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Yīn beating differently from yáng

阴搏阳别 〔陰搏陽別〕 yīn bó yáng bié

A pulse description. Plain Questions (素问 sù wèn) states, yīn beating differently from yáng means there is a child. There are two interpretations:

  1. According to Wáng Bīng of the Táng Dynasty, yīn refers to the cubit pulse chǐ; yáng refers to the inch pulse cùn. When the inch pulse beats more markedly than the cubit, this is called yīn contending differently from yáng.
  2. According to Zhāng Jiè-Bīn of the Míng Dynasty, yīn means the hand lesser yīn (shào yīn) or foot lesser yīn (shào yīn): The heart governs the blood and the kidney governs the uterus, so both these viscera are related to the fetus and pregnancy. Beating means beating against the fingers. Differently from yáng means that the yīn pulse beats against the fingers like yáng evil, but it is slippery and uninhibited, so is not a pulse caused by evil. Here we see yáng in yīn, with signs of harmony. This is meant by yáng beating differently from yīn.

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