Channel and code guide

Acupuncture Meridians and Vessels

Use this overview to understand the naming system behind acupuncture point codes and to explore points along each meridian.

What is a meridian?

In traditional Chinese medicine, a meridian is a channel within a system used to describe relationships among body regions, points and traditional functions. This is a traditional framework. A line on an acupuncture chart should not be read as a mapped blood vessel, nerve or other single anatomical structure.

Why twelve meridians and fourteen channels?

The twelve primary meridians form the main paired channel system. Acupuncture point charts also commonly include the Conception Vessel, or Ren Mai, and the Governing Vessel, or Du Mai. Counting these two with the twelve gives fourteen channels used to organize the 361 classical points. Ren and Du are also part of the broader traditional description of eight extraordinary vessels; the fourteen-channel chart is not the whole meridian theory.

Browse the fourteen channels

How to read a code

In LI4 Hegu, LI identifies the Large Intestine Meridian and 4 identifies the point. The number is part of a naming sequence; it is not a treatment strength or priority. Other reference books may use aliases such as Du for GV or Ren for CV. This atlas displays one primary code while supporting selected aliases in search.

Follow the visible pathways

Select a meridian in the atlas to highlight its displayed pathway and points. Change views to inspect different body surfaces. The displayed surface pathways are simplified for navigation; they do not show every internal branch described in traditional texts.

Organ names in traditional theory

Names such as Liver or Spleen refer to systems within TCM theory and are not exact equivalents of the anatomical organs in modern medicine. A point’s meridian name does not establish which organ is diseased, and an atlas selection does not make a diagnosis.

Continue learning

Open the interactive atlas to compare locations. Visit the acupuncture point index for the first English guides, or read the TCM overview for an introduction to traditional terms and the distinction between traditional explanations and clinical evidence.