又用前量同身寸纸蔑。自脊中第五 上中央。墨所圈处。照脊骨端直向下。比量四寸。
至第
七。以墨点记。自墨点却两边向上斜量至灸穴圈中心。使各恰当同身寸之五寸。以为两穴
高下平直之准。
令患人平身正坐。自以右手从右肩上住附项。伸指直搭背上。以墨记其中指指头所及
处。
左手亦然记之。又从胛骨上角摸索至胛骨下头。其间当有四肋三间(其四肋自胛骨横排至脊
骨
上。用力按摩。如觉隐指。是筋而非骨。千金方谓。筋间空处。疑四肋肋字为误。而王唯一
于铜人灸经中。又并改筋间为肋间。及以右手从右肩上住亦同。千金翼改为左肩上住。若以
右手搭左肩。则指之所及已在第五 下。去穴甚远。皆非是。当以千金方为正也)。灸穴当
三间之中。根据胛骨下容侧指许。摩KT 肉之表。于筋间空处穴上按之。自觉牵引胸肩中(千金
翼云。牵引肩中。石藏用又用篦子或筋头按穴欲其坚实。令患人易觉也)。及照所圈灸穴。
在先记患人指所及处之下。或傍侧指不可及处。以验穴之是非。然指有短长。肤有丰瘦。若
相合固善。如不合。即不可以此一端。遂废余法。亦有人胛骨去脊骨相远。过同身寸三寸以
上者。即难用脊 两旁各三寸之法。但求四肋三间之中。根据胛骨下容侧指许为穴可也。
Again, use the paper strip previously measured for *tongshen cun* (body-inch measurement). From the center of the upper border of the fifth thoracic vertebra (*D5*) on the midline of the spine, where the ink circle is located, measure vertically downward along the end of the spinal column four *cun*.
Arrive at the seventh thoracic vertebra (*D7*), and mark with ink. From this ink mark, measure obliquely upward to both sides to the center of the moxibustion acupoint circle, ensuring each side is exactly five *cun*, serving as the standard for the level and straightness of the two acupoints.
Instruct the patient to sit upright with a straight posture. Use their own right hand to rest on the right shoulder, anchoring the neck, extending the fingers flatly onto the back, and mark with ink the spot reached by the tip of the middle finger.
Perform the same recording with the left hand. Then, palpate from the superior angle of the scapula to the inferior end of the scapula; between these points, there should be four ribs and three intercostal spaces (these four ribs extend horizontally from the scapula to the upper part of the spinal column. When massaging with force, if it feels like the finger sinks in rather than hitting bone, it is tendon/muscle, not bone. The *Qianjin Fang* states "empty space among tendons," suspecting that the character "rib" (*lei*) in "four ribs" is an error. Wang Yiyi, in the *Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing* (Illustrated Manual of Acupuncture Points of the Bronze Man), further changed "among tendons" to "intercostal." The method of resting the right hand on the right shoulder is the same. The *Qianjin Yifang* changes it to resting on the left shoulder. If the right hand rests on the left shoulder, the finger would reach below the fifth thoracic vertebra, far from the acupoint, which is incorrect. One should follow the *Qianjin Fang* as correct). The moxibustion acupoint should be in the middle of the three intercostal spaces, based on the lower edge of the scapula, allowing space for one finger placed sideways, touching the surface of the muscle. Press on the acupoint in the empty space among the tendons; the patient should feel a pulling sensation radiating to the chest and shoulder (*Qianjin Yifang* mentions pulling to the shoulder. Shi Cangyong also used a comb or the head of a hairpin to press the acupoint firmly so the patient can perceive it easily). Compare this with the previously circled moxibustion acupoint, which should be below the previously marked spot reached by the patient's finger, or to the side where the finger cannot reach, to verify the correctness of the acupoint. However, fingers vary in length, and skin varies in thickness. If they coincide, it is good; if not, do not discard other methods solely based on this single criterion. Some individuals have scapulae far from the spinal column, exceeding three *cun*, making the method of locating acupoints three *cun* lateral to the spine difficult. In such cases, simply find the middle of the four ribs and three intercostal spaces, based on the lower edge of the scapula allowing space for one finger placed sideways, as the acupoint.