Discussion on Classical Morphological View of Acupoints: Taking Book A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion as An Example

Abstract

After analyzing the contents of Volume Ⅲ of A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, we propose a concept of classical morphological view about acupoints in terms of their superficial signs and structure in Chinese ancient times. That is to say that the ancient medical experts' understanding about acupoints contain locality, layers and variability. These 3 aspects were applied to the classification and location of acupoints, as well as to the clinical treatment in the ancient times. Furthermore, the classical view about acupoints also contains the ideas of Shou-Xing (, keeping paying attention to needling the local acupoints only in the light of the focus) and Shou-Shen (, keeping paying attention to both the related acupoints and appropriate manipulations in the light of pattern identification of symptoms and signs as well as the patients' physical constitutions) in performing acupuncture treatment. Owing to the influence of the idea of Shou-Shen, the classical view about the signs and structure of acupoints presented a weakening trend gradually in ancient Chinese medical circle.