In this article, the author discusses what he believes to be the main obstacles for Western practitioners learning and using Chinese pulse examination in their practice. According to the author, this main obstacle is a pedagogical one and a tendency not to memorise the key information to a high enough degree of certainty to make that information clinically reliable. He believes that mastery of pulse examination for making a correct TMC pattern discrimination is even more important for Western practitioners than for our Chinese counterparts. This is because, in his experience, Western practitioners are faced with patients who present, not with one textbook pattern or another, but with a combination of three, four or even five patterns. Chinese pulse diagnosis does not presuppose any exceptional, little known, paranormal endowment or ability in the person applying it. All that is required is a solid grounding in its coherent theory and a trained and well-kept hand.