An Excerpt from Qianjin yifang (Supplemental Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold) on the Importance of the Acupuncture Point Names
BY SUN SIMIAO (581-682)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
None of the acupuncture names were chosen randomly, all of them contain deep meaning. All point names containing the character for the wood element 木 are related to the Liver. All point names associated with Spirit (shen) 神 are related to the Heart. All point names associated with metal 金 or jade 玉 are related to the Lung. All point names associated with water 水 are related to the Kidney. Similarly, the Spirit’s state of movement is also potentially reflected in the point names. All points with the character Fu 府 (Storage) in their name affect the gathering of Spirit.