Features: The pulse appears shorter than the normal content of cun, guan and chi regions.
Clinical significance: Indicating qi disorders. Short and powerful pulse indicates qi stagnation; while short and weak pulse signifies qi asthenia.

The development of diseases is complicated and may be caused by various pathogenic factors, leading to the variations of the functions of yin and yang, qi and blood and viscera as well as the states of the conflict between the healthy qi and pathogenic factors. Therefore, the pulse conditions mentioned above do not exist in a single form in the clinical practice. Usually two or more pulse?conditions appear at the same time. Such a pulse condition?allied combined pulse. The conditions of pulse may appear at the same time, unless they are contrary in nature, so as to comprehensively reflect the pathological changes in the body.
 
Generally speaking, the disease indicated by the?combined pulse is the synthesis of the diseases indicated by the pulse conditions appearing simultaneously in a case. For example, floating pulse indicates external syndrome and fast pulse signifies heat syndrome, so floating and fast pulse shows external heat syndrome~ floating pulse indicates external syndrome and tense pulse signifies cold syndrome, so floating and tense pulse manifests external cold syndrome; taut pulse indicates disorder of the liver and gallbladder and fast pulse signifies heat syndrome, so taut and fast pulse manifests liver depression transforming into fire or damp heat in the liver and gallbladder, etc.
 
On the whole, all related factors should be taken into consideration in differentiating pulse for making correct clinical diagnosis.