Diagnosis Deck Guide

Welcome to the Diagnosis Deck Guide

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Diagnosis deck is built for one thing: taking what someone feels (symptoms) and translating it into pattern options.

It’s not meant to be used like a book.

It’s meant to be used like a decision tool.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by diagnosis in TCM, this deck is designed to reduce that overwhelm by making the process modular and visual.

What’s Inside the Diagnosis Deck

This deck is organized into three major “systems” that work together:

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1) Symptom → Pattern Cards (Main Engine)

These are your big grouped sets like:

  • Abdominal Pain (AP)
  • Anxiety (AX)
  • Cough (CO)
  • Fatigue (FT)
  • Headache (HA)

…and many more.

Each symptom group gives multiple pattern possibilities so you don’t over-diagnose from one symptom.

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2) TCM Term Bridge Cards (Vocabulary Layer)

This is the set that includes terms like:

  • Five Heart Heat (五心熱)
  • Wind Stroke (中風)
  • Plum Pit Syndrome (梅核氣)
  • Chest Bi (胸痹)

This part helps you translate:

English / clinic language / board exam language → classical or TCM term language

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3) Diagnostic Inputs (Observation + Questions)

This includes:

  • Body areas / tissues / features
  • Complexion colors
  • Nose / ears / throat / mouth specifics
  • Tongue body and coat
  • The 10 traditional questions
  • Stool / urine / thirst / sweat / sleep
  • Menstruation / pregnancy / discharge

This is the data collection layer, what you look at and ask before choosing patterns.

The Best Beginner Method: 2 Stacks Only

If you try to use the whole deck at once, it’s too much.

Start with only 2 stacks:

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Stack A — One Symptom Group

Pick one group you’ll practice for a week:

  • Fatigue (FT)
  • Headache (HA)
  • Insomnia (IS)
  • Cough (CO)

(choose what you see often)

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Stack B — Inputs (Questions + Observations)

Keep only these nearby:

  • 10 Traditional Questions
  • Stool/urine/thirst/sweat/sleep cards
  • Tongue body / coat basics

That’s enough to run the deck without overwhelm.

How to Read Symptom Group Cards

Symptom Group cards are designed to be viewed together, not individually.

In Boncho, a symptom is never treated as a diagnosis.

Instead, each symptom appears across multiple pattern cards to show how the same complaint can arise from different internal causes.

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When using Symptom Group cards:

1. Pull all cards with the same symptom label

(for example: all cards labeled with one shared symptom)

2. Lay them out side by side

Do not read the backs yet.

3. Compare the pattern names and visual cues

Notice differences in:

  • Organ involvement
  • Yin / Yang balance
  • Heat / Cold
  • Deficiency / Excess

Then flip the cards to confirm

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Use the back of each card to see:

  • The key distinguishing characteristic
  • Acupuncture points
  • Representative formulas

The goal is not to “pick the right card” immediately.

The goal is to understand why the same symptom leads to different patterns.

Using the Term Cards

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Those term cards are there so you can:

  • recognize classical / TCM terminology
  • match it to modern symptom language
  • understand what an instructor or a text means quickly
  • You don’t have to “study” this layer separately.
  • Instead:
  • whenever a term shows up in your symptom work, pull the matching term card
  • treat it like a dictionary insert
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This makes your memory stick better because it’s used in context.

Best Pairings for the Diagnosis Deck

This deck pairs naturally with:

The Diagnosis Deck sits in the middle:

inputs → pattern hypothesis → next deck = intervention

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