TCM Pulse Positions: Cùn, Guān and Chǐ
Three fingers on the radial artery, three depths under each finger — eighteen separate readings from a single wrist pair.
Everything in pulse diagnosis depends on getting the fingers in the right place. Misplace the guān by half a cùn and every organ correspondence shifts with it. This page covers landmarking, the organ map for each wrist, and what each depth is actually reporting.
Finding the positions
- Support the patient's forearm so the wrist is relaxed and roughly level with the heart.
- Locate the radial styloid process — the bony bump on the thumb side of the wrist.
- Place your middle finger on the artery directly medial to it. That is guān.
- Let your index finger fall distally toward the hand — that is cùn.
- Let your ring finger fall proximally up the forearm — that is chǐ.
- Space the fingers to the patient's build: closer together on a short wrist, wider on a tall patient.
The organ map
| Position | Finger | Left wrist | Right wrist | Jiāo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cùn — distal 寸 | Index finger, closest to the wrist crease | Heart (and Pericardium) | Lung | Upper Jiāo |
| Guān — middle 關 | Middle finger, level with the radial styloid | Liver (and Gallbladder) | Spleen (and Stomach) | Middle Jiāo |
| Chǐ — proximal 尺 | Ring finger, furthest from the hand | Kidney Yin | Kidney Yang / Mìng Mén | Lower Jiāo |
Cùn — distal
Sits just distal to the styloid process. Reflects the chest, head and everything above the diaphragm.
Guān — middle
The anchor position — locate this first, then place the other two fingers either side of it.
Chǐ — proximal
Root of the pulse. A chǐ position with no strength at the deep level means the pulse has no root.
Each position reports on the organ system that meridian theory assigns to it, which is why a wiry left guān and a Gallbladder-channel headache point at the same diagnosis from two directions.
The three depths
Superficial (fú 浮)
Skin contact only — the weight of the finger
Reads: Wei Qi, exterior patterns, the Yang aspect
Middle (zhōng 中)
Pressed to the level of the muscle
Reads: Stomach Qi, the Zàng-Fǔ organs, the middle Jiāo
Deep (chén 沉)
Pressed toward the bone, then released slightly
Reads: Yin, Essence, the root of the pulse
Root, and why it matters most
A pulse has root when the chǐ position still has strength at the deep level. A forceful, impressive-feeling pulse with nothing at the deep chǐ is rootless — the Yang is floating without a Yin anchor. Root is the single most prognostically important thing your fingers can tell you, and it is checked last, not first.
Reading position against quality
Position tells you where; the 28 classical pulse qualities tell you what. Combined:
- • Wiry at the left guān, rapid overall → Liver Fire
- • Slippery at the right guān → Dampness or Phlegm in the middle Jiāo
- • Thin and deep at both chǐ → Kidney Yin and Yang deficiency
- • Floating and tight across all positions → Wind-Cold invasion
- • Weak right cùn with breathlessness → Lung Qi deficiency
Common questions
What are the three pulse positions in TCM?
Cùn (寸, distal), guān (關, middle) and chǐ (尺, proximal). They are palpated over the radial artery with the index, middle and ring fingers respectively, on both wrists.
Which organ is at each Chinese medicine pulse position?
Left wrist: cùn reads the Heart, guān reads the Liver and Gallbladder, chǐ reads Kidney Yin. Right wrist: cùn reads the Lung, guān reads the Spleen and Stomach, chǐ reads Kidney Yang and Mìng Mén.
How do you find the guān position?
Palpate the radial styloid process — the bony prominence on the thumb side of the wrist. The guān position sits directly medial to it. Place the middle finger there first, then let the index finger fall distally (cùn) and the ring finger proximally (chǐ).
Why are there three depths as well as three positions?
Each position is felt at superficial, middle and deep pressure, producing eighteen readings across both wrists. Superficial reflects Wei Qi and exterior patterns, middle reflects Stomach Qi and the organs, deep reflects Yin, Essence and whether the pulse has root.
Educational content — not a substitute for professional clinical assessment.