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Chapter 25 of 28
濒湖脉学
Overall Paraphrase
This chapter is a textual examination of the book Pulse Formula (Mai Jue) — scholars through the ages have pointed out that the Pulse Formula was not the original work of Wang Shuhe, the Imperial Physician of the Western Jin Dynasty, but rather a forgery attributed to his name by later generations.
Zhu Xi said: In ancient times, there was more than one method for diagnosing the pulse. People today only cling to the method of Cun, Guan, and Chi (the three pulse-taking positions on the radial artery of the wrist). The so-called "Guan" position is mostly described unclearly, and only the popularly transmitted Pulse Formula, with its most shallow and colloquial wording, is not Wang Shuhe's original text—yet it is precisely this book that clearly points out that "the high bone behind the wrist is Guan" (using the protruding bone of the wrist to locate the Guan pulse). However, eminent physicians of the world, because this book is a forgery, discard it and are ashamed to mention it.
Liu Guan said: Wang Shuhe compiled the Pulse Classic (Mai Jing) in ten volumes, which is an important classic for physicians. Today, the Pulse Formula is recited by everyone, and all say it was authored by Shuhe. Little do they know that in the Western Jin era in which Wang Shuhe lived, the versified mnemonic style (rhymed medical verses composed for easy memorization) had not yet emerged. This was a forgery by people from the mid-to-late Song Dynasty, created merely for the convenience of beginners in their studies. Zhu Xi affirmed its statement that "the high bone is Guan," yet he did not know that this point originally came from the Pulse Classic.
Xie Jinweng said: The so-called "Shuhe Pulse Formula" of today—no one knows when it originated. During the early Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty, when the Pulse Classic was being officially revised, the Pulse Formula did not yet exist. Only when Chen Kongshuo stated that "once the Pulse Formula appeared, the Pulse Classic was obscured" did it become clear that the Pulse Formula must have been written by someone after the Xining era. It is just that Chen Wuze said in his Tri-Cause Formulas (Sanyin Fang) that Gao Yangsheng plagiarized and forged the verses, and Liu Yuanbin also echoed this view. This claim appears to reflect deep research into the Pulse Classic, yet Chen Wuze himself invented designations like the "seven exterior, eight interior, nine pathways," demonstrating that he too had not carefully read the Pulse Classic.
Wang Shixiang said: The method of pulse diagnosis is not easy to master thoroughly. The subtle words of Xuanyuan and Qibo (the attributed interlocutors of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), and the writings of Qin Yueren (Bian Que) and Wang Shuhe in the Classic of Difficult Issues and the Pulse Classic, have still not fully exhausted its mysteries. Gao Yangsheng of the Five Dynasties wrote the Pulse Formula, borrowing Wang Shuhe's name, and the text contains many contradictions and inconsistencies, with crude and vulgar wording, subsequently annotated carelessly by vulgar scholars. Physicians of the world transmit it from household to household and study it in every village, yet when actually facing a patient, they are at a total loss as to where to begin—they merely use it to make a living. What benefit does it have for examining illness and making observations?
Qian Pu said: The Jin Dynasty Imperial Physician Wang Shuhe wrote the Pulse Classic, whose judgments can be followed and should not be arbitrarily altered. When the Pulse Formula, falsely attributed to Shuhe, became prevalent, the true principles of medical classics gradually declined. The reason for falsely attributing the work to Shuhe is that he was deeply trusted and respected by the world; only by borrowing his reputation could the text gain circulation. However, the gradual shallowness of the medical art was not necessarily unrelated to this path of error.
The core of this chapter lies not in pulse diagnosis techniques themselves, but in a matter of scholarly history: the erosion of classical transmission by forged texts. It reveals several layers of important understanding:
Consciousness of authentication: The phenomenon of "attributed authorship" is extremely common in Chinese medical literature. Ancient writers would often borrow the names of sages or renowned figures to enhance their authority—the Pulse Formula was attributed to Wang Shuhe precisely because Wang Shuhe's Pulse Classic had established the authoritative position of pulse scholarship. Scholars such as Zhu Xi identified it as a forgery from multiple dimensions including literary style, historical context, and textual transmission, reflecting the methodology of early textual authentication: comprehensive judgment through linguistic style ("most shallow and vulgar wording"), stylistic evolution ("the versified style did not yet exist in the Western Jin"), bibliographic records ("the revision of the Pulse Classic in the early Xining era did not yet include this text"), and internal contradictions ("many conflicting statements").
Authentic content within "forged texts": Zhu Xi's assessment is most revealing—although the Pulse Formula is a forgery, its method of "directly pointing to the high bone as Guan" is nevertheless correct, and it actually originates from the Pulse Classic. This demonstrates that forged texts are not entirely without value, but we must distinguish their origins; we should neither discard correct content simply because the text is forged, nor overlook its overall errors because of individual correct points.
The tension between popularization and scholarship: Liu Guan pointed out that the Pulse Formula was written "for the convenience of study and practice"—that is, it was a versified mnemonic textbook compiled for easier learning. This raises a profound question: between simplified teaching and the original meaning of classics, there is often an unavoidable gap. Versified mnemonics facilitate memorization, but they sacrifice the refinement and nuance of differentiation.
The textual criticism consciousness embodied in this chapter aligns closely with contemporary bibliographical and collation methodologies. Modern research on Chinese medical literature systematically examines the authenticity and transmission of ancient texts precisely through textual comparison, linguistic analysis, and catalog review across dynasties.
From a contemporary perspective, several points deserve attention:
The valuable aspect—caution toward "authority": The five scholars refused to abandon their doubts simply because the Pulse Formula was widely recited. This attitude remains important today. In our modern information environment, with all manner of "secret transmissions from master X" and "authentic transmissions from ancient texts" appearing endlessly, possessing a degree of authentication consciousness is a prerequisite for treating traditional knowledge rationally.
Historical limitations: The discussion of "forged texts" in this chapter carries a certain academic elitist color—the criticisms of Liu Guan, Wang Shixiang, and others were in part derived from disdain for popularized teaching methods. From a modern educational perspective, mnemonic verses and rhymed formulas are themselves effective memory tools; the problem lies not in the form, but in whether learners treat them as a foundation for understanding rather than an end point. Although the Pulse Formula was rough in historical terms, it nonetheless objectively promoted the popularization of pulse scholarship.
Elements that cannot be fully verified: The precise date and authorship of the Pulse Formula remains a subject of scholarly dispute (some say Gao Yangsheng of the Five Dynasties, others say it was forged by individuals in the Song Dynasty), and the statements of the various scholars recorded in this chapter themselves diverge. This reminds us that textual research on ancient documents often cannot yield definitive black-and-white conclusions.
Return to the source; do not be satisfied with secondhand accounts: The same applies to learning about health cultivation. Rather than only reading fragmented "health mnemonics" circulated online, it is better to return to the original texts of classics such as the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon to understand the complete context and applicable conditions of a given concept.
Beware the temptation of "quick fixes": Anything that packages complex matters into simple verses deserves further scrutiny. There are no shortcuts in health cultivation. Consistent attention to sleep, diet, emotions, and exercise is far more reliable than any "single move that guarantees results."
Neither reject individuals because of their words, nor reject words because of their authors: Zhu Xi's attitude is worth emulating—a book may be criticized as a forgery, but the correct knowledge within it deserves preservation. The same applies to health information: neither reject it entirely because its source lacks authority, nor accept it wholly because a particular claim has gained popularity.
Related Concepts:
Further Reading:
This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for the purpose of studying traditional culture. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, prescription, or treatment advice. Should you feel unwell, please consult a doctor promptly.