黄帝问岐伯曰：余欲无视色持脉，独调其尺，以言其病，从外知内，为之奈何？The Yellow Emperor asked Qi Bo, "I wish to diagnose diseases without observing the complexion and feeling the pulse, but only by examining the cubit region to tell the diseases, that is, to know the internal conditions from the external. How should I do it?"
岐伯曰：审其尺之缓急、小大、滑涩，肉之坚脆，而病形定矣。Qi Bo replied, "By examining the relaxation or tension, smallness or largeness, smoothness or roughness of the cubit skin, as well as the firmness or fragility of the muscles, the form of the disease can be determined."
视人之目窠上微痈（《医部全录》注：同壅），如新卧起状，其颈脉动，时咳，按其手足上，窅而不起者，风水肤胀也。When observing a person with a slight swelling above the eye sockets (Note in "Complete Records of the Medical Department": the same as "yong", meaning congestion), looking like just getting up from sleep, with the carotid artery pulsating, coughing from time to time, and when pressing on the hands and feet, the indentation does not disappear, it is wind edema and skin distension.
尺肤滑，其淖泽者，风也。尺肉弱者，解㑊，安卧，脱肉者，寒热不治。If the cubit skin is smooth and moist, it is due to wind. If the cubit muscles are weak, with lassitude, preferring to lie down quietly, and having emaciation, it indicates an incurable condition of cold and heat.
尺肤滑而泽脂者，风也。尺肤涩者，风痹也。尺肤麤如枯鱼之鳞者，水泆饮也。If the cubit skin is smooth and greasy like fat, it is due to wind. If the cubit skin is rough, it is wind-bi syndrome. If the cubit skin is as coarse as the scales of a dried fish, it is due to fluid retention and excessive drinking.
尺肤热甚，脉盛躁者，病温也；其脉甚而滑者，病且出也。尺肤寒，其脉小者，泄、少气（也）。If the cubit skin is extremely hot and the pulse is full and restless, it is a warm disease; if the pulse is very full and smooth, the disease is about to be cured. If the cubit skin is cold and the pulse is small, it indicates diarrhea and qi deficiency.
尺肤炬然，先热后寒者，寒热也。尺肤先寒，久大之而热者，亦寒热也。If the cubit skin is burning hot first and then cold, it is a condition of alternating cold and heat. If the cubit skin is cold first and then becomes hot after a long time of pressing, it is also a condition of alternating cold and heat.
肘所独热者，腰以上热；手所独热者，腰以下热。肘前独热者，膺前热；肘后独热者，肩背热。If only the elbow is hot, the area above the waist is hot; if only the hand is hot, the area below the waist is hot. If only the front of the elbow is hot, the area in front of the chest is hot; if only the back of the elbow is hot, the area of the shoulders and back is hot.
臂中独热者，腰腹热；肘后麤，以下三四寸热者，肠中有虫。If only the middle of the arm is hot, the area of the waist and abdomen is hot; if the back of the elbow is coarse and the area three or four inches below is hot, there are worms in the intestines.
掌中热者，腹中热；掌中寒者，腹中寒。鱼上白肉有青血脉者，胃中有寒。If the palm is hot, the abdomen is hot; if the palm is cold, the abdomen is cold. If there are bluish blood vessels on the white flesh above the thenar eminence, there is cold in the stomach.
尺炬然热，人迎大者，当夺血。尺坚大（坚大，别本作紧），（人迎）脉小甚，（则）少气；悗有加，立死。If the cubit skin is burning hot and the renying pulse is large, there will be blood loss. If the cubit skin is firm and large (in some versions, "firm and large" is written as "tight"), and the renying pulse is extremely small, there is qi deficiency; if the distress is aggravated, death will occur immediately.
目赤色者病在心，白在肺，青在肝，黄在脾，黑在肾。黄色不可名者，病在胸中。Red eyes indicate a disease in the heart; white in the lungs; green in the liver; yellow in the spleen; black in the kidney. If the yellow color is indescribable, the disease is in the chest.
