同身寸者,谓同于人身之尺寸也。人之长短肥瘦各自不同,而穴之横直尺寸亦不能
一,如今以中指同身寸法一概混用,则人瘦而指长,人肥而指短,岂不谬误?故必因其形而
取之,方得其当。如标幽赋曰∶取五穴用一穴而必端,取三经用一经而可正。盖谓并邻经
而正一经,联邻穴而正一穴。譬之切字之法,上用一音,下用一韵,而夹其声于中。则其经
穴之情,自无所遁矣。故头必因于头,腹必因于腹,背必因于背,手足必因于手足,总其长短大小而折中
之,庶得谓之同身寸法。法附前各条之下。而后之所谓中指同身寸法者,虽不可混用,而亦有当用之处,并列于后。
以男左女右手大指中指圆曲交接如环,取中指中节横纹两头尽处,比为一寸。凡手足
尺寸,及背部横寸,无折法之处,乃用此法,其他不必混用。
骨度篇曰∶人长七尺五寸者,其骨节之大小长短各几何?伯高曰∶头之大骨围二尺六寸。盖古之尺
小,大约古之一尺,得今之八寸。其言七尺五寸者,得今之六尺;其言二尺六寸者,得今之二尺零八分也。
其余仿此。然骨大者必有太过,骨小者必有不及。凡用折法者,但随人之大小而为盈缩,庶尽其善。
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Tongshen Cun (Same-Body Inch) refers to a measurement method consistent with the individual's own body dimensions. People vary in height and weight, so the horizontal and vertical measurements of acupoints cannot be uniform. If the Zhongzhi Tongshen Cun Method (Middle Finger Same-Body Inch Method) were applied indiscriminately, it would lead to errors: for thin individuals with long fingers, the measurement would be too large; for obese individuals with short fingers, it would be too small. Therefore, one must measure according to the specific physical constitution to ensure accuracy. As stated in *Biao You Fu* (Marking the Profound): "When selecting five acupoints, using one as a reference must be precise; when selecting three meridians, using one as a reference allows for correction." This implies correcting a meridian by its neighboring meridians and an acupoint by its neighboring acupoints. It is akin to the method of phonetic notation in Chinese characters, where an initial sound and a final rhyme are combined to produce the correct pronunciation. In this way, the true nature of meridians and acupoints becomes clear. Thus, head measurements must be taken from the head, abdominal measurements from the abdomen, back measurements from the back, and limb measurements from the limbs, averaging their lengths and sizes to achieve the Tongshen Cun method. This method is detailed in the preceding sections. Although the later "Zhongzhi Tongshen Cun Method" should not be used indiscriminately, there are specific instances where it is appropriate, which are listed below.
For men, use the left hand; for women, use the right hand. Bend the thumb and middle finger so that their tips touch, forming a ring. Measure the distance between the two ends of the transverse crease at the middle phalanx of the middle finger as one cun. This method is used only for measuring the limbs and the horizontal width of the back where other proportional methods are not applicable; it should not be mixed with other contexts.
The *Gu Du Pian* (Chapter on Bone Measurements) states: "For a person seven chi five cun tall, what are the sizes and lengths of their bone joints?" Bo Gao replied: "The circumference of the skull is two chi six cun." Generally, ancient chi were smaller; approximately one ancient chi equals eight modern cun. Therefore, the mentioned seven chi five cun corresponds to six modern chi, and two chi six cun corresponds to two chi eight fen modernly. The rest follows this pattern. However, individuals with larger bones will exceed standard measurements, while those with smaller bones will fall short. When using proportional measurement methods, adjustments should be made based on the individual's size to achieve optimal accuracy.