The word "Extraordinary 奇 Qi" also appears in the context of the Curious Organs (名奇恆之府 Heng Qi Ming Zi Fu)" in Su Wen ch. 11 and "Strange Diseases (奇病 Qi Bing)" associated with the Luo in Su Wen ch. 63, suggesting a spiritual role and the interaction of primordial opposing forces such as Yang (陽) and Yin (陰), Heaven (☰ 乾 Qian) and Earth (☷ 坤 Kun), Spirit (神 Shen) and Essence (精 Jing), Fire (☲ 離 Li) and Water (☵ 坎 Kan).
This connection with the fundamental forces makes them represent the evolution of the channel system from the primordial infinite (Wuji) 無極, separating into Yin and Yang (Taiji 太極) and then becoming the differentiated channel system as we know it. This made them become an important part of the spiritual transformation (Neidan 內丹) traditions which aim to reverse this process to return to the Dao 道. Placed at the intersection of medicine and religion, they are most suited for complaints that are chronic, inherited, cross multiple organ or channel systems and intersect physiological symptoms with psychological issues and spiritual matters affecting one's path in life. This means that treatments at this level may even be employed as a means of helping someone coming to terms with lifelong illness or even prepare for death.
Yuen teaches that the primordial forces of Yin, Yang and Jing can only be reached through the Yuan Qi level and therefore needling is the deepest and stimulated with techniques that connect with the Jing such as vibrating or listening techniques. In keeping with the idea that these are vessels of alchemical transformation and outside of the regular system, they should be approached like a Neidan session. Retention time is longer, more than 20 minutes and often up to 40 minutes, and points serve only as an invitation for the spiritual transformation that the receiver must undertake. The subtle manipulations encourage an inner focus so the patient must be actively engaged in listening for them. It therefore makes sense not to approach these vessels in every patient but only after establishing this intent. Treatments should not be undertaken too often, maximum of once per week (although home cultivation is advised), and changes may take up to 12 weeks to show. Even this period is only "setting up the foundation" which is said to take 100 days in Neidan practice. However, there is little historical precedent for this approach and some Extraordinary Vessels like the Chong are routinely treated like any other Channel or Zangfu Organ.
Extra points that connect to the Yuan Qi can also be added to direct the treatment, such as Yuan-Source, Front- or Back-Shu, Front-Mu, He-Sea, Hui-Meeting, Ren, Du, Kidney or San Jiao points. The Gall Bladder channel, which connects to the Curious Organs, also has a close relationship to these vessels and many of the points shared by these vessels are Kidney or Gall Bladder points. The opening points can also be included to define an Extraordinary Vessel protocol but are not strictly necessary. They first appear in 1196 AD and became in popular use during the Ming Dynasty but were not a part of earlier literature with the exception of the Qiao opening points that were employed as a means to drain the Extraordinary Vessels of pathogens affecting the eyes, cranium or inner abdomen.
The presence of eight suggests they are connected with the trigrams of the Yi Jing that represent archetypal phases of change, however classical sources giving direct attributions are few. One alchemical author, Li Shizhen (李時珍) in his Exposition on the Extraordinary Vessels (奇經八脈考, Qi Jing Ba Mai Kao, c. 1577) says:
"The Yang Wei governs the exterior of the entire body while the Yin Wei governs the interior of the entire body, and so they are referred to as Qian and Kun. The Yang Qiao governs the Yang [aspect] of the left and right side of the entire body while the Yin Qiao governs the Yin [aspect] of the left and right of the entire body so they are referred to as east and west. The Dai vessel horizontally binds all the vessels so it is referred to as the six directions."From this I have attempted to recreate the trigram attributions by taking:
Three patterns emerge from this mapping. The first is that the confluent pairs are all two places away in the Late Heaven Bagua Sequence meaning that cardinal and ordinal directions are paired with others of the same type. The "transporter" vessels in the cardinal directions are in the east and west and move towards the north and south to pair with their primordial "Sea" partner. The ordinal "transporter" vessels all begin in the west and moving eastwards as they pair with the primordial "Sea" vessel:
This positioning of the Yang Qiao reveals another grouping: that the Vessels most associated with consciousness are in east to southwest while those more related to unconscious bodily function are in the west to northeast. The Yang Qiao governs wakefulness while the Yin Wei and Chong govern Blood which contains the Shen, and the Du governs the brain and spine. Meanwhile the Yin Qiao governs sleep, the Ren and Dai govern the abdomen, and the Yang Wei governs the response of Wei Qi to Exterior threats (i.e. immunity and reactions). This then makes the Yang Wei the Yang within Yin as it is below consciousness but yet a Yang response, while the Yin Wei is the Yin within Yang due to it governing the Heart Blood, the seat consciousness deep within the Shaoyin axis, yet also often an area we are not directly conscious of.
