orifices
The key to this pattern is that turbid phlegm blocks the clear orifices and disturbs mental clarity. In exam stems it often appears with chest oppression, abundant sputum, nausea, mental fogginess, greasy coating, and slippery pulse.
Spleen Qi Deficiency
Spleen Qi Deficiency is one of the highest-yield foundational patterns. Its core is weakness of transformation and transportation, often seen with fatigue, poor appetite, loose stools, pale tongue, and weak pulse.
Yin Deficiency with Internal Heat
Deficient yin gives rise to internal heat, often with low-grade fever, night sweats, and five-center heat.