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Chapter 27 of 28
濒湖脉学
This section is a textual investigation from Binhu Lakeside Pulse Studies regarding the controversy over "male and female pulse positions," recording five representative viewpoints.
🩺 Chu Cheng held that: Males belong to Yang, with qi moving in a smooth, ascending order, generated from below upward. Thus, the right-hand Chi position (the section of the Cun-kou pulse near the lower part of the wrist) is the "root of receiving destiny." Since Earth can generate all things, the right Guan position corresponds to the Spleen; the right Cun position to the Lung; Lung Metal generates Kidney Water, so the left Chi position corresponds to the Kidney; Kidney Water generates Liver Wood, so the left Guan position corresponds to the Liver; Liver Wood generates Heart Fire, so the left Cun position corresponds to the Heart. Females belong to Yin, with qi moving in a reverse, descending order, generated from above downward. Thus, the left Cun position is the "root of receiving destiny." Following the same principle that Earth generates all things, the left Guan position corresponds to the Spleen; then in sequence, the left Chi position corresponds to the Lung, the Lung generates the right Cun position which corresponds to the Kidney, the Kidney generates the right Guan position which corresponds to the Liver, and the Liver generates the right Chi position which corresponds to the Heart. See The Remaining Writings of the Chu Family for details.
💨 Chu Yong stated: The Pulse Classic holds that the strength and weakness of the female Chi pulse is opposite to that of males, and should be interpreted in reverse. The physical forms of males and females differ greatly, and their Yin-Yang pathways are different: male infants are mostly born in a prone position, while female infants are mostly born in a supine position; male qi rotates to the left, while female qi rotates to the right; males are associated with giving, females with receiving. The root of life in males is in the Kidney, located at the lowest part of the viscera; the root of life in females is in the breasts, located at the highest part of the viscera. Since their form and qi are different, how could the pulse, which circulates between form and qi, be completely identical? Therefore, Chu Cheng's view is reasonable. See Queyi Lun (On Resolving Doubts) for details.
🩺 Dai Qizong criticized: The Pulse Classic, because it distinguishes "males have the left Kidney and right Mingmen, females have the left Mingmen and right Kidney," claims that the female pulse should be interpreted in reverse. The school of Chu Cheng and his followers further explained this using the strength and weakness of the Chi pulse, even going so far as to diagnose the Heart and Lung at the Chi position in females and rearranging the positions of the Five Zang organs upside down—an even more serious error. In reality, although males and females differ in form, qi, essence, and blood, the circulation, origin, and termination of the Twelve Main Meridians, as well as the fixed positions of the Five Zang organs, are the same. How can one consider the female pulse position to be opposite?
🔥 Zhu Zhenheng said: In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor had the music official Ling Lun (also written as Ling Lun) cut bamboo from the Xie Valley to make the Huangzhong pitch pipe for observing the solar terms of heaven and earth. He also had Qi Bo take the Qikou (Cun-kou pulse) to establish pulse methods, for observing the moving qi of the human body. The number for the Huangzhong pitch pipe is nine fen, and the number for the Qikou is also nine fen; once the standard of the pitch pipe is established, the length of the cun becomes manifest. When the pulse moves, the Yang position obtains nine fen and the Yin position obtains one cun, matching the numerical principles of the Huangzhong. Heaven is insufficient in the Northwest, Yang qi resides in the South, Yin qi in the North—therefore, in males the Cun pulse is relatively strong and the Chi pulse relatively weak, corresponding to Heaven. Earth is incomplete in the Southeast, Yang qi resides in the North, Yin qi in the South—therefore, in females the Chi pulse is relatively strong and the Cun pulse relatively weak, corresponding to Earth. The Huangzhong is the precursor of qi transformation, so it can observe the seasonal rhythms of heaven and earth; the Qikou is the meeting point of the pulse arteries, thus the ancients held that it could reveal a person's life and death. Common physicians of the world memorize the erroneous work attributed to Gao Yangsheng (traditionally said to be the author of the Pulse Classic) and use it to treat illness—it is rare that they do not harm people!
Longqiu Ye said: The pulse reflects the original nature of Heaven and Earth, so the strength and weakness of the Cun and Chi pulses in males and females correspond to Heaven and Earth. Qin Yue-ren (Bian Que) believed that males originate from Yin (the third earthly branch) and females from Shen (the ninth earthly branch), with the Three Yang born from Heaven and the Three Yin growing from Earth—this is quite erroneous. Only Zhu Danxi, tracing back to the principles of pitch pipes and integrating Heaven with the human body, refuted a millennium of error and made everything suddenly clear. Is this not worthy of praise?
The central question of this investigation is: should the Cun-kou pulse positions in males and females be reversed? Chu Cheng and Chu Yong, proceeding from Yin-Yang movement directions and differences in male-female physical form and qi, proposed that female pulse positions should differ from males, even suggesting a "reversed arrangement of the Five Zang organs." Dai Qizong emphasized the consistency of the Twelve Meridians and Five Zang organ positions between males and females, opposing mechanical "reverse interpretation." Zhu Zhenheng and Longqiu Ye did not deny that male and female pulse patterns differ, but opposed the "reversed Five Zang arrangement," arguing instead that the difference is primarily manifested in the strength of Cun versus Chi—males having stronger Cun and weaker Chi, and females having stronger Chi and weaker Cun—explained through the Huangzhong pitch pipe and the correspondence between Heaven-Earth and Yin-Yang.
This reflects two lines of thought in traditional Chinese medicine pulse studies: one uses Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and Heaven-human correspondence to explain physiological differences; the other emphasizes the fundamental structural unity of the human body. The ancient debate essentially sought a balance between recognizing "male-female differences" and maintaining "uniform positions of meridians and Zang organs."
Modern medicine has observed that males and females do differ physiologically in heart rate, blood pressure, vascular elasticity, hormonal levels, and other aspects that may influence pulse strength and rhythm. However, the correspondence system of the Cun-kou pulse ("Cun, Guan, and Chi positions corresponding to the Five Zang organs") currently lacks direct anatomical and physiological evidence. The so-called "males have stronger Cun and weaker Chi; females have stronger Chi and weaker Cun" cannot be treated as a universal rule, nor can it be used independently to judge health or disease.
Concepts such as "Heaven is insufficient in the Northwest; Earth is incomplete in the Southeast," "males originate from Yin; females from Shen," and "male qi rotates left; female qi rotates right" belong to the realm of ancient natural philosophy and numerological speculation. They possess historical and cultural value but cannot be equated with modern scientific conclusions. Dai Qizong's and Zhu Zhenheng's opposition to the "reversed Five Zang arrangement" and to mechanically applying opposite pulse positions for males and females is, logically, closer to the modern understanding that "basic anatomy and physiology are consistent between males and females."
BuGua Note: This content is based on classical Chinese medicine texts and is intended solely for traditional culture study and research. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice. Please seek timely professional medical care if you are unwell.