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Location Guides: |
Shu-Stream and Wood point
On the radial side of the index finger, in the substantial depression proximal to the head of the second metacarpal bone
Perpendicular insertion 0.5 - 2 cun, directed towards Houxi SI-3, or transverse insertion to Hegu LI-4 as part of "Jian Xi to Gu Needling".
"The Yangming usually has much Qi and much Blood" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel can normally be needled or bled.
"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, (the needle) is retained for a duration of three exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).
Expels Wind and Heat
Clears Heat and benefits the throat and teeth
Dispels fullness and treats diarrhoea
Superficial Innervation: Superficial branch of radial nerve from C6 - C8
Dermatome Segment: C7
Combined with Erjian LI-2, a strike at this point can cause temporary blindness but is very difficult to achieve (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).
Trigrams: Zhen (Thunder) below, Dui (Lake) above.
Movement within, joy without — thunder within the lake. The strong moves and the gentle responds with joy. This is following: the natural attraction of the young man to the young woman, the leader to the people, the people to the leader.
Nuclear Trigrams: Lines 2-3-4 form Gen (Mountain). Lines 3-4-5 form Xun (Wind). Beneath the following, there is stillness (Gen) and gentle penetration (Xun). The hidden message: following is not blind. It is grounded in stillness and guided by gentle influence.
Judgement:
隨：元亨利貞，無咎。
Following. Sublime success. Furthering through perseverance. No blame.
Following is the natural response of the yin to the yang, the weak to the strong, the people to the leader. When the one who is followed is correct, the following is blameless. The joy of Dui is the joy of right relationship.
Lines:
| Line | Yin/Yang | Image | Literal Translation | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang | 官有渝，貞吉。出門交有功 | Office has change. Perseverance brings Gain. Going out the door to make friends brings achievement. | Yang at the bottom. The beginning of following. The old order is changing. The one who follows must leave the familiar and make new connections. Gain because the movement outward is correct. |
| 2 | Yin | 係小子，失丈夫 | Tied to the little child, loses the great man. | Yin at 2, central and correct. But it is tied to the wrong thing — the little child (the yin at 3). It loses the great man (the yang at 5). The danger of following the wrong thing. |
| 3 | Yin | 係丈夫，失小子。隨有求得，利居貞 | Tied to the great man, loses the little child. Following, there is seeking and obtaining. Favourable to remain correct. | The threshold. It is now tied to the great man (the yang at 4). It loses the little child (the yin at 2). Following correctly brings gain. Favourable to remain correct because the attachment is now to the right thing. |
| 4 | Yang | 隨有獲，貞凶。有孚在道，以明，何咎 | Following, there is gain. Perseverance brings Loss. There is sincerity in the way; with clarity, what trouble? | Yang at 4. The follower has gained much — perhaps too much. The danger is becoming the leader. Perseverance brings Loss because the position is not the ruler's. But if there is sincerity and clarity, there is no trouble. |
| 5 | Yang | 孚于嘉，吉 | Sincerity in the good. Gain. | The ruler line. Yang at 5, central and correct. This is the one who is followed. Because he is sincere in the good, he is worthy of following. Gain because the leadership is correct. |
| 6 | Yin | 拘係之，乃從維之。王用亨于西山 | Bound and tied, then followed and fastened. The king uses this to sacrifice at the Western Mountain. | Yin at the top. The following has become binding. The yin at 6 is so tied to the yang that it cannot separate. The king sacrifices — the relationship is sealed. |
Image:
澤中有雷，隨。君子以嚮晦入宴息。
Thunder within the lake: Sui. Thus the gentleman goes to rest at nightfall.
Thunder is within the lake — the movement is contained, not explosive. The gentleman goes to rest at nightfall (嚮晦入宴息). Following is not constant activity. It is knowing when to move and when to rest. The thunder within the lake is the movement that is at peace.
Acupuncture Point Connections:
Shared with Shaoshang LI-11.
Inverted into and balanced by ䷐ (Diji Sp-8 or Liangqiu St-34).
Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.
Translations are my own, assisted by DSeek and compared to Richard Rutt's interpretion (2002).
Ling Shu Ch. 19, on the Four Seasonal Qi, advises using the Shu-Stream points, unless the diseases are in the Fu organs, in which case the He-Sea points are chosen.
In Tung acupuncture this equates to the Da Bai, Big White, point (22.04) and is often combined with Ling Gu at the other end of the bone, between the first and second metacarpals, slightly proximal to LI-4. Their location on the arm Yangming which controls Qi and Blood in the entire body together with their ability to move Qi and Blood make them applicable for most diseases (Chu, 2015).
In "Jian Xi to Gu Needling" Sanjian LI-3 and Yangxi LI-5 are needled transversely to meet at Hegu LI-4 in treatment of pain and heat in the upper body. Electro-stimulation can be applied too (Liu Yan, 2008, Diagrams of Acupuncture Manipulations, p.136).
In the Maoshan Daoist tradition, when the 12 earthly branches, I Ching trigrams and elements are mapped onto the hand the knuckle of the index finger next to this point equates to the branch 寅 Yin, the Trigram ☵ Kan, Water and the element of Wood (Read, 2020, FB Post; 17QQ.com, 2020, Eight trigrams and twelve Branches of the earth palm).
In ayurvedic medicine:
Kshipra marma point
Size: 1/2 angula (cun)
Structure: Tendon
Effect of Injury: Belatedly fatal (kalantarpranahar marma)
(Harish Johari, 1996, Ayurvedic Massage, Sanatan Society; Anupama Bhattacharya, n.d. Marma Shastra)
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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