Short Pulse / Duan Mai
Updated 2026-08-02
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The short pulse is a classical pulse form in traditional Chinese medicine. On palpation it is abbreviated at head and tail, so only the guan position responds clearly while the cun and chi positions are barely felt. It is classed as a sign of insufficiency and has two distinct causes: deficient qi that cannot drive blood through the full length of the vessel, producing a short pulse that is also weak, and stagnant qi that contracts toward the centre, producing a short pulse that is also forceful or taut. Distinguishing these two variants is the whole diagnostic task.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Insufficiency signal: Read a signal that fails to reach its full range as a supply problem rather than a local one. - Two-cause split: Ask whether the shortfall comes from weak drive or from constricted flow before acting. - Force test: Use the strength of the signal to separate a deficiency pattern from an obstruction pattern.
Anchor fast decisions
A wave reaches the end of a channel only if it has enough drive and an open path. A short pulse means neither condition is fully met, and the accompanying force tells you which one failed: a weak short pulse points to insufficient drive from deficient qi, while a forceful short pulse points to a path constricted by stagnation. Because the same surface reading arises from opposite causes, treatment chosen without the force test can worsen the pattern it was meant to correct.
MINIMUM ACTION
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