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Location Guides: |
Luo-Connecting point
Ma Dan-yang Heavenly Star point
On the radial side of flexor carpi ulnaris, 1 cun proximal to Shenmen He-7
Perpendicular insertion, or oblique proximal or distal insertion 0.5 - 1 cun
"The Shaoyin usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The hand Yin and Yang receive their Qi via nearby paths so their Qi arrive swiftly. The depth of piercing must not exceed 2 fen and must not remain inserted for longer than one exhalation" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of three fen and moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).
Calms the Shen
Regulates Heart rhythm
Benefits the tongue
Activates the channel and alleviates pain
Superficial Innervation: Medial cutaneous nerve of the forearm from C8 - T1
Dermatome Segment: C8, T1
Deeper Structures: Ulnar nerve from C8 - T1
One of the 36 vital points of Feng Yiyuan 馮一元 listed in the Wu Bei Zhi 武備志 (Treatise on Armament Technology) by Mao Yuanyi 茅元儀 (1621) (McCarthy, 2016, Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat).
Heart 4, 5, 6 & 7 are all so close together they are usually attacked together with a grab causing great Qi loss and immobilisation, just before a more dangerous attack. A classic Qi Drainage point, a strike here can cause knock out and will weaken the elbow greatly if combined with Xiaoluo SJ-12 (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).
Trigrams: Qian (Heaven) below, Li (Fire) above.
Strength within, clarity without — the creative power is made visible by the flame of clarity. This is great possession: abundance that is seen, shared, and illuminated.
Nuclear Trigrams: Lines 2-3-4 form Qian (Heaven). Lines 3-4-5 form Dui (Lake). Beneath the abundance, there is creative strength (Qian) and openness and joy (Dui). The hidden message: possession is not hoarding. It is joyfully shared.
Judgement:
大有：元亨。
Great Possession. Supreme success.
Great possession is the abundance that comes from aligning with the creative source. It is not about accumulating things. It is about being a conduit for abundance. The fire (Li) makes the heaven (Qian) visible. What is possessed is not owned — it is held in trust and shared.
Lines:
| Line | Yin/Yang | Image | Literal Translation | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang | 無交害，匿咎，艱則無咎 | No harmful interactions. Not trouble. Difficulty brings no trouble. | Yang at the bottom. The beginning of possession. There is no entanglement yet. The danger is not yet present. But difficulty is coming — if you meet it correctly, there is no trouble. |
| 2 | Yang | 大車以載，有攸往，無咎 | A great wagon carries. There is somewhere to go. No trouble. | Yang at 2, central and correct. The great wagon is the capacity to carry abundance. It is loaded and ready. There is somewhere to go — the abundance is not static; it is meant to be transported, shared. No trouble because the capacity is sufficient. |
| 3 | Yang | 公用亨于天子，小人弗克 | The prince offers tribute to the emperor. The small man cannot do this. | The threshold. The prince (the yang at 3) offers his abundance to the emperor (the yin at 5). The small man cannot do this because he hoards. The great possession is tested at the threshold: will you share it or keep it? |
| 4 | Yang | 匿其彭，無咎 | Not his abundance. No trouble. | Yang at 4. The first yang line above the threshold. The abundance is not his own. He does not claim it. This is the correct attitude: the abundance is held in trust, not owned. No trouble because the claim is released. |
| 5 | Yin | 厥孚交如，威如，吉 | His sincerity intermingles. Dignity. Gain. | The ruler line. Yin at 5, central and correct. The ruler is sincere and dignified. He does not claim the abundance as his own — he intermingles his sincerity with others. This is the highest form of possession: holding everything, claiming nothing. Gain because the generosity is complete. |
| 6 | Yang | 自天祐之，吉無不利 | Heaven helps him. Gain. Nothing is unfavourable. | Yang at the top. The abundance is complete. Heaven itself supports him. Nothing is unfavourable because he has not claimed the abundance as his own — he has become a conduit for it. Gain because the alignment with Heaven is complete. |
Image:
火在天上，大有。君子以遏惡揚善，順天休命。
Heaven and fire: Tong Ren. Thus the gentleman distinguishes the classes of things and analyzes their natures.
Fire is above, heaven is below. The fire illuminates everything, and nothing is hidden. The gentleman suppresses evil (遏惡, e e) and promotes good (揚善, yang shan). Great possession is not neutral — it is a force for good. The abundance must be used to illuminate what is right and to restrain what is wrong.
Acupuncture Point Connections:
Shared with Wangu SI-4.
Inverted into ䷌ (Xinshu Bl-15 or Xiaochangshu Bl-27).
Balanced by ䷇ (Taixi Kid-3 or Feiyang Bl-58.
Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.
Ling Shu Ch. 10, On Channels, describes the diseases relating to the Luo emanating from this point as:
Repletion: A feeling of fullness in the diaphragm
Depletion: Inability to speak
(Unschuld, 2016).
Ling Shu Ch. 19, On the Four Seasonal Qi, advises using the channels and Luo vessels for diseases which occur in spring. They are pierced deeply if severe and more shallow if mild. For the other seasons:
- in summer choose the Yang channels and Luo located in the partings between the skin and flesh
- in autumn choose the Shu-Stream points unless the disease in the Fu organs, then use the He-Sea points
- in winter choose Jing-Well and Ying-Spring opening and retain the needle.
Ling Shu Ch. 21, On Cold and Heat Diseases, repeats the advice to use Luo in spring but and adds that they can also treat diseases of the skin. For the other seasons it differs slightly from Ch. 19:
- in summer choose the partings in skin structures which also treat the muscle and flesh
- in autumn Taiyuan Lu-9 is chosen and can treat the sinews and vessels (this may also apply to other Shu-Stream points for this purpose, text is unclear)
- in winter one chooses the main channel points which also treat the bones and marrow.
The alchemical text Zhouyi Cantong Qi (周易參同契 attributed to Wei Boyang, 2nd century CE) represents the lunar cycle in sequence of 6 groups of 5 days governed by the waxing and waning trigrams. These correspond to a rotating cycle of the Early Heaven sequence, with Kan in the west and Li in the east governing the whole Yin and Yang parts of the cycle respectively.
These attributions can be mapped onto the body with the inner trigram representing the Early Heaven trigram that rules the period of 5 days and the outer trigram being its Late Heaven pair, corresponding to the Channel that governs that period. This results in a sequence that has relevance to the menstrual cycle which also corresponds to the moon.
䷭ Xun within Kun : Days 1-5 : Danzhong Ren 17
Front Mu of Pericardium, Hui of Qi and Sea of Qi point. Gathers Qi to make Blood.
䷠ Gen within Qian : Days 6-10 : Pishu Bl-20
Back Shu of the Spleen. Raises and holds the Blood by strengthening the Spleen, completing the endometrial lining and holding it in place.
䷇ Kun within Kan: Days 11-15 : Taixi Kid-3
Yuan-Source of Kidney, Kidneys govern fertility and this point in particular tonifies Kidney Yang as well as Yin, initiating the return of Yang from within Yin, representing ovulation and the start of the Yang part of the cycle.
䷚ Zhen within Gen: Days 16-20 : Yinbai Sp-1
Return of Yang. This point has many indications for stopping bleeding, especially uterine bleeding which would indicate a disorder of Yang failing to uphold the Blood. It is also a Ghost Point so has an influence on the Shen.
䷼ Dui within Xun: Days 21-25 : Jianshi Pc-5
Strong regulator of the Shen and menstruation for the pre-menstrual phase.
䷍ Qian within Li: Days 26-30 : Tongli He-5
Luo of the Heart, a strong invigorating Blood point to govern the days of the period.
One notable pattern that emerges is that the points which govern the 5 day periods corresponding to the ordinal directions only involve the Spleen and Pericardium, which are the channels that were chosen to open the Chong Mai and Yin Wei Mai. The cardinal directions of north and south are governed by the Heart and Kidneys that make up the Shaoyin Axis.
Another pattern is that the Yin part of the cycle draws upon the Ren, Du and Kidneys that connect to the Jing, while the Yang half of the cycle comprises of points that affect the Shen. This connects them to the principle of the Curious Organs, where Jing and Shen combine, and includes the uterus.
The two directions that are not part of the waxing and waning trigrams are Kan and Li. These govern the 15 day Yin and Yang halves of the cycle as a whole and correspond to:
䷮ Kan within Dui: Days 1-15 : Chize Lu-5
Water point of Taiyin, which is a term for the moon, thus representing the moon's influence on the tides and its corresponding influence on Yin aspects of the body.
䷶ Li within Zhen: Days 16-30 : Xingjian Liv-2
Fire point of Jueyin, reverting Yin, representing the return of Yang. Clinically this point clears Liver Fire, spread Liver Qi and stops bleeding due to Heat and so is appropriate for any number of issues stemming from overactive Yang in this half of the cycle.
The name 通里 Tongli is almost identical to 通理 and pronounced indentically, which is used in the alchemical work, the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (周易參同契 attributed to Wei Boyang, 2nd century CE), and in the commentary to the Yi Jing in the section on Kun ☷ as meaning either "spreads through the veining" or "comprehend the principles" (Pregradio, 2011).
Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.
For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here
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