脉之理微，自古记之。昔在黄帝，生而神灵。犹曰∶“若窥深渊而迎浮云。”许叔微曰∶“脉之理
幽而难明，吾意所解，口莫能宣也。凡可以笔墨载，可以口舌言者，皆迹象也。至于神理，非心
领神会，焉能尽其玄微耶？如古人形容一胃气脉也，而曰不浮不沉，此迹象也，可以中候求
也。不疾不徐，此迹象也，可以至数求也。独所谓意思欣欣，悠悠扬扬，难以名状，此非古人秘
而不言，虽欲名状之而不可得，姑引而不发，跃然于言词之表，以待能者之自从耳。”东垣
至此，亦穷于词，而但言脉贵有神。惟其神也，故不可以迹象求，言语告也。又如形容滑脉。而
曰替替然如珠之圆转。形容涩脉，而曰如雨沾沙。形容紧脉，而曰如切绳转索。形容散脉，而
曰如杨花散漫。形容任脉，而曰寸口丸丸。此皆迹象之外，别有神理，就其言状，正惟穷于言
语，姑借形似以揣摹之耳。予昔寓泉州开元寺，月夜与林澹庵论脉。凡脉各设一形似最确
之物以体象之。至于虚脉曰虚，合四形浮、大、迟、软极其摹拟，终不相类。林最后曰∶“得之矣，
譬如发酵馒首。”竟失迟字之义。有羽衣钱存三在傍曰∶“何不比之海 浮水。”林大笑击
节。盖海 质柔而大，随波上下，若人以手按之，则惊而没矣，于浮、大、迟、软，字字逼真，然为学
究训诂之语，设不善领略者，不先于虚脉中发愤参求，但守一海 浮水于胸中，岂非戏论
乎！故以有限之迹象，合无穷之疾病，则迹象乃有时而穷。以无尽之灵明，运有限之迹象，则
疾病无往而不验。所谓口莫能宣者，终成绝学也哉！
脉象的理法精微，自古便有所记载。从前黄帝，天生神异灵通。但他仍感叹说：“（诊脉）就像窥视深渊又去迎接浮云一样难以把握。”许叔微说：“脉理的幽深难以阐明，我内心所领悟的，嘴上无法表达出来。凡是可以用笔墨记载、用口舌言说的，都只是外在的迹象罢了。至于那种神妙的理趣，如果不是心领神会，怎么能穷尽它的玄妙细微呢？比如古人形容具有胃气的脉象，说它‘不浮不沉’，这是外在迹象，可以通过中取脉位来寻求；‘不疾不徐’，这也是外在迹象，可以通过脉搏至数来寻求。唯独那所谓的‘意思欣欣，悠悠扬扬’，难以用语言描述，这并不是古人故意保密不说，而是即使想要描述也做不到，姑且引而不发，让它在言辞之外跃然呈现，等待能领悟的人自然追随罢了。”李东垣到了这里，也词穷了，只是说脉象贵在有神。正因为是“神”，所以不能通过外在迹象来寻求，也不能通过言语来告知。又比如形容滑脉，说它“替替然如珠之圆转”；形容涩脉，说它“如雨沾沙”；形容紧脉，说它“如切绳转索”；形容散脉，说它“如杨花散漫”；形容任脉（此处疑为寸脉或特定脉形之误，原文作任脉，依文意应指某种脉形，但按原文提取），说它“寸口丸丸”。这些都是外在迹象之外，另有神妙的理趣，顺着他们的描述来看，正是因为他们穷尽了言语，才姑且借用相似的形象来揣摩它。
我以前寓居泉州开元寺时，在一个月光皎洁的夜晚与林澹庵讨论脉学。凡是各种脉象，都设定一种最确切的相似事物来体察其形象。至于虚脉，说是“虚”，综合了浮、大、迟、软四种形态进行极其逼真的模拟，最终还是不相类似。林澹庵最后说：“我明白了，譬如发酵的馒头。”但这却失去了“迟”字的含义。旁边有位道号钱存三的羽衣道士说：“为什么不把它比作海蜇浮在水面上呢？”林澹庵大笑并拍手叫好。因为海蜇质地柔软而体积大，随波浪上下浮动，如果人用手去按压它，它就会受惊沉没下去，这与浮、大、迟、软每一个字都非常逼真。然而，如果是那些拘泥于训诂考据的学究说的话，如果不善于领会，不在虚脉中奋发参悟求索，只是心中守着一个“海蜇浮水”的概念，这难道不是戏论吗！所以，用有限的迹象，去对应无穷的疾病，那么迹象有时就会显得匮乏无力。用无尽的灵性光明，去驾驭有限的迹象，那么疾病就没有不验证准确的。所谓“嘴上无法表达”的，终究会成为绝学啊！
The principles of pulse diagnosis are subtle and have been recorded since ancient times. In the past, Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) was born with spiritual intelligence. Yet he remarked, "It is like peering into a deep abyss while trying to catch floating clouds." Xu Shuwei said, "The principles of the pulse are profound and difficult to clarify. What I understand in my mind, I cannot declare with my mouth. Whatever can be recorded by pen and ink or spoken by tongue are merely external signs (phenomena). As for the divine principles (Shenli), unless one grasps them through mental communion and spiritual understanding, how can one exhaust their mysterious subtleties? For instance, when the ancients described a pulse possessing Stomach Qi (Wei Qi, indicating healthy digestive function reflected in the pulse), they said it is 'neither floating nor sinking.' This is an external sign, which can be sought at the middle depth (Zhong Hou). They also said it is 'neither rapid nor slow.' This is also an external sign, which can be sought by counting the beats (Zhi Shu). However, what is uniquely described as 'meaningful and joyful, leisurely and uplifting,' difficult to name or describe, is not that the ancients kept it secret, but rather that even if they wished to describe it, they could not. They simply hinted at it