足臨泣 : Zulinqi : Foot Overlooking Tears

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Shu-Stream and Wood point
Confluent point of the Dai Mai, coupled with Waiguan SJ-5
Horary point of the Gall Bladder channel

Location:

In the depression distal to the junction of the 4th and 5th metatarsal bones, on the lateral side of the tendon of m. extensor digitorum longus branch to the little toe.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

Warnings:

Incorrect angle will not enable the needle to pass between the shafts of the forth and fifth metatarsal bones.

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Shaoyang is to be pierced 4 fen deep and remain inserted for five exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of two fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of five exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Spreads Liver Qi
Benefits the chest, lateral costal region and breasts
Clears the head and benefits the eyes
Transforms Phlegm and dissipates nodules

TCM Indications:

• Pain of the lateral costal region, fullness of the chest with inability to catch the breath, rebellious qi with dyspnoea, chest Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi), pain of the supraclavicular fossa, inversion counterflow of the four limbs, scrofula, swelling of the axilla, enuresis, Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders.
  
• Headache, one-sided headache, head wind, dizziness, Visual Dizziness, pain of the occiput, pain of the vertex, pain of the outer canthus, redness, swelling and pain of the eyes, lacrimation, dry eyes, deafness and tinnitus, propensity to gnaw the tongue and cheek, swelling of the submandibular region and cheek, swelling of Tianyou SJ-16, toothache.
  
• Distension and pain of the breast, breast abscess, menstrual disorders, inhibited menstruation.
  
• Pain of the hip, pain of the lower leg, fixed Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi), wandering pain, swelling and pain of the feet, pain and contraction of the toes, swelling and pain of the dorsum of the feet, all disorder of the feet.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷲ Zhen 震 Thunder

Shared with Dadun Liv-1. Balanced by ䷸ (Ximen Pc-4 or Huizhong SJ-7).

Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial fibular (peroneal) nerve (L4 - S1)

Dermatome Segment: L5, S1

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Major Combinations:

• Internal eye obstruction:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Jingming Bl-1, Tongziliao GB-1 and Hegu LI-4
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Cold lacrimation:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Jingming Bl-1, Fengchi GB-20 and Wangu SI-4
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Lacrimation:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Baihui Du-20, Yemen SJ-2, Houxi SI-3, Qiangu SI-2 and Ganshu Bl-18
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Deafness:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Jinmen Bl-63 and Hegu LI-4
    (Anon, nd, Shi Si Jing Yao Xue Zhu Zhi Ge, 十四經要穴主治歌, Song of the Points of the Fourteen Primary Channels).
  
  
• Grinding of the teeth:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Guangming GB-37
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Swelling of the axilla:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Yangfu GB-38, Diwuhui GB-42, Weiyang Bl-39, Shenmai Bl-62 and Tianchi Pc-1
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Swelling of the axilla:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Qiuxu GB-40 and Yangfu GB-38
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Sabre lumps of the axilla:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Yuanye GB-22, Zhigou SJ-6 and Waiguan SJ-5
    (Zhang Jiebin, 張景岳, 1624: Lei Jing Tu Yi, 類經圖翼, Illustrated Supplement to the Classic of Categories).
  
  
• Scofula:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Shaohai He-3, Tianchi Pc-1, Zhangmen Liv-13, Zhigou SJ-6, Yangfu GB-38, Jianjing GB-21 and Shousanli LI-10
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Swelling of the supraclavicular fossa (Quepen St-12):
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Shangyang LI-1 and Taixi Kid-3
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Heart pain:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Jueyinshu Bl-14 and Shenmen He-7
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Chest Painful Obstruction and Heart pain:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Tianjing SJ-10
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Fullness of the chest:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Yangjiao GB-35
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Fullness of the abdomen and lateral costal region:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Yanglingquan GB-34 and Shanglian LI-9
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Swelling of the breasts in women:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Shaoze He-1
    (Wu Yiding, 吳亦鼎, 1853: Shen Jiu Jing Lun, 神灸經論, Principles of Divine Moxibustion).
  
  
• Breast abscess:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Xiaxi GB-43, Xiajuxu St-39, Zusanli St-36, Yuji Lu-10, Weizhong Bl-40 and Shaoze SI-1
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Inhibited menstruation:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Sanyinjiao Sp-6 and Zhongji Ren-3
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the hip with difficulty walking and pain of the skin of the lateral aspect of the leg:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Sanyinjiao Sp-6
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• To stop lactation:
    Zulinqi GB-41 with Guangming GB-37 (Deadman, Al-Khafaji and Baker, 2001, A Manual of Acupuncture).

Notes:

Mainly used for physical symptoms of Liver qi stagnation, manifesting in pressure and pain along the Gall Bladder channel, especially around the waist due to its association with with the Dai Mai and around the head and eyes due to its name.

Ling Shu Ch. 19, on the Four Seasonal Qi, advises using the Shu-Stream points, unless the diseases are in the Fu organs, in which case the He-Sea points are chosen.

Ling Shu Ch. 34, On the Five Disturbances, advises piercing this point with Xianxi GB-43, Xiangu St-42 and Neiting St-44 after bleeding stagnant blood in the vessels to remove disturbing Qi in the limbs causing counterflow.

Yuen (2005, The Eight Extraordinary Vessels) notes that this point, along with Houxi SI-3, is a Shu-Stream point instead of an Luo point like all the other extraordinary vessels because Dai mai pathology is concerned with releasing accumulation that we have stored internally back out into the world, while the other extraordinary vessels are about absorbing from the outside world.

The name of this point reflects this function as crying is the natural response to releasing our accumulated rubbish back out into the world.

The character 足 translated as "Foot" can also mean "to satisfy, have enough, to be sufficient, to stop".

臨 is translated as "to draw near, to face, to overlook, to arrive, to be (just) about to, just before, to descend" and is comprised of 臣 (a minister or official, a pictogram of an eye looking backwards/down), the horizontal radical for 人 (a person) and 品 (an item, personality or rank, made of 口 a mouth in triplicate) which all give an indication of a superior's attitude to his subordinates, hence I have chosen "overlooking" which seems to cover the ancient character origins and the later layers of meaning. It is the name of the 19th hexagram of the I Ching ䷒ Earth over Lake.

泣 translates as "tears, weeping, sobbing" and is composed of the radical 氵 for "water" and 立 "to stand, upright, erect or establish", a pictogram of a person standing upright. The indication is of a person standing upright with water coming down.

This can give several alternative translations such as: "satisfaction just before tears", "Foot (point) close to tears", "Foot (point) that draws down tears", "satisfaction in coming to tears", "Cease governing tears", etc. However, the connection with emotional release is common to all.

Cecil-Sterman explains that combining the Shu-Stream and Jing-Well points directed outwards is a method of expelling Pathogens from the Shaoyang.

According to the Taiwanese TCM Doctor I-Chun Peng threading a single needle from Yanglingquan GB-34 to Yinlingquan Sp-9 and combining with Zulinqi GB-41 can be used to treat cholecystitis, gallstones or gall bladder pain. Within 10 minutes the spasm will start to release and in an hour, there should be no more pain. https://youtu.be/XMYSYp0q5H8.

In reflexology this area relates to the knee, leg, hip and lower back.

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point (Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)

Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here