A second pattern that emerges is that these pairs show the Late to Early Heaven pairings, revealing the journey the practitioner undertakes in Neidan practice. Here the four assistant "transporter" vessels, the Wei and Qiao Mai, when transformed into their Early Heaven trigrams become the Late Heaven trigrams for the four primordial "Sea" vessels, the Dai, Ren, Du and Chong. When these vessels are also transformed into their Early Heaven trigrams, they describe higher level practices such as the formation of the Dan Tian, the merging of Fire and Water to become True Yin and Yang and its circulation through the Microcosmic Orbit, and finally the formation of the Sacred Embryo or Elixir of Immortality.
Another set of trigram associations was developed by Xu Feng in the Ming dynasty and uses the Eight Methods of the Sacred Turtle (靈龜八法 Ling Gui Ba Fa) to attribute the Eight Trigrams to the opening points of the Extraordinary Vessels and their confluent pairs based on the ancient Yellow River (河圖 He Tu) and Nine Palace (雒書 Luo Shu) diagrams. These contradict Li Shizhen so they are not included here to avoid confusion but an explanation of this system is given here and here.
The purpose of Internal Alchemy is to reverse the process of creation in order to return to the primordial unity of the Dao, which suggests that the Eight Extraordinary Vessels are also a representation of unfolding of the universe and the beginning of creation, hence they are essential in reproduction and the generation of new life. Based on the attibutions deduced from Li Shizhen's commentary, it becomes possible to posit a sequence for conception and how the Channel system develops from an original undifferentiated zygote.
This process begins when the male seed, which originates from the Sea of Yang, associated with the Du Mai, combines with the female egg from the Sea of Yin, the Ren Mai, in the Uterus, under the domain of the Chong Mai. This causes the woman's period to stop and a new life to develop.
The first vessel to develop is the Chong Mai which represents the undifferentiated Primordial Unity (Wuji 無極). In many ancient schools of thought, this observation of the period stopping resulting in pregnancy was thought to be due to the menstrual blood clotting and this blood clot forming the basis for the embryo's body. It seems that Chinese medicine had a concept of a male and female seed being required to start this process, but the Chong Mai representing a unity of Yin and Yang prior to their differnetiation suggests a similar line of thought. From this original unity, Yin and Yang emerge in the form of the Ren and Du Mai. These are encircled and bound by the Dai Mai which also represents a unity of Yin and Yang, but as a belt connecting them, it is the unity of Yin and Yang after their differentiation (Taiji 太極). At this stage the Extraordinary Vessels have their Early Heaven trigram attibutions, with the Ren and Du Mai being ☷, Earth, and ☰, Heaven, respectively, the Chong Mai having ☱, Lake, and the Dai Mai having ☳, Thunder.
With the formation of the Dai Mai comes ☳, Thunder, an arousing, dividing and excitatory force, so as this primordial force develops it initiates a radical transformation: the fall from Early Heaven to Later Heaven. The Dai Mai becomes ☶, Mountain, which binds, uniting ☷ Yin and ☰ Yang. This causes them to exchange their inner lines to become ☵ Water and ☲ Fire. Their original forms, ☷ and ☰ develop into the Yin and Yang Wei Mai, the Linking Vessels, which in turn develop into the Primary Meridians that they link together.
The Chong transforms into ☴, the Penetrating quality of the Blood that permeates every tissue while its original primordial, undifferentiated nature, represented by ☱ becomes buried in the depths of Yin consciousness, the Yin Qiao Mai, making sleep the only time when many of us can experience non-duality. ☱ is known in the alchemy of the Cantong Qi as White Lead, true Yang or the White Tiger, representing this original reflection of the Dao that is deep within us. The original nature of the Dai Mai ☳ develops into the Yang Qiao Mai, Yang consciousness and wakefulness, giving consciousness its fluid nature, and is also reflected in the Cantong Qi as being Mercury, True Yin and the Black Dragon of the East.
