Excess Pulse / Shi Mai
Updated 2026-08-02
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A pulse pattern in traditional Chinese medicine. All three positions feel forceful whether pressed lightly or deeply, compared to pressing a fully inflated tire. It indicates an excess pattern: a pathogen such as fire, phlegm, or food stagnation is bound inside while healthy qi remains strong enough to resist, producing a strong rebound. Treatment must clear, drain, or purge rather than tonify, since adding to a replete interior deepens the blockage. It is read against the deficient pulse and is one of the classic findings of eight-principle differentiation.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Load reading: interpret a forceful rebound as congestion under pressure, not as health. - Direction of action: clear and drain instead of adding more on top. - Contrast check: compare with the deficient pulse before deciding between tonifying and purging.
Anchor fast decisions
When a pathogen is bound inside and healthy qi still has strength, the vessels are overfilled and rebound strongly against the finger, so the pulse is forceful. Because the problem is excess rather than depletion, tonifying would deepen the blockage, which is why therapy must move in the opposite direction and clear the interior.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- dayi.org.cnhttps://www.dayi.org.cn/term/800046.htmlverified
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