NCCAOM TCM Diagnostic Principles 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which tongue color indicates Blood stagnation in TCM diagnosis?
- Pale with white coating
- Purple or bluish-purple (Correct answer)
- Red with yellow coating
- Swollen and pale
Correct answer: Purple or bluish-purple
A purple or bluish-purple tongue indicates Blood stagnation (Blood stasis) due to impaired circulation.
Question 2: In TCM pulse diagnosis, a 'slippery' (Hua) pulse is most commonly associated with which condition?
- Yin deficiency
- Phlegm or pregnancy (Correct answer)
- Blood stasis
- Exterior Wind-Cold
Correct answer: Phlegm or pregnancy
A slippery pulse feels like pearls rolling on a plate and is classically associated with Phlegm, Dampness, or pregnancy.
Question 3: A patient presents with a red face, loud voice, and full rapid pulse. Which Eight Principle pattern does this best represent?
- Cold, Deficiency, Interior
- Heat, Excess, Interior (Correct answer)
- Heat, Deficiency, Exterior
- Cold, Excess, Exterior
Correct answer: Heat, Excess, Interior
Red face, loud voice, and full rapid pulse are all signs of Interior Heat Excess (Shi Heat).
Question 4: Which five-element sense organ is associated with the Kidney system in TCM?
- Eyes
- Mouth
- Ears (Correct answer)
- Nose
Correct answer: Ears
The Kidneys open to the ears; hearing problems often relate to Kidney Jing or Kidney Qi deficiency in TCM.
Question 5: In TCM, the term 'Ben' (root) and 'Biao' (branch) refer to:
- Primary and secondary meridians
- Underlying cause and manifestation of disease (Correct answer)
- Interior and exterior pathologies
- Yin organs and Yang organs
Correct answer: Underlying cause and manifestation of disease
Ben is the root cause of disease and Biao is the symptomatic manifestation; treatment strategy addresses which is more urgent.
Question 6: A coating that is thick and greasy on the tongue most strongly indicates:
- Blood deficiency
- Dampness or Phlegm accumulation (Correct answer)
- Yin deficiency Heat
- Exterior Wind invasion
Correct answer: Dampness or Phlegm accumulation
A thick, greasy tongue coating indicates accumulation of Dampness, Phlegm, or food stagnation in the interior.
Question 7: Which diagnostic method in TCM involves listening to the patient's voice and breathing sounds?
- Wang (observation)
- Wen (auscultation and olfaction) (Correct answer)
- Wen (inquiry)
- Qie (palpation)
Correct answer: Wen (auscultation and olfaction)
In the Four Examinations, 'Wen' used for listening refers to auscultation and olfaction — gathering information through hearing and smell.
NCCAOM TCM Diagnostic Principles 2
Which tongue color indicates Blood stagnation in TCM diagnosis?