With these transformations complete and the Early Heaven sequence lost, or at least buried deep within the the Later Heaven attributions of the Eight Extraodinary Vessel Trigram attributions, the formation of a new life is complete. In order to return to the Primordial Unity of the Dao, it is necessary to work with the Later Heaven Vessels in order to restore them to their original natures, as outlined in the section above.
The Su Wen only describes the Wei Mai (Linking Vessels) as "The Yin Wei is where the Yin meet and the Yang Wei is where the Yang meet" with no description of their pathways but this description suggests they connect the regular meridians together allowing Qi and Blood to move between them. This makes them the closest to the regular meridian system and first to bring pathologies penetrating to the Extraordinary level, perhaps also providing the "link" between these levels. This may explain Li Shizhen attributing these vessels with ☰ Qian and ☷ Kun, typically reserved for the Ren and Du meridians, because the Extraordinary Vessels lie outside of the regular system except the Wei Mai which bind them and so it is through the Wei Mai that we can access these channels. In Neidan, the meditator begins by setting up their exterior, their bodily posture, and focusing internally before accessing the remaining Vessels. Their pathology is primarily stagnation but failure of Qi and Blood to move freely can also cause deficiency symptoms beyond the point of blockage. The Nan Jing ch. 29 describes pathology of both vessels at once as a loss of mind with fatigue and weakness. This can refer to when Interior and Exterior fail, but also in terms of the Yi Jing it relates to the hexagram ䷋ 否 ("standstill; obstruction") where Heaven and Earth separate causing Yin to sink leading to heaviness, and Yang to rise leading to madness, as opposed to ䷊ 泰 ("pervading; smooth flow; peace") where Heaven and Earth mingle and generate life.
Li Shizhen associated the Yang Wei Mai with ☰ Qian, Heaven, as it governs the entire exterior of the body. In Neidan this would refer to the external aspects of practice like sitting in posture. As the work progresses and returns to its Early Heaven form it becomes ☶ Gen, the Mountain, as the body becomes completely still and the practitioner begins to focus on the lower abdomen, governed by the Dai Mai.
Its dysfuntion is therefore Exterior symptoms such as chills and fevers when the Exterior cannot release. It is often used for autoimmune disorders causing muscular aches, mental fog and signs of Wind-Heat as Pathogens and Wei Qi stagnate in the Exterior without release, hence its opening point being the "Outer Pass". Psychological interpretations suggest this is our ability to adjust to external events, with its dysfunction resulting in an inability to adjust to changes in life. Its pairing with with Dai Mai reflects how inability to expel from the the Exterior results in pathological accumulation internally.
The pulse quality associated with the Yang Wei Mai is given by Li Shizhen and the Pulse Classic as going obliquely from the Shaoyin to the Taiyang positions (using a nine position system measuring inside and outside of the 3 main poisitions, this means slanting outwards from the proximal to the distal positions).
Li Shizhen associates the the Yin Wei Mai with ☷ Kun, Earth, as it governs the interior of the body. In Neidan it is the interior where the work takes place. Its Early Heaven form is ☴ Xun, Wind, gently penetrating deeper into the interior, connecting to the Chong Mai in practices such as Inner Listening to the heart.
As it governs the Interior, its obstruction causes internal stasis, especially of Blood causing Heart pain, physical or emotional, hence its opening point being the "Inner Pass". Psychologically it reflects our ability to incorporate our past into our present and its dysfunction results in a inability to move on from past events. It is often paired with the Chong Mai reflecting their common influence on Blood.
