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CV-21 Jade Swivel

璇玑 〔璇璣〕 xuán jī

Alternate names: 旋机 xuán jī, Swivel Mechanism

Channel: CV, controlling (rèn) vessel

Modern location: An acupoint located on the chest, about 1 cùn inferior to the suprasternal notch on the midline.

Classical location: In the depression one cùn directly above Florid Canopy (CV-20). From The Golden Mirror of Medicine (医宗金鑑 yī zōng jīn jiàn)

Local anatomy: The perforating branches of the internal mammary artery and vein. The medial supraclavicular nerve and the anterior cutaneous branch of the first intercostal nerve.

Action: Loosens the chest and rectifies qì; suppresses cough and downbears counterflow.

Modern indications: Cough; panting; chest pain; painful swollen throat.

Classical indications: Fullness and pain in the chest and rib-side; throat impediment (hóu bì); swollen pharynx; inability to get food and drink down of fluids; hot, red facial skin in infants; pulmonary welling-abscess (fèi yōng).

Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.3 cùn downward oblique insertion. Moxa: 5 cones; pole 5‒20 min.

Point name meaning:

The combination 璇玑 (xuán jī) names an ancient astronomical instrument that turns on a pivot, much as the head turns on the neck. Thus the point is named after its location at the bottom of the neck.

The first four stars of the big dipper form the bowl of the dipper the last three form the handle. The second and third stars are called (xuán) and () respectively. The dip at the top of the sternum resembles the bowl of the dipper. CV-21 is located in the area that corresponds to the bottom of the dipper formed by the stars and 玑. To picture this, simply imagine the collar bone as the handle of the dipper and CV-21 as the bottom of the bowl. 璇玑 (xuán jī) is also the name of a particular palindrome that was embroidered on satin in the 4th century CE. It was done by a woman for her husband (who had been banished to Tartary), and it consisted of 840 characters, which could be read the same backwards as forwards. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.

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