Character of the tongue: The tongue body is contracted and fails to extend out of the mouth, even hard to reach the teeth.
Clinical significance: The contracted tongue with pale color or blue-purple and moist body indicates cold congealing in the tendons and vessels; contracted tongue with crimson and dry body indicates heat diseases consuming the fluids; the contracted tongue with enlarged body shows wind phlegm blocking the collacterals.
Also see Transportation and Metabolism of Body Fluid.