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Jing-Well and Wood point
Mother point of the Heart channel
Exit point to Shaoze SI-1
Binding point of the hand Shaoyin Sinews
On the dorsal aspect of the little finger, at the junction of lines drawn along the radial border of the nail and the base of the nail, approximately 0.1 cun fomr the corner of the nail
Perpendicular or oblique insertion directed proximally 0.1 - 0.2 cun, or prick to bleed
"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 one fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of one exhalation, and it is moxaed with one cone" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).
Revives consciousness
Clears Heat and benefits the tongue, eyes and throat
Regulates Heart Qi and calms the Shen
Superficial Innervation: Ulnar nerve (palmar digital branch) from C8 - T1
Dermatome Segment: C8
Can cause a shock to the heart, long enough to get another strike in, but due to its positioning it is hard to get to without opening yourself, and if not struck hard enough might have the healing effect of revival instead of shock (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).
In seizing martial arts (Qin Na) this point is a cavity pressing point (Dian Xue, 點穴). Both sides of the nail are pinched to obstruct the Qi and cause serious pain. If the pain is significant it can cause fainting. Sometimes the top of the nail bed is pressed instead. (Yang, 2004, Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na, 2nd Edition).
Trigrams: Zhen (Thunder) below, Li (Fire) above.
Movement within, clarity without — thunder beneath fire. The arousing movement is illuminated by clarity. This is biting through: the active, decisive removal of an obstacle that stands in the way of union.
Nuclear trigrams: Lines 2-3-4 form Gen (Mountain). Lines 3-4-5 form Kan (Water). Beneath the biting through, there is stillness (Gen) and danger (Kan). The hidden message: the obstacle is not trivial. There is danger in the removal, and it requires the stillness of careful judgement.
Judgement:
噬嗑：亨。利用獄。
Biting Through. Success. Favourable to use the law.
There is an obstacle standing in the way of union. It must be bitten through. This requires clarity (Li) and decisive action (Zhen). It is not a time for compromise. It is a time for the law, for the decisive removal of what blocks the way.
Image:
雷電，噬嗑。先王以明罰敕法。
Thunder and lightning: Shi He. Thus the former kings made punishments clear and the laws strict..
Thunder and lightning — the crash and the flash. The former kings made punishments clear (明罰) and the laws strict (敕法). The image is not gentle. Thunder and lightning are the forces that clear the air. The law is the same: it bites through the obstacle so that union can occur. Without the bite, there is no clarity.
Lines:
| Line | Yin/Yang | Image | Literal Translation | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang | 屄校滅足，無咎 | Shackles cover the toes. No trouble. | Yang at the bottom. The beginning of the bite. The punishment is light — shackles on the toes. It prevents further transgression. No trouble because the correction is applied early. |
| 2 | Yin | 噬膚滅鼻，無咎 | Biting through flesh, covering the nose. No trouble. | Yin at 2, central and correct. The bite is deeper — through the flesh. The nose is covered, meaning the bite is thorough. No trouble because the correction is appropriate to the offence. |
| 3 | Yin | 噬腊肉，遇毒。小吝，無咎 | Biting through dried meat, encountering poison. Small Regret, no trouble. | The threshold. The obstacle is old and tough — dried meat. There is poison in it. Small Regret because the task is unpleasant, but no trouble because it must be done. Regret because the stagnation is unpleasant, not because the action is wrong. |
| 4 | Yang | 噬乾肉，得金矢，利艱貞，吉 | Biting through dried meat with bone, obtaining a metal arrow. Favourable to persevere in hardship. Gain. | The ruler line. Yang at 4. The obstacle is hardest here — dried meat with bone. But the metal arrow is found: the tool for the job. Perseverance in hardship brings Gain because the tool is exactly what is needed. |
| 5 | Yin | 噬乾肉，得黄金。貞厲，無咎 | Biting through dried meat, obtaining yellow gold. Perseverance brings Danger. No trouble. | Yin at 5, the place of honour. The obstacle is still tough — dried meat. But yellow gold is found: the reward. Perseverance brings Danger because the position is yin in a yang place. But no trouble because the work is correct. |
| 6 | Yang | 何校滅耳，凶 | Wearing the cangue, covering the ears. Loss. | Yang at the top. The punishment is now severe — the cangue, a heavy wooden collar. The ears are covered, meaning the offender cannot hear the correction. Loss because the correction has come too late. |
Acupuncture Point Connections:
Shared with Houxi SI-3.
Inverted into ䷕ (Dadu Sp-2 or Jiexi St-41).
Balanced by ䷯ (a href="/Point+Notes/point/Kid-5">Shuiquan Kid-5 or Jinmen Bl-63).
Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.
In five element acupuncture this point is reinforced to tonify Heart deficiencies.
Ling Shu Ch. 19, on the Four Seasonal Qi, advises selecting the Jing-Well and Ying-Spring openings in winter, piercing deeply and retaining for a while. However, the character for "retain" 留 is a combination of 田 "a field," possibly referring to the idea of waiting for things to grow, and 卯 which is the 4th Earthly Branch (Mao, Rabbit, ䷡, 5-7 am, Large Intestine) and said to derive from a Shang Dynasty glyph, originally referring to a blood sacrifice (a person or animal cut in half) before coming to mean bloodletting and "pouring out" (Smith, 2011). This might suggest it was actually referring to bleeding these points, and maybe even letting the points bleed for a time rather than retaining the needle.
In the Maoshan Daoist tradition, when the 12 earthly branches, I Ching trigrams and elements are mapped onto the hand this fingertip equates to the branch 申 Shen and the element of Metal with no Trigram association (Read, 2020, FB Post; 17QQ.com, 2020, Eight trigrams and twelve Branches of the earth palm).
In Maoshan Daoism the character for Jing 井 is used to trap disease, ghosts and demons. It is drawn in the air invoking the "three mountains" mudra (index, middle and ring finger extended) with the bent line continuing in a circle (usually clockwise), or with ash and sprayed on with water held in the mouth, and sometimes on talismans (Read, 2020, FB Post, 1 Sep 2020). This may explain why the Jing-Well points are so often used to expel pathogens.
Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda locate a point at the midpoint of the base of the nail on the little finger called Kanishthika and associate it with the doshas: Prana Vayu, Vyana Vayu, Sadhaka Pitta and Avalambaka Kapha.
They give the following functions:
- Regulates heart functions
- Enhances coronary functions
- Benefits the hands
- Balances emotions
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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