The pulse quality associated with the Yin Wei Mai is given by Li Shizhen and the Pulse Classic as going obliquely from the Shaoyang to the Jueyin positions (using a nine position system measuring inside and outside of the 3 main poisitions, this means slanting inwards from the proximal to the distal positions).
| Opening point: Pc-6: 內關 Neiguan Kid-9: 築賓 Zhibin Sp-13: 府舍 Fushe Sp-15: 大横 Daheng Sp-16: 腹哀 Fuai Liv-14: 期門 Qimen Ren-22: 天突 Tiantu Ren-23: 廉泉 Lianquan |
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The Qiao Mai ("Heel" or "Walker" Vessels) are connected with the movement of Yin and Yang. Yang should descend and Yin rise in order for them to intermingle and produce the fundamental Qi dynamic. This is represented by the hexagram ䷊ "Peace" and its failure by ䷋ "Obstruction" where Yang has risen on top and Yin sunk below. In the Nei Jing they are conceived as branches of the Bladder and Kidney channels that circulate through the "oceans" of the cranium and abdomen, linking with the outer and inner chanthus of the eye. The Su Wen ch. 63 and Ling Shu ch. 17, 21 & 80, describe their dysfunction as causing redness or pain of the eyes implying psychological and sleep disorders while the Nan Jing ch. 29 describes their pathologies as Excess along their trajectory with Deficiency in the opposing Vessel.
Ling Shu ch. 76 describes the circulation of Wei Qi as it moves through its Yang and Yin phases through the Six Divisions, starting with the opening of the eyes at dawn and travelling from the inner canthus through the Yang Divisions, then inwards thorugh the Shaoyin to circulate interiorly and end up back at the eyes. This connection to the eyes and the fact that the Extraordinary Vessels do not connect with the regular merdidans while the Wei Qi also circulates outside of the regular meridians, suggests it may be referring to the Yang and Yin Qiao Mai. The pathway of the Yin Qiao is also entirely made of Shaoyin points, starting with the Kidneys and then transferring the Stomach to reach the eyes while the Yang Qiao traverses all three Yang Divisions. The cycle given for this circuit is quite rapid but bears a similarity to the cycle in the Shang Han Lun which takes place over 24 hours and so may connect it to circadian rhythms better. This also makes the description in the Nan Jing work as stagnation in one and deficiency in the other would cause a person to experience either constant wakefulness with inability to sleep (Full Yang, Empty Yin), or somnolence with inability to wake (Full Yin, Empty Yang). It would be possible to reconcile these differences by saying that the Wei Qi moves in the pattern described in Ling Shu ch. 76 but is predominant in the Divisions said to govern the times of day in the Shang Han Lun. The points given by Li Shizhen for the Yang Qiao Mai also connect with all six Yang channels (five are directly represented and Fengchi GB-20 interects with the San Jiao) so may represent the points where the Yang Qiao Mai as a whole intersects with each Division. The opening point is where the Wei Qi converges and accumulate to be passed to the Yin Qiao Mai, hence its use in draining the entire vessel.
Finally, Su Wen ch. 62 suggests piercing the Qiao when the cause of pain is unknown and ch. 41 refers to lower back ache where there is pain pulling on the breast and the eyes are unclear which Wang Bing believed referred to the Yin Qiao Mai. Stagnant Wei Qi generates heat and pain supporting the idea of this pathomechanism.
Li Shizhen associates the Yang Qiao Mai with the east, governed by ☳ Zhen, Thunder, in the Late Heaven sequence, becoming ☲ Li, Fire, in the Early Heaven sequence. It represents the arousal of Yang during the process of Neidan which starts to awaken the Du Mai.
When the Yang Qiao becomes disordered, Wei Qi stagnates in the Yang aspects of the body. The Ling Shu describes this as "the eyes staying open" suggesting insomnia and the Su Wen ch. 23 describes as redness and pain in the outer canthus of the eyes. The Nan Jing describes Excess in the Yang aspects of the body with Deficiency of the Yin. This will generate Heat and Wind causing restlessness and insomnia, but also possibly other unwanted movements such as muscular spasms and convulsive seizures. Psychologically it indicates our ability to focus on the external world reflected in its opening point name, "Extending Vessel" and its dysfunction by an inability switch off resulting in insomnia and attempting to resolve inner unease with an obsessive focus on correcting the outside world. It is often paired with the Du Mai reflecting their common influence on Yang, wakeful consciousness and the brain.
The pulse quality associated with the Yang Qiao Mai is given by Li Shizhen and the Pulse Classic as tapping in the distal inside and outside positions.
Li Shizhen associates the Yin Qiao Mai with the west, governed by ☱ Dui, Lake, in the Late Heaven sequence, becoming ☵ Kan, Water, in the Early Heaven sequence, as the movement of Yin generates activation of the Ren Mai. He attributes this saying to Song dynasty alchemist Zhang Boduan: "If one can grasp the Yin Qiao and allow Qi to collect and disperse via this opening, then the gates of heaven will remain forever open and the gates of the underworld forever closed". This may be a reference to its connection with the eye and the abdomen, representing turning the gaze inward to focus on the lower abodomen.
