Atlas of Acupuncture

4.10 The Triple Burner Channel System – Hand shaoyang(shou shao yang jing luo)

4.10 The Triple Burner Channel

System – Hand shaoyang

(shou shao yang jing luo)

4.10.1 Triple Burner Primary Channel

(shou shao yang jing)

At ST-12,the channel enters the body to begin its internal

section. It meets the Pericardium (xin bao) at ➞ Ren-17

(shanzhong), penetrates the diaphragm and enters the abdomen,

connecting with the Upper, Middle and Lower Burners.

From the Lower Burner, an internal branch(according to some

authors, the T.B. channel) descends to the popliteal fossa to

➞BL-39(weiyang), the lower he-sea point of the Triple Burner.

A further inner branchoriginates in the thorax at ➞Ren-17

(shanzhong), emerges at the supraclavicular fossa and ascends

to the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle to

T.B.-16, follows via T.B.-17, T.B.-18, T.B.-19the temporal

bone along its border behind the ear and reaches T.B.-20

(jiasun) above the apex of the ear. It crosses the Gall Bladder

primary channel at G.B.-6(xuanli), G.B.-5(xuanlu) and G.B.-4

(hanyan), according to Deadman et al 1998) also at G.B.-11

(touqiaoyin) and G.B.-14(yangbai), descends the cheek to the

lower jaw and ascends again to intersect with ➞ S.I.-18

(quanliao) on the lower border of the zygomatic arch and con-

tinues to the infraorbital region.

From T.B.-17(yifeng), a branch penetrates the ear, emerges to the

Exterior anterior to the tragus, intersects with ➞ S.I.-19

(tinggong), continues past T.B.-21(ermen) and T.B.-22(erhe-

liao), meets ➞G.B.-3(shangguan), crosses its own cheek branch

and ends at T.B.-23(sizhukong) on the frontozygomatic suture.

From T.B.-23, or, according to some authors from T.B.-22, a

small branch runs to ➞G.B.-1(tongziliao) at the lateral canthus

of the eye (Yang axes of the third great circuit: shao yang).

Clinical importance (➞1.2)

Exterior (biao) signs and symptoms: Neck pain, cheek pain,

red and painful eyes, deafness, pain behind the ears, pain on the

posterior aspect of the shoulder and the upper arm

Interior (li) or zangfu-Organ signs and symptoms: Abdominal

fullness and distension, difficult urination, skin oedema and

skin swellings, enuresis

Connections of the Triple Burner primary

channel (➞1.2)

Connections with other channels

Pericardium primary channel (shou jue yin jing)

Connection:Hand Yin–Yang pairing of the third great circuit

Location: P-8 ➞T.B.-1(on the hand).

Circulation:Circadian (according to the Organ clock)

Importance:Exterior–Interior relationship

Gall Bladder primary channel (zu shao yang jing)

Connection: Paired according to the six-channel theory

(hand–foot pairing): shao yang(Yang axes of the third great circuit)

Location: T.B.-23(or T.B.-22) ➞G.B.-1(on the head).

Circulation:Circadian (according to the Organ clock)

Importance:Above–below relationship

T.B.-1

T.B.-23

Upper Burner

T.B.-16

T.B.-21

T.B.-5

T.B.-6

T.B.-9

T.B.-4

T.B.-3

15

T.B.-14

P-8

T.B.-1

S.I.-14G.B.-21S.I.-12

Ren-17

G.B.-6G.B.-5 G.B.-4

Middle Burner

Lower Burner

Pathway

The external pathwayof the Triple Burner primary channel

begins on the ring finger, at the ulnar corner of the nail at T.B.-1

(guanchong). T.B.-1is reached by a branch of the Pericardium

primary channel that separates on the palm of the hand at ➞P-8

(laogong) (hand Yin–Yang connection of the third great circuit).

The channel runs along the ulnar side of the ring finger

➡continues between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones

➡travels along the posterior aspect of the forearm between the

radius and the ulna towards the lateral aspect of the arm

➡passes the olecranon and continues along the upper arm to the

shoulder

➡traverses the shoulder, intersects with ➞S.I.-12(bingfeng) and

meets the other Yang primary channels at ➞Du-14(dazhu)

➡runs to the anterior aspect of the body, crossing ➞G.B.-21

(jianjing) and ➞ST-12(quepen), the latter in the supraclav-

icular fossa.

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