The tongue: Mixed review

Which of these findings is the most reliable for asserting yin deficiency?

1. A pale body
2. A red body
3. The absence of a coating
4. A greasy coating

Does this finding speak about the background or about what is happening now?

• A body pale for yearsBackgroundNow
• A coating that turned yellow this weekBackgroundNow
• Deep cracks in the centreBackgroundNow
• A layer thickened after a holiday of excessesBackgroundNow
• A consistently narrow, dry tongueBackgroundNow
• A very wet layer since a cold three days agoBackgroundNow

A pale swollen tongue with the left lateral area visibly darker. How do you read it?

1. It is a worthless artefact
2. A general deficiency with a localised stagnation in Liver territory
3. A Liver heat dominating the picture

Order, slowest to fastest, how long each finding takes to change.

1. Deep cracks↑↓
2. Tongue body colour↑↓
3. Size and tooth marks↑↓
4. Thickness of the layer↑↓
5. Surface moisture↑↓

Build the description of a Spleen qi deficiency tongue.

Why do you ask the patient not to hold the tongue out for more than a few seconds?

1. Because they get tired
2. Because nothing changes
3. Because the air reddens and dries it, and what you see after a minute is no longer what was there