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Alternate names: 鬼邪 guǐ xié, Ghost Evil; 三里（手） sān lǐ shǒu, Three Li (arm); 上三里 shàng sān lǐ, Upper Three Li

Channel: LI, hand yáng brightness (yáng míng) large intestine channel

Modern location: An acupoint located on the dorsoradial aspect of the forearm, 2 cùn distal to the elbow (LI-11) on the line that connects LI-5 (yáng xī) and LI-11 (qū chí).

Classical location: At the end of the protuberant flesh two cùn below Pool at the Bend (LI-11); the flesh bulges when pressure is applied. From The Golden Mirror of Medicine (医宗金鑑 yī zōng jīn jiàn)

Local anatomy: The branches of the radial recurrent artery and vein. For nerves, See LI-7.

Action: Dispels wind and frees the network vessels; harmonizes the stomach and disinhibits the intestines.

Modern indications: Toothache with swollen cheeks; abdominal pain; diarrhea; aching in the shoulder and upper arm; paralysis of the upper limbs.

Classical indications: Toothache; pain in the cheek and submandibular region; stubborn numbness of the hand and arm; wind stroke deviated mouth; hemiplegia; sudden turmoil (cholera); fecal incontinence; scrofula; periodic cold in the intestines; pain in the back and lumbar region; vacuity weakness due to the five taxations.

Needle stimulus: Needling: 1‒2 cùn perpendicular insertion. Moxa: 3‒7 cones; pole 5‒10 min.

Point name meaning:

• 手 shǒu: arm, hand
• 三 sān: three
• 里 lǐ: ward (as in a city), a measure of distance equal
to approximately one third of an English mile

The name of this point is closely related to that of ST-36, Leg Three Lǐ. Both are on yáng ming channels located just below the joint (elbow and knee, respectively, for hand and foot yáng ming). LI-10 derives its name from its location three cùn below the prominent bone of the elbow.

In classical Chinese, the character 里 (lǐ) was often employed to express the meaning associated with the homophone 理, which means to rectify or regulate. In this sense, the name may be a reference to this point’s ability to rectify the three burners.

The traditional character 裡 (lǐ), which carries the meaning of inner or inside, was often represented by the character 里 (lǐ) in classical Chinese (as it always is nowadays in the simplified script of mainland China). If 里 is considered to hold this connotation, then this point name could be rendered as Three Interiors, also a reference to the triple burner. The same holds if 里 (lǐ) is taken in its original sense of a small administrative section of a village: a ward or precinct. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.

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