When the Yin Qiao becomes disordered, the Wei Qi stagnates in the Yin aspects of the body and generated Internal Heat, described in the Ling Shu as "the eyes wanting to close" and redness and pain of the inner canthus. This suggests somnolence and inability to wake but can also suggest withdrawal seizures and internal stagnation. The Nan Jing describes stagnation in the Yin aspects of the body with deficiency in the Yang suggesting symptoms such as muscular weakness and internal stagnation. Psychologically it indicates our abilty to self-reflect, suggested by its opening point, "Shining Sea", a reflective pool used like a mirror in ancient times, also a name for the eyes. If the Wei Qi stagnates in this vessel, it results in excessive introspection and daydreaming as if unable to wake up and be fully alert. The points associated with this channel are mostly Kidney points, with classical sources mostly emphasising the first three, that have a particular emphasis on clearing Heat from the internal branches of the Kidney channel resulting from the stagnant Wei Qi. It is often paired with the Ren Mai due to their common influence on the Yin.
The pulse quality associated with the Yin Qiao Mai is given by Li Shizhen and the Pulse Classic as tapping in the proximal inside and outside positions.
The Dai Mai translates as the "Belt" or "Girdle" Vessel and straddles the waist acting as a horizontal support for the other vertical vessels. It is sometimes referred to as the Sea of Ming Men. The Su Wen ch. 44 describes it as linking the Du Mai with the Chong Mai and Stomach meridians.
Li Shizhen says it "horizontally binds all the vessels so it is referred to as the six directions". The six directions (六合 Liu He) refers to the four cardinal directions represented by ☳ Zhen, ☲ Li, ☱ Dui and ☵ Kan, plus Heaven (☰ Qian) above and Earth (☷ Kun) below and refers to how the Dai Mai's horizontal axis binds the other six vessels associated with these trigrams. ☶ Gen, the Mountain, has the property of binding and stability. The alchemist does most of their work in stillness and focusing on the abdomen where this vessel resides. ☶ Gen becomes ☳ Zhen, Thunder, in the Early Heaven sequence as the stillness of meditation begins to stir movement within, leading to the formation of the lower Dan Tian.
As ☶ Gen represents stillness and immovability, its pathology is stagnation, especially of Yin substances like Dampness in the lower Jiao. This is reflected in the symptoms given in the Nan Jing ch. 29 which are given as abdominal fullness and bloated loins, or feeling as if one is sitting in water. Today this vessel is used for genitourinary discharge when Spleen and Kidney Qi fail to transform and transport fluids, or prolapse from Yang Qi sinking. Psychologically it represents our ability to let go of accumulated trauma, with its dysfunction resulting in an inability to let things go, allowing them to accumulate and stagnate around the Middle and Lower Jiao, reflected in its opening point "Foot [point for those] Close to Tears".
The draining branch is concerned with expelling Damp pathogens from the Lower Jiao. Psychologically this may refer to letting go of experiences, especially if they lie behind pathogenic Damp accumulating around the waist or lower Jiao.
The consolidating branch travels straight around the navel to Ming Men point where the Middle and Lower Jiao separate and connects both the Front Mu of the Spleen with the Back Shu of the Kidneys, suggesting a combination of Spleen and Kidney Qi to support organs and fluid metabolism. It is used when its supporting function is compromised causing bulging or leakage disorders. In classical descriptions this was the only branch and served draining functions too, the modern pathway being added by later authors.
The pulse quality associated with the Dai Mai is given by Li Shizhen and the Pulse Classic as tapping in the middle inner and outer positions.
任 Ren translates as "controller" or "responsible" but is often rendered as "conception" (being responsible for a life) revealing the importance of this vessel in fertility issues, especially female fertility. As the Sea of Yin, it provides the receptivity which "embraces the Yang" in the form of male semen that was believed to be generated from the Essence (精 Jing) stored in the Du Mai and the marrow of the brain, in order to begin the process of life (cf. Dao De Jing, ch. 42). This is also reflected in its opening point, "Broken Sequence" suggesting inability to produce an heir.
