平人气象论篇/Ping Ren Qi Xiang Lun

(On the Normal Pulse of a Person)

黄帝问日:平人何如?岐伯对日:人一呼脉再动，一吸脉亦再动，呼吸定息脉五动，闰[《外科精义》引“闰”作“为”]以太息，命日平人。平人者不病也。常以不病[《甲乙》“不病”下有“之人以”三字]调病人，医不病，故为病人平息以调之为法。

Yellow Emperor asked:"What is the pulse beat condition of a normal person like?" Qibo answered:"The pulse of a normal person beats twice in an exhalation, and twice in an inhalation, and an inhalation and an exhalation is called one respiration. Sometimes, a pulse beat occurs in the interval of the end of inhalation and the beginning of exhalation. The condition of the pulse beat five times in a respiration is the longer respiration of the person.  People of four or five times of pulse beats in a respiration is called a normal person who has no disease.

"In diagnostic palpation, one should measure the patient's pulse with the standard of a normal healthy person who has no disease to check the variation of the pulse beats of the patient's pulse beats with the breathing of a normal person. This is the rule of diagnostic palpation.

人一呼脉一动，一吸脉一动[《太素》“动”下有“者”字]，日少气。人一呼脉三动，一吸脉三动而躁，尺热曰病温，尺不热脉滑曰病风，脉濇曰痹[《甲乙》无“脉濇曰痹”四字]。人一呼脉四动以上[《太素》“动”作“至”，无“以上”二字]日死，脉绝不至日死，乍疏乍数日死。

"If the pulse of the patient beats once in an exhaltion and once in an inhalation, it shows the healthy-energy of the patient is declined.

"If the pulse beats three times in an exhalation and three times in an inhalation, and the pulse is rapid with hyperirritability, and at the same time the skin by the Chi-fu is hot like burning, it is the seasonal febrile disease; if the skin by the Chi-fu is not hot, and the pulse is slippery, it is the disease of wind-evil.

"If the pulse beats four times in an exhalation, ie, eight times or more in a respiration, or the pulse beats stop without reappearing, or the pulses beat rapidly and slowly by turns without a regular pattern, the patient will die.

平人之常气禀于胃[《甲乙》作“人常禀气于胃”]，胃[《太机真藏论》王注引“胃”下有“气”字]者，平人之常气也。人无胃气日逆，逆者[《太素》“者”作“曰”]死。

"The normal pulse energy stems from the stomach, and the stomach-energy is the normal pulse energy of a normal person. If the stomach-energy is absent in one's pulse, it is called the adverse condition, which may cause the death of the patient.