How to Read an Acupressure Points Chart
Quick answer ,A chart's dots mark traditional points, the lines connecting them are meridians, and the codes (like LI4 or GB20) identify which meridian and position. You don't need to memorise a chart, use it to confirm a spot you already found by feel, not as the starting instruction.
The first time you see a full acupressure or acupuncture chart, it looks like a subway map somebody drew on a body. Dozens of dots, criss-crossing lines, and codes like "LI4" or "GB20" that mean nothing until someone explains them. Here is the plain-language version.
What the dots are
Each dot marks a traditional point, a specific, named spot on the body that classical Chinese medicine assigns significance to. There are roughly 360 of them on a full chart, though in practice almost everyone who owns a device like this one only ever uses a dozen or so.
What the lines are
The lines connect points into meridians, pathways that traditional theory says carry the body's energy, or qi. There are fourteen major meridians, each associated with an organ system in the traditional framework (Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach, and so on). That association is a traditional, not an anatomical one, the Large Intestine meridian does not run along your actual large intestine.
What the codes mean
A code like LI4 breaks down simply: the letters identify the meridian (LI = Large Intestine), and the number is the point's position along it, counted from a fixed starting point. LI4, for instance, is the fourth point on the Large Intestine meridian, and it happens to be the well-known web-of-the-hand point covered in our hand points guide.
You never need to learn the codes to use a chart practically, they exist so practitioners can refer to the same point unambiguously across languages and centuries.
How to actually use a chart
Backwards from how it looks designed to be used, honestly. Rather than starting at a chart and hunting for a point, start with a sore spot you have already found by feel, then check the chart to see whether it lines up with a named point. Charts are good for confirming and naming what your hands already know, and for showing you nearby points you might not have tried.
Treat a chart as a reference, not an instruction manual. If a spot the chart marks does not feel tender to you, there is no rule that says you have to work it anyway.
A few points worth knowing by name
| Common name | Chart code | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| Web of the hand | LI4 | Between thumb and index finger |
| Base of the skull | GB20 | Hollows below the skull ridge |
| Shoulder ridge | GB21 | Midpoint of the shoulder muscle |
| Inner wrist | PC6 | Three finger-widths below the wrist crease |
All four are covered in more depth in our other point guides, this table is just to make the codes feel less like a foreign language next time you see one.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to memorise an acupressure chart to use a pen?
- No. Most people never learn the formal codes. Find a tender spot by feel, work it, and use a chart only if you want to know its traditional name or find nearby points.
- Are acupressure meridians anatomically real?
- Meridians are a traditional Chinese medicine framework, not an anatomical structure that shows up on a scan. The points themselves are physical locations you can find and press; the meridian lines connecting them are a conceptual map from the tradition, not a description of nerves or blood vessels.
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