The ‘Chong Mai’ is translated to the ‘vessel of crossings’ or the ‘penetrating vessel’ & it too along with the previously discussed Du Mai and Ren Mai is one of the eight ‘extraordinary meridians’.
If we observe the trajectory of the Chong Mai we find that it originates in the lower abdominal region & emerges at the region of the perineum Huiyin Ren 1 (meeting of yin). The meridian then travels to Qichong St 30 where it then splits into two with the descending branch travelling to the medial aspect of the foot and big toe. The ascending branch forms the external channel & ascends following the region of the Kidney meridian to disperse in the chest.
The Chinese character used to depict ‘Chong’ relates to the ability to walk well with heavy weights at your centre. It implies that you have the ability to walk well and straight, moving effortlessly whilst moving something serious and heavy. The character depicting the ‘effort’ or ‘weight’ shows a man trying to lift something heavy from the earth & as such it conjures up the idea of ‘gathering together’ and making the important surge forth and the effortful seem effortless. The character ‘Mai’ represents flesh & streams that flow, in essence they are our internal rivers & tributaries that circulate Qi, blood, and fluids which integrate our body into a whole. The Chong Mai represents interconnectedness and the ‘gathering’ of the meridians so that we can surge forward on a straight path with ease.
The acupuncture points found on the Chong Mai include ST 30 Qichong, Hengu Kid 11, Dahe Kid 13, Qi Xue Kid 13, Si Man Kid 14, Zhong Zhu Kid 15, Kid 16 Huangshu, Shanggu Kid 17, Shi Guan Kid 18, Yin Du Kid 19, Kid 20 Tong Gu, You Men Kid 21, Ren 23 Lian Quan.
My intention in this blog post is not to discuss all the acupuncture points listed above individually, but rather discuss a select few which I utilise in my acupuncture clinical practice and possibly group some of the acupuncture points above and discuss them as ‘regions’.
Qi Chong ST 30 is often translated as ‘Qi Surge or Qi Rushing’ with the Chinese character used to depict ‘Qi’ showing the nutritive vapours that rise from the boiling of rice/grains underneath. For me this is very interesting as in the West we seem to describe the concept of ‘Qi’ by referring to it vaguely as ‘energy’ or even an ‘electric’ type of force. However, we can see by the Chinese character mentioned above that the concept of ‘Qi’ as it relates to acupuncture, relates very much to ‘grains being boiled and the nutritive vapour rising’. Quite specific in my opinion, yet obviously open to interpretation. ‘Chong’ is drawn as walking with heavy weights and thus implies to move straight and with power.
Kid 13 Qi Xue (opening of Qi) is considered the opening of Qi where life is given entry at birth. The Character for ‘Qi’ is discussed above, the character for ‘Xue’ the classical acupuncturists selected represents a cave or small dwelling. ‘Xue’ is drawn as a space that is created by moving rocks or soil & this character depiction mixed with its physical location (lower pelvic region) is one of the reasons why in the acupuncture clinic I utilise this acupuncture point for the diagnosis & treatment of various OBGYN disorders.
Haung Shu Kid 16 is referred to as ‘Vital Shu’ or ‘Missing Shu’. The general consensus seems to relate the character ‘Huang’ to represent a space which is vital and deep. The Character for Huang is drawn as flesh and a space, thus this opens up the possibility for a further interpretation that relates to something that was vital and is no longer there. This mixed with the region of Huang Shu being at the sides of the umbilicus may reflect the umbilical cord and the process of birth. Thus, in the Kiiko Matsumoto system of acupuncture pressure pain at this region can be a sign of birth trauma among other pathologies.
The Chong Mai gives us the ability to gather & surge forth making the journey seem effortless…
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Warm regards,
Giancarlo Nerini - Acupuncturist (Melbourne)
If we observe the trajectory of the Chong Mai we find that it originates in the lower abdominal region & emerges at the region of the perineum Huiyin Ren 1 (meeting of yin). The meridian then travels to Qichong St 30 where it then splits into two with the descending branch travelling to the medial aspect of the foot and big toe. The ascending branch forms the external channel & ascends following the region of the Kidney meridian to disperse in the chest.
The Chinese character used to depict ‘Chong’ relates to the ability to walk well with heavy weights at your centre. It implies that you have the ability to walk well and straight, moving effortlessly whilst moving something serious and heavy. The character depicting the ‘effort’ or ‘weight’ shows a man trying to lift something heavy from the earth & as such it conjures up the idea of ‘gathering together’ and making the important surge forth and the effortful seem effortless. The character ‘Mai’ represents flesh & streams that flow, in essence they are our internal rivers & tributaries that circulate Qi, blood, and fluids which integrate our body into a whole. The Chong Mai represents interconnectedness and the ‘gathering’ of the meridians so that we can surge forward on a straight path with ease.
The acupuncture points found on the Chong Mai include ST 30 Qichong, Hengu Kid 11, Dahe Kid 13, Qi Xue Kid 13, Si Man Kid 14, Zhong Zhu Kid 15, Kid 16 Huangshu, Shanggu Kid 17, Shi Guan Kid 18, Yin Du Kid 19, Kid 20 Tong Gu, You Men Kid 21, Ren 23 Lian Quan.
My intention in this blog post is not to discuss all the acupuncture points listed above individually, but rather discuss a select few which I utilise in my acupuncture clinical practice and possibly group some of the acupuncture points above and discuss them as ‘regions’.
Qi Chong ST 30 is often translated as ‘Qi Surge or Qi Rushing’ with the Chinese character used to depict ‘Qi’ showing the nutritive vapours that rise from the boiling of rice/grains underneath. For me this is very interesting as in the West we seem to describe the concept of ‘Qi’ by referring to it vaguely as ‘energy’ or even an ‘electric’ type of force. However, we can see by the Chinese character mentioned above that the concept of ‘Qi’ as it relates to acupuncture, relates very much to ‘grains being boiled and the nutritive vapour rising’. Quite specific in my opinion, yet obviously open to interpretation. ‘Chong’ is drawn as walking with heavy weights and thus implies to move straight and with power.
Kid 13 Qi Xue (opening of Qi) is considered the opening of Qi where life is given entry at birth. The Character for ‘Qi’ is discussed above, the character for ‘Xue’ the classical acupuncturists selected represents a cave or small dwelling. ‘Xue’ is drawn as a space that is created by moving rocks or soil & this character depiction mixed with its physical location (lower pelvic region) is one of the reasons why in the acupuncture clinic I utilise this acupuncture point for the diagnosis & treatment of various OBGYN disorders.
Haung Shu Kid 16 is referred to as ‘Vital Shu’ or ‘Missing Shu’. The general consensus seems to relate the character ‘Huang’ to represent a space which is vital and deep. The Character for Huang is drawn as flesh and a space, thus this opens up the possibility for a further interpretation that relates to something that was vital and is no longer there. This mixed with the region of Huang Shu being at the sides of the umbilicus may reflect the umbilical cord and the process of birth. Thus, in the Kiiko Matsumoto system of acupuncture pressure pain at this region can be a sign of birth trauma among other pathologies.
The Chong Mai gives us the ability to gather & surge forth making the journey seem effortless…
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Warm regards,
Giancarlo Nerini - Acupuncturist (Melbourne)
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