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Location Guides: |
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Jing-River and Fire point
Mother point of the Stomach channel
On the ankle, level with the prominence of the lateral malleolus, in a depression between the tendons of extensor hallucis longus and extensor digitorum longus
Perpendicular insertion 0.5 cun, or oblique insertion beneath the tendons to join with Shangqiu Sp-5 medially or Qiuxi GB-40 laterally
The anterior tibial vessels and nerve lie deep to this point
"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 foot Yangming is to be pierced 6 fen deep and remain inserted for ten exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of five fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of five exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).
Clears Heat form the Stomach channel and fu
Calms the Shen
Activates the channel and alleviates pain
Superficial Innervation: Superficial peroneal nerve from L4 - S1
Dermatome Segment: L5
As a Fire and Jing-River Stomach point, striking here will causing severe nausea while also draining Qi from the lower extremities causing the legs to be greatly weakened (Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com).
Trigrams: Li (Fire) below, Gen (Mountain) above.
Clarity within, stillness without — fire beneath the mountain. The bright flame is contained by the still mountain. This is grace: the adornment of what is already complete, the beauty that arises when clarity is given form.
Nuclear trigrams: Lines 2-3-4 form Kan (Water). Lines 3-4-5 form Zhen (Thunder). Beneath the grace, there is danger (Kan) and movement (Zhen). The hidden message: grace is not superficial. Beneath the beautiful surface, there is danger and movement. The adornment conceals as much as it reveals.
Judgement:
賁：亨。小利有攸往。
Grace. Success. It is favourable to undertake something small.
Grace is the adornment of what is already complete. It succeeds, but only in small matters. It is not the substance; it is the form. The fire illuminates the mountain, but it does not move it. Grace is real, but it is not the root.
Image:
山下有火，賁。君子以明庶政，無敢折獄。
Fire beneath the mountain: Bi. Thus the gentleman clarifies the many affairs of government, but does not dare to decide legal cases..
Fire beneath the mountain — the flame illuminates but does not burn. The gentleman clarifies the many affairs of government (明庶政), but does not dare to decide legal cases (無敢折獄). Grace is for the small, the administrative, the decorative. It is not for the grave matters of law. The judgement belongs to Shi He, not Bi. Grace adorns; it does not judge.
Lines:
| Line | Yin/Yang | Image | Literal Translation | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang | 賺其足，舍車而徒 | Adorning the toes. Leaving the carriage and walking. | Yang at the bottom. The beginning of grace. The adornment is at the lowest level — the toes. The one who adorns his toes leaves the carriage and walks. He chooses simplicity over display. |
| 2 | Yin | 賺其須 | Adorning the beard. | Yin at 2, central and correct. The beard is the adornment of the face. It is natural, not artificial. Grace here is the enhancement of what is already there. |
| 3 | Yang | 賺如濕如，永貞吉 | Adorned and glossy. Perpetual perseverance brings Gain. | The threshold. The adornment is now rich and glossy — perhaps too rich. The warning: perpetual perseverance is needed to avoid losing oneself in the display. Gain because the perseverance keeps the adornment from becoming empty. |
| 4 | Yin | 賺如發如，白馬翔如。匪寇婚嫁 | Adorned and white. A white horse galloping. Not a robber, but a suitor. | Yin at 4. The first yin line above the threshold. The adornment is now pure white — simplicity. The white horse gallops. It is not an attack but a courtship. Grace returns to its essence. |
| 5 | Yin | 賺于丘園，束帽戒戒。吝，終吉 | Adorning the hills and gardens. Bundles of silk, small and few. Regret, but in the end Gain. | The ruler line. Yin at 5, central and correct. The adornment is now modest — the hills and gardens, small bundles of silk. Regret because it is not grand, but Gain in the end because it is sincere. The modesty of the adornment is its virtue. |
| 6 | Yang | 白賺，無咎 | White grace. No trouble. | Yang at the top. The adornment is now pure white — no colour, no display. This is the highest grace: the beauty that has returned to simplicity. No trouble because the adornment has become indistinguishable from the substance. |
Acupuncture Point Connections:
Shared with Dadu Sp-2.
Inverted into ䷔ (Shaocong He-9 or Houxi SI-3).
Balanced by ䷮ (Chize Lu-5 or Erjian LI-2).
Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.
One of the points in the Internal Dragons protocol in five element acupuncture, along with Jiuwei Ren-15, Tianshu St-25 and Futu St-32, for eliminating a blockage between the therapist and patient, or a disconnection from themselves, due to internal causes.
In five element acupuncture this point is reinforced to tonify Stomach deficiencies.
Ling Shu Ch. 22, On Mania and Madness, advises that when Wind invasion and counterflow causes the limbs to become swollen, profuse sweating, a feeling of cold and to be irritated when hungry, then blood is removed from the outer and inner sections of the hand Taiyin and foot Shaoyin and Yangming. If the flesh is cool then it is be done through the Ying-Spring points and if the bones are cold it is to be done through the Jing-Well and Jing-River points.
In reflexology the band across the ankle, including this point, relates to the lymph and groin.
In Mayan medicine:
Used to facilitate movement of the feet and toes by treating pain and inflammation of the feet (Garcia, Sierra, Balam, 1999: Wind in the Blood)
Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda call this point Pada Charana and associate it with the doshas: Apana Vayu, Prana Vayu, Vyana Vayu, Shleshaka Kapha and Alochaka Pitta.
They give the following functions:
- Benefits the ankles
- Improves circulation in the feet
- Relieves pain locally
- Regulates the functions of colon and bladder
In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)
In Thai massage:
Point along the Kalatharee sen line where the single line splits into five to terminate at the toes. Also the point along the Sahatsarangsi (left) and Tawaree (right) sen lines where the inner channel turns and ascends back up the outer leg.
Indicated for knee pain/injury/arthritis
(Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)
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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