Atlas of Acupuncture

1.7 The Eight Extraordinary Vessels (qi jing ba mai)

According to Matsumoto and Birch (1986), the ‘moving Qi

between the Kidneys’ represents the Taijiof the body, the Great

One, the origin of Yin and Yang. It is considered to be the root and

origin of all human systems and structures and, according to some

authors, it has a connection to the Original Qi (yuan qi) (➞1.1.4).

The chong mai, as the oldest vessel, is sometimes equated with the

‘moving Qi’. The ren maiand du mairepresent the basic division

of the Yin and Yang in the body; in other words, they originate

from the ‘moving Qi’ or chong maias Yin and Yang branches.

During the ‘division’, one movement ascends the front of the body

(ren mai), the other movement the back (du mai).

Heaven and Earth have noon and midnight, the body has the ren

maiand du maias its polar axes. The du mai, ren maiand chong

maihave different names, but in the end they are the same and

have the same significance. The chong maiensures the insepara-

bility or unity of the du maiand ren mai– of Yin and Yang. If we

tried to separate Yin and Yang, we would have to realise that

they are an ‘inseparable whole, a unit’.

Therefore, the extraordinary vessels function as a kind of matrix,

which is the source of the energetic functioning and the cellular

divisions in the body. This matrix is present from the moment of

conception and organises the structuring of the embryonic devel-

opment from the earliest stages.

Explanation of Fig. 1.29 (after Matsumoto and Birch)

In the beginning, there is the Great One, the Taiji(first level). At

this level of ‘no-form’, the Great One begins to separate (second

level) and becomes Yin and Yang (third level). At the fourth

level, Yin and Yang separate twice (two branches):

● One branch separates in a threefold wayto become the

TripleBurner (san jiao) and its associated forms of Qi. Fur-

ther separations lead to the formation of the sixgreat channels

(liu jing➞1.2), the FivePhases and their source, as well as

the 12 primary channels.

● The other branch separates at the fourth level to form the

fourbody areas (left, right, above, below) and then the eight

extraordinary vessels.

Scars of the first cell division

Matsumoto and Birch (1986) comment on the work of Manaka

and others, who interpret the extraordinary vessels with regard

to embryonic development, regarding them as scars or ‘lines of

separation of the first cell divisions’.

The du maiand ren maiare the result of the first division of

the fertilised egg, while the dai maidevelops during the second

division. At this stage, the embryo is essentially a torso, while the

extremities and the more ‘peripheral’ extraordinary vessels – the

yang qiao maiand the yin qiao maias well as the yang wei mai

and the yin wei mai– only form during subsequent divisions.

The eight extraordinary vessels and body

structure

● According to Manaka et al (1995), a close connection exists

between the eight extraordinary vessels and bodystructure/

symmetry.

● The du maiand the ren maiseparate the body verticallyinto

leftand right: the ren maimarks the anterior midline, the du

maiascends the posterior midline.

● The dai maicircles the waist horizontally,forming a hori-

zontal axis. It separates abovefrom below(➞Fig. 1.30 a).

In a further development of this idea, Manaka describes the divi-

sion of the body into eight areas,using the structure of a topo-

logical octahedron for illustration. (➞Fig. 1.30 b). In this model,

the eight extraordinary vessels directly relate to the lines ‘sepa-

rating’ the faces of the octahedron:

● Due to their location on the anterior/posterior midline, the ren

maiand the du maiseparate the body into its right and left

section.

● The dai maiseparates above and below.

● The G.B. and T.B. channelscompare to the anterior and

posterior dividing lines at the lateral edges of the Yang aspect

of the body.

First level

Second level

Third level

The Great One

Separation

Yin/Yang

Fourth level

4 body areas 3 Burners

8 extraordinary vessels 6 levels or great channels

12 channels

Fig. 1.29 Origin of the channels

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