“Xi” means “cleft, crevice, or hole or opening.”
These points are located at sites below the elbow or knee joints (except for ST 34), where Qi and blood in the meridians converge and accumulate as they circulate.
There are 16 Xi-Cleft points: 12 on the regular meridians and 4 on the extra meridians: LU 6, LI 7, ST 34, SP 8, HT 6, SI 6, BL 63, KI 5, PC 4, SJ 7, GB 36, LR 6, KI 8 (Yin Qiao), KI 9 (Yin Wei), BL 59 (Yang Qiao), GB 35 (Yang Wei).
Clinical applications:
- Treatment of acute diseases, especially acute pain.
- Yin meridian points have the additional action of treating disorders of the blood.
- Diagnosis: palpation can reflect excess or deficiency in the respective meridians.