Li Shizhen does not provide an attribution but if the Qiao are east and west then the Ren and Du can be expected to be north and south with Ren as the most Yin being north, governed by ☵ Kan, Water, in the Late Heaven sequence and ☷ Kun, Earth in the Early Heaven sequence. Combined with the Du Mai, this represents the part of the process where ☵ Kan and ☲ Li are merged to swap their middle lines and form True Yin ☷ and Yang ☰. These steps also encompass practices like the Microcosmic Orbit that utilises these two meridians in this practice.
The image of ☵ Kan is of a full middle (中滿) so the symptoms of disharmony are accumulations of Yin in the abdomen, described in Nan Jing ch. 29 as knotting and bulging disorders (hernias) in men, and masses in women. Psychologically it is associated with our ability to receive and accept love with its dysfunction resulting in emotional intimacy disorders, especially if stemming from early childhood and mother-child relationship.
The pulse quality associated with the Ren Mai is given by Li Shizhen as pill-like across all distal positions and by the Pulse Classic as tight, fine, excessive and long, reaching below the proximal position. Often this taken as meaning at deep, long and thin in all positions.
If the Ren Mai is north then the Du Mai will be south, associated with ☲ Li, Fire, in the Late Heaven sequence and ☰ Qian, Heaven, in the Early Heaven sequence. As with the Ren Mai, this represents the Microcosmic Orbit and the merging of ☵ Kan and ☲ Li to form True Yin ☷ and Yang ☰. In early Chinese theories of reproduction there was a direct connection between the Essence (精 Jing) in the form of semen and the brain, seen in Daoist sexual practices such as Reverting the Essence to Nourish the Brain (還精補腦 Huanjing Bunao), making this an important vessel in male reproductive health as well as mental and neurological health. This theory was also presented in ancient Greek texts such as Plato, where it was known as the encephalo-myelogenic theory of reproduction. However, the Chinese theory appears to apply an equal role to the male and female contributions, with the male providing the Yang seed from the semen, the woman providing the Yin seed from the Ren Mai and the two combining to stop the period which forms the original unity of the embryo in the form of a new Chong Mai which then differentiates as it forms.
Its pathologies include various disorders of Yang. The Su Wen ch. 60 gives arched back when in excess and inability to hold up the head when deficient. In ch. 42 it gives Brain-Wind headache and Wind-Cold eye pain. The Nan Jing ch. 29 gives rigidity of the spine and reversal (unconsciousness). The Mai Jing includes seizures and coldness of the back and knees. The name of its opening point, "Back Stream", may be an image of the spinal cord. Psychologically it represents our ability to stand up for ourselves, our "backbone", with its dysfunction being either an inability to do this ("spinelessness") or aggressively asserting ourselves at the expense of others.
The pulse quality associated with the Du Mai is given by Li Shizhen as floating in all three positions and beats perpendicularly up and down. The Pulse Classic describes it as going from small to large. Often it is taken as simply meaning superficial.
The Rushing, Penetrating or Thoroughfare Vessel, runs vertically up the centre of the body, between the Ren and Du and is the first vessel to form, before even Yin and Yang are differentiated. It is referred to as the Sea of Blood, and especially associated with its movement in the trunk, menstuation and the formation of the embryo. This is reminiscent of Aristotle's haematogenous theory of reproduction whereby it was observed that the first stage of pregnancy was the cessation of menstruation. He theorised that the male semen caused the woman's menstrual blood to clot and this then provided the basis for an embryo. It is possible that the Chinese made similar observations. However, its pathway up the midline of the body suggests that it was more than just a reproductive organ, but the central flow of blood in the entire body that rushes through the centre and penetrates every inch of the body. Blood is Yin in that it is a fluid and moistens the tissues, but Yang in that it houses the Shen. The Ling Shu ch. 65 says that the reason women and eunuchs cannot grow facial hair is because of the loss of Blood from menstruation or the Stasis that the trauma of castration causes to the Chong.
Li Shizhen does not mention this vessel in his paragraph on the trigrams but the only one left is ☴ Xun, Wind, gentle, penetrating movement. Alchemically, as the womb and the place of the undifferentiated unity, this is the location of the Sacred Embryo (聖胎 Sheng Tai) and the place where the Immortal Elixir (仙丹 Xian Dan) is formed, represented in the transformation of the Late Heaven ☴ Xun into ☱ Dui, Lake, the Joyous, as the work is attained. As the vessel to form before even Yin and Yang, it represents the return to Wuji (無極 "the limitless, before polarity").
