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Huangdi Neijing · The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon
Lingshu 2 · Root Transporting Points
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
The Yellow Emperor asked Qi Bo: “The Way of needling requires understanding where the twelve channels and networks begin and end, where network vessels branch, where the five transporting points retain qi, the associations of the six fu, their seasonal entry and exit, the places where the five zang flow, the measures of spacing and closeness, depth and shallowness, and the reach of high and low. I wish to hear the explanation.”
Qi Bo said: “Let me explain them in order.”
“The Lung emerges at Shaoshang, on the inner side of the thumb’s tip: the well, Wood.
“It flows at Yuji, the hand’s fish-like fleshy eminence: the spring.
“It pours at Taiyuan, in the hollow one cun behind that eminence: the stream.
“It courses at Jingqu, within Cunkou, moving without remaining still: the river.
“It enters at Chize, the moving vessel in the elbow: the sea. This is Hand Taiyin.”
“The Heart emerges at Zhongchong, the tip of the middle finger: the well, Wood.
“It flows at Laogong, in the palm within the interval at the middle finger’s root joint: the spring.
“It pours at Daling, in the hollow between two bones behind the palm: the stream.
“It courses at Jianshi, between two sinews in the three-cun region. With disorder it arrives; without disorder it stops: the river.
“It enters at Quze, in the hollow below the elbow’s inner edge, found by bending it: the sea. This is Hand Shaoyin.”
The supplied Heart points and Hand Shaoyin label are retained, without remapping them to a later channel scheme.
“The Liver emerges at Dadun, at the great toe’s tip and among its three hairs: the well, Wood.
“It flows at Xingjian, in the great-toe interval: the spring.
“It pours at Taichong, in the hollow two cun above Xingjian: the stream.
“It courses at Zhongfeng, in the hollow one and a half cun before the inner ankle. Contrary movement bends it; harmonious movement frees it. It is found by moving the foot: the river.
“It enters at Ququan, below the supporting bone and above the great sinew, found by bending the knee: the sea. This is Foot Jueyin.”
“The Spleen emerges at Yinbai, on the inner side of the great toe’s tip: the well, Wood.
“It flows at Dadu, in the hollow below and behind the root joint: the spring.
“It pours at Taibai, below the rounded bone: the stream.
“It courses at Shangqiu, in the hollow below the inner ankle: the river.
“It enters at Yinlingquan, in the hollow below the supporting bone, found by extending: the sea. This is Foot Taiyin.”
The displayed Taibai bone graph literally names a wrist bone despite this foot context. It is read as the rounded bone, without silently changing the Chinese or supplying a modern anatomical identification.
“The Kidney emerges at Yongquan, in the center of the sole: the well, Wood.
“It flows at Rangu, below the ran bone: the spring.
“It pours at Taixi, in the hollow behind the inner ankle and above the heel bone: the stream.
“It courses at Fuliu, two cun above the inner ankle, moving without rest: the river.
“It enters at Yingu, behind the supporting bone, below the great sinew and above the small sinew. It answers the pressing hand and is found by bending the knee: the sea. This is Foot Shaoyin.”
Ran and supporting bone remain the source’s anatomical labels rather than new modern identifications.
“The Bladder emerges at Zhiyin, the little toe’s tip: the well, Metal.
“It flows at Tonggu, outside and before the root joint: the spring.
“It pours at Shugu, in the hollow behind the root joint: the stream.
“It passes Jinggu, below the great bone on the foot’s outer side: the source.
“It courses at Kunlun, behind the outer ankle and above the heel bone: the river.
“It enters at Weizhong, in the middle of the hollow behind the knee: the sea, addressed with the knee bent. This is Foot Taiyang.”
Shugu reads the anomalous displayed first graph by the point sequence.
“The Gallbladder emerges at Qiaoyin, at the tip of the toe next to the little toe: the well, Metal.
“It flows at Xiaxi, in the interval by that toe: the spring.
“It pours at Linqi, in the hollow one and a half cun farther upward: the stream.
“It passes Qiuxu, in the hollow before and below the outer ankle: the source.
“It courses at Yangfu, above the outer ankle, before the supporting bone and at the end of the cut-off bone: the river.
“It enters at Yanglingquan, in the hollow outside the knee, found by extending: the sea. This is Foot Shaoyang.”
“The Stomach emerges at Lidui, at the tip of the toe next to the great toe: the well, Metal.
“It flows at Neiting, in the outer interval of that toe: the spring.
“It pours at Xiangu, in the hollow two cun upward along the inner interval of the middle toe: the stream.
“It passes Chongyang, in the hollow five cun up on the foot’s instep, found by moving the foot: the source.
“It courses at Jiexi, in the hollow one and a half cun above Chongyang: the river.
“It enters at Xialing, three cun below the knee, at Sanli outside the shin bone: the sea. Three cun below Sanli is Juxu Shanglian; three cun below Shanglian is Juxu Xialian. The Large Intestine belongs above, the Small Intestine below. This is the Foot Yangming Stomach vessel. Both intestines belong to the Stomach: this is Foot Yangming.”
The shin-bone graph is anomalous in the displayed source. All stated distances are retained as historical cun, without replacing them by modern point measurements.
“The Triple Burner joins Hand Shaoyang above. It emerges at Guanchong, at the tip of the finger next to the little finger: the well, Metal.
“It flows at Yemen, in the interval by that finger: the spring.
“It pours at Zhongzhu, in the hollow behind the root joint: the stream.
“It passes Yangchi, in the hollow at the wrist: the source.
“It courses at Zhigou, in the hollow between two bones three cun above the wrist: the river.
“It enters at Tianjing, in the hollow above the great bone outside the elbow, found by bending the elbow: the sea.
“The Triple Burner’s lower transporting point is before the great toe and behind Shaoyang, emerging at the outer edge of the hollow behind the knee. It is named Weiyang and is a Taiyang network. This is Hand Shaoyang. The Triple Burner is led by Foot Shaoyang and Taiyin and is a branch of Taiyang. Five cun above the ankle it branches inward, passing through the calf, emerging at Weiyang and joining Taiyang’s main course. It enters and networks with the Bladder and binds the lower burner. Repletion causes blocked urination; emptiness causes loss of urinary control. The latter is supplemented; blocked urination is drained.”
The source’s great-toe location and Foot Shaoyang/Taiyin wording are retained despite their difficulties; older commentaries propose differing corrections. The anomalous calf graph is read from the leg course, without adding a modern route.
“The Small Intestine joins Hand Taiyang above. It emerges at Shaoze, the little finger’s tip: the well, Metal.
“It flows at Qiangu, in the hollow before the root joint at the hand’s outer edge: the spring.
“It pours at Houxi, outside and behind the root joint: the stream.
“It passes Wangu, before the wrist bone on the hand’s outer side: the source.
“It courses at Yanggu, in the hollow below the pointed bone: the river.
“It enters at Xiaohai, outside the great bone at the inner elbow, in the hollow half a cun from its tip, found with the arm extended: the sea. This is Hand Taiyang.”
“The Large Intestine joins Hand Yangming above. It emerges at Shangyang, at the tip of the finger next to the thumb: the well, Metal.
“It flows at Erjian, before the root joint: the spring.
“It pours at Sanjian, behind the root joint: the stream.
“It passes Hegu, between the thumb’s branching bones: the source.
“It courses at Yangxi, in the hollow between two sinews: the river.
“It enters at Quchi, in the hollow of the supporting bone outside the elbow, found by bending the arm: the sea. This is Hand Yangming.”
“These are the transporting points of the five zang and six fu: five times five gives twenty-five; six times six gives thirty-six. The six fu all emerge from the three yang of the foot and join above with the hand.”
“Within the hollow above the collarbone lies the Ren vessel, at the point named Tiantu.
“First in sequence, the moving vessel beside Ren is Foot Yangming, named Renying.
“Second, Hand Yangming’s vessel is named Futu.
“Third, Hand Taiyang’s vessel is named Tianchuang.
“Fourth, Foot Shaoyang’s vessel is named Tianrong.
“Fifth, Hand Shaoyang’s vessel is named Tianyou.
“Sixth, Foot Taiyang’s vessel is named Tianzhu.
“Seventh, the vessel in the center of the neck is Du, named Fengfu.
“The moving vessel inside the armpit is Hand Taiyin, named Tianfu.
“Three cun below the armpit is the Hand Heart Ruler, named Tianchi.”
The supplied channel assignments, including Tianrong under Foot Shaoyang, are retained rather than reassigned to a later point catalog.
“For needling Shangguan, the mouth is open and must not close; for Xiaguan, closed and must not open. For Dubi, the knee is bent and must not extend; for the two gates, extended and must not bend.”
The mouth verbs are read through their opening/closing contrast in the older gloss, not as a new jaw-movement technique.
“Foot Yangming is the moving vessel beside the throat; its transporting point lies in the chest. Hand Yangming is next, outside that point, not reaching the curved jaw by one cun. Hand Taiyang faces the curved jaw. Foot Shaoyang lies below the ear behind the curved jaw. Hand Shaoyang emerges behind the ear and rises above the Wangu bone. Foot Taiyang lies at the hairline among the great sinews beside the nape. The yin chi moving vessel is at Wuli: this is a prohibition associated with the five transporting points.”
The compressed final pulse-region wording remains at its supplied level; no modern vascular location or needle depth is added.
“The Lung joins the Large Intestine, the fu of transmission.
“The Heart joins the Small Intestine, the fu of receiving and holding.
“The Liver joins the Gallbladder, the fu of central essence.
“The Spleen joins the Stomach, the fu of the five grains.
“The Kidney joins the Bladder, the fu of fluids.
“Shaoyang belongs to the Kidney, which connects upward with the Lung; thus it leads two zang. The Triple Burner is the fu of the central waterways, from which water passages emerge. It belongs to the Bladder and is the solitary fu. These are the associations and unions of the six fu.”
“In spring, address network vessels, springs, great channels and intervals of divided flesh. Address severe illness deeply and lesser illness shallowly.
“In summer, address streams, small networks, flesh and the surface of the skin.
“In autumn, address seas; otherwise follow spring’s method.
“In winter, address the well and stream divisions, seeking depth and retention.
“This is the sequence of the four seasons: where qi lies, illness lodges and what suits the zang. For sinew cramping, the text addresses it standing, so that it may cease. For wilting and counterflow, it describes extending and needling, bringing prompt relief.”
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