… is a vital­ly impor­tant tool in TCM diag­no­sis. The patient is assessed on the basis of their pulse. The prac­ti­tion­er feels the fre­quen­cy, depth, strength, rate, length, width, uni­for­mi­ty, rhythm and qual­i­ty of the pulse. These aspects pro­vide infor­ma­tion on the local­i­sa­tion and sever­i­ty of an ail­ment. For exam­ple, the pulse of some­one with a cold will be shal­low, fast and fraught.