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GB-9 Celestial Hub
天冲 〔天衝〕 tiān chōng
Alternate names: 天冲 tiān chōng, Celestial Surge; 天衢 tiān qú, Celestial Crossroads
Channel: GB, foot lesser yáng (shào yáng) gallbladder channel
Modern location: An acupoint located on the lateral aspect of the head, at a level about 1.5 cùn superior to the apex of the ear, on the vertical line defined by the posterior margin of the auricle.
Classical location: A little over three fēn behind Valley Lead (GB-8), two cùn within the hairline. From
Local anatomy: The posterior auricular artery and vein. The branch of the great occipital nerve.
Action: Clears and disinhibits gallbladder heat; settles and calms the spirit.
Modern indications: Headache;
Classical indications: Withdrawal disease; wind tetany; susceptibility to fright and fear.
Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.3 cùn transverse insertion. Moxa: 3 cones; pole 5‒15 min.
Point groups: Intersection point (jiāo huì xué) of the gallbladder and bladder channels.
Point name meaning:
- 天 tiān: celestial, of the heavens, sky; Nature; heaven
- 冲 chōng: surge, rush, flush; 〔衝〕 thoroughfare; transport hub
celestial
due to its location on the head, while hub
is indicative of its importance as a point of intersection, i.e., an intersection (jiāo huì) point of the gallbladder and bladder channels. This point is employed in the treatment of disorders that are marked by surges of qì such as headache, wind disease, and fright wind. Combined with the point’s location on the upper body, this provides a rendering of the point name as Celestial Surge. In this case, the character 冲 (chōng) should be written as 衝 (chōng), which is more commonly interpreted to mean surge,
though in acupuncture point names the two characters are often used interchangeably (cf. alternate name above).
天冲 (tiān chōng) is also the name of a star. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.
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