遲 简体 迟

chí

The slow quality · chi

Also rendered: The retarded pulse (Literal) · The lagging pulse (Clinical)

Reviewed · 2026-10-28

At a glance

Pinyin
chí
Simplified
迟
Literal
遲 chí — to go slowly, to lag. As a pulse it is one that arrives late, fewer beats to the breath than the normal five.
Shuowen
**《說文》:遲,徐行也**,从辵,犀聲。**「遲」五篇共30見**(經文),與沉、濇、緩並舉者為多。

In brief

The slow quality: fewer beats than the breath calls for. In the yin family it pairs with astringency to name disease of the viscera, and it is the quality that forbids purgation while it lasts. Yet the same word is used in a second, technical sense in the Pingmai fa, where 榮氣和,名曰遲 — the harmony of the nutritive qi is itself called slow. A reader who takes every 遲 for a sick pulse will misread that passage, so both senses are entered below.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
Yin and slow 諸陰遲濇
遲與濇同為陰脉,主藏病
The yin pulses, slow and astringent, ride upon the viscera.
諸陰遲濇爲乘藏 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
2
Slow and deep 脉沉而遲
沉遲並見,裏寒不食
Deep and slow, with no appetite: cold in the interior.
其脉沉而遲,不能食 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
3
It forbids purgation 脉遲尚未可攻
遲屬不足,雖有便難未可下
While the pulse is slow, one may not yet attack; hard stool alone does not license a purge.
脉遲尚未可攻 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
4
The stomach's normal 趺陽脉遲而緩
趺陽遲緩,胃氣如常
Slow and relaxed at the instep is stomach qi running as it should.
趺陽脉遲而緩,胃氣如經也 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一
5
Harmony called slow 榮氣和,名曰遲
營氣和者,其脉亦名為遲
When the nutritive qi is in harmony, the pulse is also named slow — a name, not a disease.
榮氣和,名曰遲 — 傷寒論·平脉法第二
6
Slow and unresolved 脉遲至六七日
脉遲至六七日而不欲食,水停未解
If the pulse stays slow past six or seven days with no appetite, this is a late onset: water is held and the case is not resolved.
若脉遲至六七日,不欲食,此爲晚發,水停故也 — 傷寒論·辨脉法第一

Occurrences in the classics

Passages where the term does real work, with the original, pinyin and English on the same line.