without fully revealing it, letting it leap beyond words, waiting for those capable of understanding to follow naturally." Li Dongyuan, reaching this point, also ran out of words, stating only that the pulse must possess Shen (Spirit/Vitality). Because it is Shen, it cannot be sought through external signs, nor can it be conveyed through language. Similarly, when describing the Slippery Pulse (Hua Mai), they said it is "alternating and round like rolling pearls"; when describing the Choppy Pulse (Se Mai), they said it is "like rain soaking into sand"; when describing the Tight Pulse (Jin Mai), they said it is "like cutting rope and twisting cords"; when describing the Scattered Pulse (San Mai), they said it is "like scattered willow catkins"; when describing the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel - *Note: Context suggests a specific pulse shape description, possibly a textual error for another term, but translated literally*), they said the Cun Kou (Cun position at the wrist) is "round and rolling." These are all beyond external signs, possessing other divine principles. Looking at their descriptions, it is precisely because they exhausted language that they borrowed similar forms to speculate upon it.
I once resided at Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou. On a moonlit night, I discussed pulse diagnosis with Lin Dan'an. For each type of pulse, we set up a most accurate analogous object to embody its image. Regarding the Deficient Pulse (Xu Mai), describing it as "deficient," and combining the four forms of Floating (Fu), Large (Da), Slow (Chi), and Soft (Ruan) for extremely detailed simulation, it still did not resemble the actual pulse. Finally, Lin said, "I have it. It is like a fermented steamed bun." Yet this lost the meaning of the character "Slow" (Chi). A Daoist priest named Qian Cunsan, wearing feathered robes, who was standing by, said, "Why not compare it to a sea cucumber (Hai Shen) floating on water?" Lin laughed heartily and clapped his hands in approval. This is because the sea cucumber is soft in texture and large in size, rising and falling with the waves; if a person presses it with their hand, it startles and sinks. This matches every word—Floating, Large, Slow, Soft—with great accuracy. However, if these were merely the pedantic exegesis of scholars, and if one does not not first strive to investigate within the concept of the Deficient Pulse, but instead merely holds the image of a "sea cucumber floating on water" in one's mind, would this not be mere frivolous talk! Therefore, using limited external signs to correspond to infinite diseases means that the signs will eventually fall short. Using endless spiritual clarity to operate with limited external signs means that diseases will be verified accurately in all instances. Thus, what is "unable to be declared by mouth" ultimately becomes a lost art!