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Alternate names: 泉腋 quán yè, Spring Armpit; 泉液 quán yè, Spring Humor; 液门 yè mén, Humor Gate; 腋门 yè mén, Armpit Gate; 渊液 yuān yè, Abyss Humor

Channel: GB, foot lesser yáng (shào yáng) gallbladder channel

Modern location: An acupoint located on the lateral aspect of the chest, 3 cùn inferior to the base of the axilla on the midaxillary line.

Classical location: In the depression three cùn below the armpit. The point is found with the arm raised. From The Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (针灸大成 zhēn jiǔ dà chéng)

Local anatomy: The thoracoepigastric vein, the lateral thoracic artery and vein, the 5th intercostal artery and vein. The lateral cutaneous branch of the 5th intercostal nerve, the branch of the long thoracic nerve.

Action: Loosens the chest and normalizes qì; soothes the sinews and quickens the network vessels.

Modern indications: Fullness in the chest; rib-side pain; impediment pain (bì tòng) in the upper limbs.

Classical indications: Fullness in the chest; cough.

Needle stimulus: Needling: 0.3‒0.5 cùn perpendicular insertion. Moxa: pole 5‒10 min.

Point name meaning:

• 渊 yuān: abyss, deep pool
• 腋 yè: armpit

This point is called Armpit Abyss due to its location in the deep abyss of the armpit. Note that the character 渊 has the water radical (three dots on the left hand side), which is appropriate because the armpit is often a place of copious perspiration.

The alternate names for GB-22 center around the characters 液 (yè) (humor, i.e., fluids) and its homophone 腋 (armpit), with the addition of the characters 渊 (yuān, abyss) and 泉 (quán, spring), both of which indicate a source of water. The names provide a good example of the variations that can develop over time, especially given the oral tradition of Chinese medicine and the large number of homophones in the Chinese language. See acupoint names: origins, meanings, and translations.

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