Scantness of breath

Weak, short, hasty breathing, a weak voice, and a tendency to take deep breaths in order to continue speaking; mainly attributable to visceral qì vacuity, especially of center and lung-kidney qì. Some sources say that scantness of breath only occurs in vacuity patterns, while other say that it can be observed in phlegm turbidity, water-rheum, food stagnation, and qì stagnation. See breathing. Compare qì scantness; shortness of breath. panting.