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Instruct the patient to stand upright with hands hanging down, on a level wooden or stone surface, with eyes looking straight ahead and body not leaning to either side. Remove clothing from the body. Take a real bamboo cane, measure from the ground up to the center of the umbilicus (navel), cut it there, then return the cane to the back. The point where the end of the cane meets the middle of the spinal column is the Mingmen (Gate of Life) acupoint at the level of the fourteenth vertebra. Mark this spot with ink. Then, using the "same-body" three-cun measurement method, fold it into one-and-a-half cun; the two ends correspond to the Shenshu (Kidney Transport) acupoints.

At the depression below the third thoracic vertebra along the spine, mark with ink; the acupoints are located one-and-a-half cun lateral to this mark on each side.

One acupoint in the center of the chest at the nipple.

Two Zusanli (Leg Three Miles) acupoints, located three cun below the knee, within the depression inside the large tendon.

Two Hegu (Joining Valley) acupoints, located in the depression between the metacarpal bones of the thumb and index finger (tiger's mouth).

The *Qianjin Fang* states: People vary in age (young/old), stature (tall/short), and body constitution (fat/thin). One must carefully consider and measure accurately to determine the points. Additionally, one should locate areas where muscle textures intersect, anatomical seams meet, or depressions form. Press with the hand; if the patient feels comfortable and relieved, such careful and attentive practice allows one to find the correct points. It also states: Some have short bodies but long hands, others tall bodies but short hands; some have long chests and abdomens but short fingers, or vice versa, or varying sizes. These cannot be generalized.

All methods for locating acupoints require maintaining a level and upright posture, ensuring limbs are not slanted. During moxibustion, if the acupoint is inaccurate, healthy flesh is merely damaged in vain. If points are located while sitting, perform moxibustion while sitting; if lying down, perform while lying; if standing, perform while standing. Doing otherwise means movement will prevent finding the true acupoints. Generally, moxibustion follows the order: Yang before Yin, Upper before Lower, Fewer before More.

The Yellow Emperor said: Moxibustion does not distinguish [by fixed rules alone]; this refers to those who only strive for large moxa cones. For the weak and frail, they should be made smaller. For infants older than seven days but under one year old, the moxa cone should be the size of a sparrow's droppings. Medical classics state: For general moxibustion, the base of the moxa cone should be three fen wide so that righteous Qi cannot reach far, preventing cure; thus, cones should generally be large, except for the head and limbs where small cones are used merely to dispel wind pathogens.

The *Qianjin Fang* states: Regarding the number of moxa cones (zhuang): For robust adults with deep-seated diseases, the number can be double the standard prescription; for the elderly and weak, it can be halved. Bian Que performed moxibustion up to hundreds or thousands of zhuang. Cao Shi's treatments included large doses of one hundred zhuang and small doses of ten zhuang, similar across various prescriptions. However, the *Mingtang Jing* mostly states: Needle insertion depth six fen, three zhuang, with no further discussion, leading later generations to lack standards, adjusting only based on disease severity. For moxibustion on the top of the head, limit to seven zhuang, accumulating up to forty-nine (seven times seven) zhuang maximum. For treating wind diseases, moxibustion on Shangxing, Qian Ding, and Baihui may reach one hundred zhuang; abdominal areas may suit five hundred zhuang. However, Jiawei and Jueque should not receive excessive moxibustion, as too much leads to thin and weak limbs. The Zusanli acupoint is said to tolerate up to two or three hundred zhuang, whereas Xinshu (Heart Transport) is not moxibusted. In acute conditions, moxibustion may reach one hundred zhuang. All depend on disease severity; do not rigidly adhere to one view, nor ignore specific guidelines. The *Neijing* only mentions that for contraindicated acupoints, the *Mingtang* permits one to three zhuang, which may be incomplete. How can five hundred or one thousand zhuang be completed in one day? It must be spread over three to five days, or even three to five years, to complete the count and achieve efficacy.