The image of ☴ is "flawed below" (下斷) and so its symptoms are of Deficiency Cold below with Excess Heat above described in Nan Jing ch. 29 as rebellious movement that causes a sense of urgency and tension in the abdomen. This is often understood as obstruction producing abdominal pain and Heat rising to agitate the Heart while the lower abdomen and feet are Cold, often seen in gynaecological conditions. Its connection to Blood and reproduction has earned it the titles of the Ancestral Vessel, the Primordial Channel and the Sea of Yuan Qi making its image of being "flawed below" also suggest weakened Jing, associated with the Lower Jiao. This makes it an important vessel in inherited disorders, reflected in the name of its opening point "Grandfather Grandson". Psychologically it is affected by issues stemming from birth such as problems related to inherited cultural identity when they conflict with one's true self, or related to Cheng Fu (承負 Inherited Burdens), a Daoist concept similar to karma but on a familial level that also encompasses the societal situation you are born into as a result of your ancestors' deeds. It also has several subsidiary branches which deal with specific aspects of Blood physiology.
The pulse quality associated with the Chong Mai is given by Li Shizhen as confined in all three positions and beats perpendicularly up and down. The Pulse Classic states it is firm, hard and excessive and reaches to the middle position. Often this is taken as meaning deep, wiry and firm making it similar to the Ren Mai pulse but with a tendency to Excess.
| Opening point: Sp-4: 公孫 Gongsun Primary Branch: Ren-2: 曲骨 Qugu Kid-11: 橫骨 Henggu St-30: 氣沖 Qichong Sp-12: 沖門 Chongmen Kid-12: 大赫 Dahe Kid-13: 氣穴 Qixue Kid-14: 四滿 Siman Kid-15: 中注 Zhongzhu Kid-16: 肓俞 Huangshu Kid-17: 商曲 Shangqu Kid-18: 石關 Shiguan Kid-19: 陰都 Yindu Kid-20: 腹通谷 Futonggu Kid-21: 幽門 Youmen |
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| A second branch deals with the Lower and Middle Jiao Yang escaping, this branch deals with the Upper Jiao symptoms of Heat rebelling upwards such as agitation and chest oppression. It is often paired with the Yin Wei Mai which also affects the chest.
Kid-22: 步廊 Bulang Kid-23: 神封 Shenfeng Kid-24: 靈墟 Lingxu Kid-25: 神藏 Shencang Kid-26: 彧中 Yuzhong Kid-27: 俞府 Shufu Ren-22: 天突 Tiantu Ren-23: 廉泉 Lianquan St-1: 承泣 Chengqi |
A third branch connects to the Du where it receives Yang Qi to move Blood. It is concerned all manner of Blood stasis patterns especially around the lower Jiao. It is often paired with the Dai Mai which also works on accumulation in the Lower Jiao.
Ren-2: 曲骨 Qugu St-30: 氣沖 Qichong GB-26: 帶脈 Daimai Du-1: 長強 Changqiang Du-4: 命門 Mingmen Bl-17: 膈俞 Geshu | |
A fourth branch travels down to connect with the opening point at Gongsun Sp-4. It raises Kidney Yang to assist the Spleen's ascending functions and supports the structure and posture so may be indicated in any disorders of sinking Yang. It is generally treated with Moxa. Kid-11: 橫骨 HengguKid-10: 陰谷 Yingu Bl-40: 委中 Weizhong Kid-3: 太谿 Taixi Kid-6: 照海 Zhaohai Kid-1: 涌泉 Yongquan Sp-4: 公孫 Gongsun |
A fifth branch is concerned with nourishing postnatal Qi in order to support the generation of Blood. It includes both Sea of Water and Grain points and treats deficiency of Spleen Qi failing to generate Heart or Liver Blood.
St-30: 氣沖 Qichong St-36: 足三里 Zusanli St-37: 上巨虛 Shangjuxu St-39: 下巨虛 Xiajuxu St-42: 沖陽 Chongyang Sp-4: 公孫 Gongsun |
Steve Woodley Acupuncture & Traditional Medicine
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