TCM Diagnostic Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real NCCAOM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 TCM Diagnostic Principles flashcards as text
In TCM, a wiry (Xian) pulse is classically associated with which organ system or condition?
Answer: Liver/Gallbladder or pain
A wiry pulse feels taut like a guitar string and is associated with Liver/Gallbladder disorders, pain, or emotional stress.
Which of the following tongue body characteristics indicates Yin deficiency?
Answer: Thin, red, and dry tongue with little or no coating
A thin, red, and dry tongue with scanty coating reflects insufficient Yin fluids failing to nourish the tongue body.
In TCM Five-Element theory, which emotion is associated with the Metal element?
Answer: Grief/Sadness
Grief and sadness are the emotions associated with the Metal element and the Lung/Large Intestine organ pair.
A patient reports that their pain is fixed in location, stabbing in nature, and worse at night. The TCM diagnosis is most likely:
Answer: Blood stasis
Fixed, stabbing pain that worsens at night is a hallmark presentation of Blood stasis in TCM diagnosis.
Which TCM diagnostic principle describes the relationship between the Kidney and Liver in terms of Yin nourishment?
Answer: Liver and Kidney sharing the same source
The concept that 'Liver and Kidney share the same source' (tong yuan) describes how Kidney Yin nourishes Liver Yin and Blood.
In TCM, a 'flooding' or 'surging' (Hong) pulse is most associated with:
Answer: Excessive Heat in the Qi level
A flooding/surging pulse is large, forceful, and associated with intense interior Heat at the Qi stage of the four-level system.
Which of the following best describes the TCM concept of 'Zheng Qi' (Upright Qi)?
Answer: The body's overall defensive and restorative capacity
Zheng Qi is the body's righteous or correct Qi encompassing all physiological functions that resist and recover from pathogenic factors.