Display
5 passages
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
經曰:諸陽浮數爲乘府,諸陰遲濇爲乘藏。 经曰:诸阳浮数为乘府,诸阴迟涩为乘藏。
jīng yuē zhū yáng fú shuò wéi chéng fǔ zhū yīn chí sè wéi chéng zàng
The classic says: “All yang pulses that are floating and rapid indicate attack on the fu; all yin pulses that are slow and astringent indicate attack on the zang.”
**「遲」五篇共30見**(經文,不含成注),本文引第1篇第27段、第1篇第32段、第1篇第29段、第2篇第49段、第1篇第46段。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
屬府者,不令溲數,溲數則大便鞕,汗多則熱愈,汗少則便難。脉遲尚未可攻。 属府者,不令溲数,溲数则大便鞕,汗多则热愈,汗少则便难。脉迟尚未可攻。
shǔ fǔ zhě bù lìng sōu shuò sōu shuò zé dà biàn yìng hàn duō zé rè yù hàn shǎo zé biàn nán mài chí shàng wèi kě gōng
If it belongs to the fu, do not make the urine frequent, for frequent urine hardens the stool; much sweat resolves the fever, little sweat makes the stool difficult. If the pulse is slow, it may not yet be attacked.
末條以沉細並舉,見遲之屬陰者;而卷二「榮氣和,名曰遲」別是一義,不可混。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
趺陽脉遲而緩,胃氣如經也。趺陽脉浮而數,浮則傷胃,數則動脾,此非本病,醫特下之所爲也。榮衛内陷,其數先微,脉反但浮,其人必大便鞕,氣噫而除。何以言之?本以數脉動脾,其數先微,故知脾氣不治,大便鞕,氣噫而除。今脉反浮,其數改微,邪氣獨留,心中則飢,邪熱不殺榖,潮熱發渴。數脉當遲緩,脉因前後度數如法,病者則飢,數脉不時,則生惡瘡也。 趺阳脉迟而缓,胃气如经也。趺阳脉浮而数,浮则伤胃,数则动脾,此非本病,医特下之所为也。荣卫内陷,其数先微,脉反但浮,其人必大便鞕,气噫而除。何以言之?本以数脉动脾,其数先微,故知脾气不治,大便鞕,气噫而除。今脉反浮,其数改微,邪气独留,心中则饥,邪热不杀谷,潮热发渴。数脉当迟缓,脉因前后度数如法,病者则饥,数脉不时,则生恶疮也。
fū yáng mài chí ér huǎn wèi qì rú jīng yě fū yáng mài fú ér shuò fú zé shāng wèi shuò zé dòng pí cǐ fēi běn bìng yī tè xià zhī suǒ wéi yě róng wèi nèi xiàn qí shuò xiān wēi mài fǎn dàn fú qí rén bì dà biàn yìng qì yī ér chú hé yǐ yán zhī běn yǐ shuò mài dòng pí qí shuò xiān wēi gù zhī pí qì bù zhì dà biàn yìng qì yī ér chú jīn mài fǎn fú qí shuò gǎi wēi xié qì dú liú xīn zhōng zé jī xié rè bù shā gǔ cháo rè fā kě shuò mài dāng chí huǎn mài yīn qián hòu dù shuò rú fǎ bìng zhě zé jī shuò mài bù shí zé shēng è chuāng yě
When the fuyang pulse is slow and relaxed, the stomach qi is as usual. When it is floating and rapid, floating injures the stomach and rapid stirs the spleen; this is not the original disease but the work of a physician who purged wrongly. Ying and wei sink inward, the rapid quality fades first, the pulse becomes merely floating, and the patient must have a hard stool and belching that relieves him. Why? Originally the rapid pulse stirred the spleen; the rapid fades first, so one knows the spleen qi is unregulated, the stool hard, and belching relieves. Now the pulse is floating instead and the rapid has changed to faint; the evil qi remains alone, there is hunger in the chest, the evil heat fails to digest grain, and there is tidal fever with thirst. The rapid pulse should turn slow and relaxed; if the pulse’s measures before and after follow the rule, the patient will be hungry; if the rapid pulse does not keep time, evil sores will form.
末條以沉細並舉,見遲之屬陰者;而卷二「榮氣和,名曰遲」別是一義,不可混。
傷寒論·平脉法第二 Read in context →
榮氣和,名曰遲。 荣气和,名曰迟。
róng qì hé míng yuē chí
When the ying qi alone is harmonious, it is named slow.
末條以沉細並舉,見遲之屬陰者;而卷二「榮氣和,名曰遲」別是一義,不可混。
傷寒論·辨脉法第一 Read in context →
脉陰陽俱緊,至於吐利,其脉獨不解,緊去入安,此爲欲解。若脉遲至六七日,不欲食,此爲晚發,水停故也,爲未解。食自可者,爲欲解。 脉阴阳俱紧,至于吐利,其脉独不解,紧去入安,此为欲解。若脉迟至六七日,不欲食,此为晚发,水停故也,为未解。食自可者,为欲解。
mài yīn yáng jù jǐn zhì yú tù lì qí mài dú bù jiě jǐn qù rù ān cǐ wéi yù jiě ruò mài chí zhì liù qī rì bù yù shí cǐ wéi wǎn fā shuǐ tíng gù yě wéi wèi jiě shí zì kě zhě wéi yù jiě
When both pulses are tight and, after vomiting and diarrhoea, the pulse alone does not resolve, the departure of tightness brings ease: this is about to resolve. If the pulse is slow up to the sixth or seventh day with no appetite, this is a late onset caused by water retained, and it is not yet resolved. When eating returns of itself, it is about to resolve.
末條以沉細並舉,見遲之屬陰者;而卷二「榮氣和,名曰遲」別是一義,不可混。

Compounds built on this term

脉遲
mài chí
the pulse is slow
辨脉法第一
沉而遲
chén ér chí
deep and slow
辨脉法第一
遲緩相搏
chí huǎn xiāng bó
slow and relaxed contending
平脉法第二
遲濇
chí sè
slow and astringent
辨脉法第一

How it has been translated

Every rendering below is a decision about which reader is being addressed. There is no neutral option.

This sitethe slow qualitya quality, and in one place a name for harmony
Literalslowexact, but blind to the technical sense
Clinicalbradycardicprecise, and foreign to the book

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-28

Search the glossary

Reading path

Guided routes through the corpus, each built on a handful of chapters and their key terms.

See all reading paths