Library

A question was asked: "How are the measurements for acupuncture points determined? What method should be followed?" I replied, "It is traditionally said to use 'Cun' based on one's own body (Tongshen Cun). 'Tongshen Cun' means using one's own body measurements to correspond to that person's body. The Bronze Man Classic (Jinren Jing) refers to it as 'Zhou Shen Cun'. The method involves measuring with a bent finger: the distance between the tips of the two transverse creases on the dorsal side of the middle phalanx of the middle finger constitutes one Cun. If measuring with an extended finger, the distance from the distal transverse crease of the proximal phalanx of the middle finger to the middle transverse crease of the middle phalanx constitutes one Cun. This is the ancient method.

However, regarding each individual's body, the head may be unusually large or pointed, the face may be unusually long or wide, the waist may be unusually thin or thick, the limbs may be unequal, and the upper, middle, and lower thirds of the body may not align perfectly. In such cases, one can use the measurement of the middle finger segment, employing flexible methods inherent to the whole body for comparison. Hence, it is also called 'Zhou Shen Cun'.

For instance, if a practitioner intends to needle an acupoint on the head, according to the *Mingtang Jueshi* (Classic Formulas for Acupuncture Points), the circumference of the head should be 2 chi 6 cun; the distance from the vertex to the forehead is 4 cun; from the forehead to the chin (referred to as Yi) is 1 chi; from the vertex to the posterior hairline of the neck is 7.5 cun; from the posterior hairline to the Dazhui point (GV14) is 3.5 cun; from the vertex to the occipital horn is 4 cun; at the ear, corresponding to the Wanggu point (GB12, located at the high bone behind the ear), the width is 9 cun; in front of the ear, corresponding to the Ermen point (TE21), the width is 2 cun; between the two zygomatic arches, the width is 9.5 cun (the actual distance between the zygomatic bones is only 7 cun; the 9.5 cun figure includes the highest points of both zygomatic bones). These measurements may slightly differ when calculated against the middle finger Cun. Therefore, flexible comparative methods should be applied to obtain the true dimensions. Furthermore, the practitioner can palpate the bony depressions with their hand to locate the precise acupoints. This implies that the head must be measured according to the head, the abdomen according to the abdomen, the back according to the back, and the hands and feet according to the hands and feet. By synthesizing length and size to find a balance, one will essentially adhere to the correct standards.

The aforementioned Shanghan texts total fourteen volumes. Here, we first excerpt Zhang Zhongjing’s discussions on febrile diseases, appending later physicians’ formula theories and expanding upon them. Regarding Zhang Zhongjing’s descriptions of true cold and Yin syndromes, these are separately treated in the *Zhonghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Damage). The upper, middle, and lower three volumes are supplemented with later physicians’ formula theories, totaling seventeen volumes. The aim is to clearly distinguish between Shanghan (Cold Damage) and Zhonghan (Mid-cold), so that physicians will naturally avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment."