Tongue state
Smooth Red Mirror Tongue without Coating
Schematic illustration, not a photograph
Schematic illustration, not a photograph.
Description
Tongue vivid red, surface smooth and glossy like a mirror, entirely lacking coating, dry with scant fluids.
Significance
Indicates severe damage to stomach qi with exhausted stomach yin, or pronounced yin vacuity with effulgent fire; usually carries a guarded prognosis, seen in the late stage of febrile disease or long-standing yin collapse.
Related tongue states
Take a tongue photo and see which pattern is closest.
Open tongue check