Vomiting Clear Liquid in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Wiry (Xian), Slippery (Hua), Deep (Chen)

The tongue is characteristically pale and swollen with tooth marks along the edges, reflecting Spleen Yang deficiency and fluid accumulation. The coating is white, slippery, and often greasy or sticky, indicating the presence of internal Dampness and Phlegm. The entire tongue surface tends to look excessively moist or wet. In cases where the fluid retention has been long-standing and begins to generate some Heat, the coating may become slightly yellowish or thicker in the centre. The tongue body itself lacks the redness of a Heat pattern.

Deep (Chen), Slippery (Hua), Wiry (Xian)

The tongue is typically pale, swollen, and excessively moist with a white slippery coating. This reflects the Cold nature of the fluid accumulation and the underlying Spleen Yang weakness. If the retained fluid has begun to generate some localized Heat from prolonged stagnation, the coating may show patches of yellow or become greasy-sticky rather than purely slippery. Teeth marks on the edges confirm Spleen Qi deficiency with Dampness. The overall impression is a waterlogged tongue.

Deep (Chen), Slow (Chi), Tight (Jin), Wiry (Xian)

The tongue is typically pale, reflecting the Cold nature of the pattern, with a moist or wet surface. The coating is thin and white, sometimes slightly slippery. There is no yellow discolouration or dryness. In cases where the Cold is very severe, the tongue may appear slightly bluish or have a wet, glossy quality. The coating remains thin rather than thick, distinguishing this from patterns involving Dampness or Phlegm accumulation.

Deep (Chen), Slow (Chi), Wiry (Xian), Tight (Jin)

The tongue body is typically pale, reflecting the dominance of interior Cold and impaired Blood circulation. The coating is white and slippery (wet), which is a hallmark of excess Cold and internal Yin predominance. In some cases the tongue may appear slightly dark or dusky at the edges corresponding to the Liver zone, reflecting early-stage Qi and Blood stagnation from Cold constriction, but this is not a prominent feature at this pattern's typical stage. The tongue is not dry, cracked, or red — any of those signs would point away from this pattern.

Deep (Chen), Slow (Chi), Weak (Ruo)

The tongue is characteristically pale and puffy or tender-looking, reflecting both the Yang deficiency and the accumulation of internal fluids that Yang can no longer transform. Teeth marks along the edges are common because the swollen tongue presses against the teeth. The coating is white, moist, and often slippery, especially in the centre of the tongue (corresponding to the Stomach area). In more advanced cases the entire tongue may appear waterlogged. The tongue lacks the vitality and pinkish hue of a healthy tongue.