诊目痛，赤脉从上下者，太阳病；从下上者，阳明病；从外走内者，少阳病。When diagnosing eye pain, if the red vessels run from top to bottom, it is a Taiyang disease; if from bottom to top, it is a Yangming disease; if from outside to inside, it is a Shaoyang disease.
诊寒热，赤脉上下至瞳子，见一脉一岁死；见一脉半，一岁半死；When diagnosing cold and heat diseases, if the red vessels extend up and down to the pupil, seeing one vessel means death in one year; seeing one and a half vessels means death in one and a half years;
见二脉，二岁死；见二脉半，二岁半死；见三脉，三岁死。seeing two vessels means death in two years; seeing two and a half vessels means death in two and a half years; seeing three vessels means death in three years.
诊龋齿痛，按其阳之来，有过者独热，在左左热，在右右热，在上上热，在下下热。When diagnosing toothache, by pressing on the origin of the Yang channels, if there is excessive heat in a certain area, if it is on the left, the left side is hot; if on the right, the right side is hot; if above, the upper part is hot; if below, the lower part is hot.
诊血脉者，多赤多热，多青多痛，多黑为久痹，多赤、多黑、多青皆见者，寒热。When examining the blood vessels, more red indicates more heat; more green indicates more pain; more black indicates chronic bi-syndrome; if red, black and green are all seen, it is a condition of alternating cold and heat.
身痛而色微黄，齿垢黄，爪甲上黄，黄疸也。安卧，小便黄赤，脉小而涩者不嗜食。Body pain with a slightly yellow complexion, yellow tartar on the teeth, and yellowish nails is jaundice. Lying down quietly, with yellowish and reddish urine, and a small and rough pulse, indicates loss of appetite.
人病，其寸口之脉，与人迎之脉小大等，及其浮沉等者，病难已也。When a person is ill, if the size of the pulse at the cun kou is the same as that of the renying pulse, and their floating and sinking conditions are also the same, the disease is difficult to be cured.
女子手少阴脉动甚者，妊子。In a woman, if the pulse of the hand Shaoyin is very strong, she is pregnant.
婴儿病，其头毛皆逆上者必死。耳间青脉起者掣痛。In an infant, if all the hairs on the head are standing upright, it is a sign of certain death. If the bluish veins appear between the ears, there will be spasmodic pain.
大便赤瓣，飧泄，脉小者，手足寒，难已；飧泄，脉小，手足温，泄易也。If the stools are like red petals, with indigestion and diarrhea, and the pulse is small, with cold hands and feet, it is difficult to be cured; if with indigestion and diarrhea, and the pulse is small, but the hands and feet are warm, the diarrhea is easy to be cured.
四时之变，寒暑之胜，重阴必阳，重阳必阴。The changes of the four seasons, the dominance of cold and heat in different seasons, extreme yin must turn into yang, and extreme yang must turn into yin.
故阴主寒，阳主热，故寒甚则热，热甚则寒，故曰：“寒生热，热生寒”，此阴阳之变也。Therefore, yin is mainly responsible for cold, and yang is mainly responsible for heat. So when cold is extreme, it turns into heat; when heat is extreme, it turns into cold. That is why it is said: "Cold gives birth to heat, and heat gives birth to cold." This is the change of yin and yang.
故曰：“冬伤于寒，春生病（别本作瘅）热；春伤于风，夏生飧（别本作后）泄肠僻（别本作澼），夏伤于暑，秋生痎疟；秋伤于湿，冬生咳嗽。”是谓四时之序也。Therefore, it is said: "If one is injured by cold in winter, one will get febrile diseases in spring; if one is injured by wind in spring, one will get indigestion and diarrhea or enteritis in summer; if one is injured by heat in summer, one will get malaria in autumn; if one is injured by wetness in autumn, one will get coughs in winter." This is the order of the four seasons.
