[A textual research on acupoint diagnostic methods in Tianhui medical bamboo slips]

Among existing literature, Tianhui medical bamboo slips first explicitly proposed the diagnostic examination of "shu" (acupoints). This paper interprets the connotations of three acupoint diagnosis methods recorded in Tianhui medical bamboo slips, "ying shu", "ze ji" and "ze shu sheng", and investigates their evolution in later generations. It is pointed out that "ying shu" refers to the pain alleviation after palpation upon acupoints, which, with acupoint tenderness diagnosis included, constitutes the original connotation of "ashi diagnostic method" recorded in Beiji Qianjin Yaofang (Important Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergency). "Ze ji" refers to the palpation and detection of the tension on the body surface at acupoints, which later developed into the diagnosis of "firmness and softness" of acupoints. "Ze shu sheng" refers to the examination of the fullness on the body surface at acupoints, which is often combined with "ze ji" to identify the deficiency or excess of diseases based on acupoint morphology, and this method has been widely applied in Japanese abdominal palpation diagnosis. This paper presents the experience and inheritance of acupoint diagnosis in early literatures, sorts out its evolution from therapeutic palpation to syndrome differentiation based on acupoint diagnosis, and provides clinical enlightenment as well as textual and theoretical support for advancing the theory of acupoint diagnosis.