Sign · 脉弦
Wiry pulse
A pulse that feels tight and straight, like a plucked string.
This page is a reference entry, not an assessment. It says which patterns the sign belongs to in the table this site is built on, at what weight, and where else on the site it appears. Having a sign is not having a pattern — most people have several of these at once, and the self-check is where they are weighed against each other.
What weight it carries
Every sign in the table is filed against one or more patterns at one of three weights. The weight is about diagnostic usefulness, not severity: a defining sign is one the pattern cannot be argued without, which is a different thing from a sign that is dangerous.
| Pattern | 中文 | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Liver qi stagnation | 肝郁气滞证 | Defining |
| Liver yang rising | 肝阳上亢证 | Defining |
| Damp-heat | 湿热证 | Common |
Defining for 2 patterns
Without it the pattern is hard to justify. These carry ×3 in the self-check.
Where it appears on the site
The condition pages that list this sign as one of the things to look for:
- Anxiety 焦虑
- Period headache 经期头痛
Other pulse signs
The table groups signs by the part of the body or the kind of observation they come from. These are the other entries in the same group.
- Empty pulse 脉虚
- Thin pulse 脉细
- Thin rapid pulse 脉细数
- Soggy pulse 脉濡
- Slippery rapid pulse 脉滑数
- Slippery pulse 脉滑
- Deep, slow pulse 脉沉迟
- Wiry and thin pulse 脉弦细
Part of the sign index — 118 entries weighted across twelve patterns. How the weights are used is set out in the methodology.