| Tongue | Pathology |
| Swollen tooth-marked tongue (2) | Qi deficient
Dampness |
| Thin tongue, Red | Yin deficient |
| Thin tongue, Pale | Qi & blood deficient |
| Cracked tongue, red | Liver, KI, Ht yin deficient |
| Cracked tongue, pale | Blood deficient |
| Thorny tongue / strawberry / red bumps | heat |
| Thorny tongue / strawberry / red bumps: TIP | tip - HT fire |
| Thorny tongue / strawberry / red bumps: sides | sides - GB/LIV heat |
| Thorny tongue / strawberry / red bumps: center | center - ST heat |
| Stiff (3) | 1. PC heat/phlegm
2. Heat injures body fluids - KI water damaged
3. Internal wind |
| Deviated tongue | liver wind |
| ulcerated tongue | heat |
| flaccid tongue | DEFICIENT |
| Flaccid tongue - pale | blood deficient |
| Flaccid tongue- red | yin deficient |
| Quivering tongue (2) | Blood & qi deficient
Internal wind |
| short tongue (3) | damp phlegm
severe heat
cold accumulation |
| Playing with tongue | internal wind or retardation |
| Tongue coat | Manifestation of ST qi |
| white coat (2) | Exterior condition
Cold condition |
| Yellow coat (2) | Hot condition
Interior condition |
| Gray & dry | Internal heat |
| Gray & moist | Internal cold |
| Black coat & dry | Severe internal heat |
| Black coat & moist | Severe internal cold |
| Thick coat | Prevents seeing tongue color underneath
excess or deficiency - thick is not normal |
| peeled coat | yin deficient |
| Peeled patches | deficiency in areas / organs of peel |
| Wet & thick coat | excess phlegm |
| Thin wet coat | deficient |
| Greasy coat (3) | damp, phlegm, food stagnation |
| root of tongue | |
| root of tongue - cannot be scraped off | ST qi in good condition |
| No root or easily scraped off | ST qi very weak or deficient |
| Distended veins underneath tongue | Blood stasis & phlegm |
| Full smell | heat |
| No smell | cold |
