What Jianliao does
Jianliao is treated here as a practical point rather than a curiosity: where it sits, how it is needled, what the tradition says it does, and the skin conditions in this database that name it.
Actions
- Remove Obstructions from the Channel
Location
One cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, posterior and inferior to the acromion, in the depression about 1 cun posterior to Jianyu LI-15.
How to find it
Find the bony landmark first, then feel for the hollow or tender spot the location describes. The point is usually sensitive when pressed.
Deqi
De qi at this point is felt as local distension, heaviness or aching, and may travel a short way along the channel.
A cun is a proportional body measurement, not a fixed length: one cun is about the width of the thumb at the knuckle, 1.5 cun about two finger widths, and 3 cun about the width of four fingers. On an average adult one cun is roughly one inch, but it scales with the person, which is why the texts measure in cun rather than centimetres.
Technique
Needling
Angle: 90 degrees, perpendicular Depth: Standard depth one to one and a half cun. Direction: Needle in the direction the location describes.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is used where the pattern is cold or deficient, in short sessions.
Skin uses
Jianliao is a Triple Burner point at the shoulder, recorded to remove obstruction from the channel, and its general uses are confined to shoulder and arm pain, stiffness and numbness. The skin rationale is local and cautious: a point over the shoulder joint is sometimes considered where skin changes sit in the same region, on the traditional reasoning that removing channel obstruction restores movement and local flow. Its record contains no skin use at all. Its sources contain no skin-specific classical indication, so the rationale above remains indirect and is not trial evidence.
No skin-specific classical indication is recorded for this point. The rationale above is an indirect, traditional reading of the point, not a promise of benefit.
Point classifications
| Classification | Value |
|---|---|
| Channel | Meridian |
Safety
Who should treat this point
Acupuncture and moxibustion are practitioner procedures. This page is educational and is not a guide to self-treatment.
Caution
Safety flags: blood vessels lie close to the point; a nerve runs in the deeper layer. Needle with care, adjust depth to the patient's build, and modify or avoid the point where a flag applies.
Deficiency and constitution
In a depleted patient the point is worked gently and briefly.
Before treatment
Educational reference only. Skin that is spreading, painful, blistering or accompanied by fever needs medical assessment.
Modern evidence and safety
General references for acupuncture safety and skin evidence. They are not specific to this point, and they are not a claim that needling it treats any condition.
- Acupuncture-related adverse events: systematic review and meta-analyses of prospective clinical studies. BMJ Open, 2021. PMID: 34489268.
- Acupuncture for atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 2024. PMID: 39638592.
- Manual acupuncture for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Surgery, 2025. PMID: 40696933.
- Acupuncture in Dermatology: An Update to a Systematic Review. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2021. PMID: 32955916.
Evidence note
No controlled trial of this treatment in skin conditions was identified for this entry. What is described here rests on the classical and later materia medica record and on traditional clinical use, not on controlled trial evidence, and it is not a prediction of benefit. Where skin-specific research does exist it is linked above.
Common questions
What does Jianliao do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes the conditions it is used with, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular) / 45° (Oblique). Standard depth 1.0 - 1.5 cun. De qi: Distension and soreness spreading throughout the shoulder joint. With deeper insertion toward HT-1 (Jiquan), numbness or an electric sensation may radiate down toward the fingers.
Is it safe?
Deep needling toward HT-1 (Jiquan) passes through a neurovascular bundle containing the axillary nerve and posterior circumflex humeral artery/vein. Practitioners should be aware of underlying anatomy. This point lies near the surgical neck of the humerus; fractures or shoulder dislocations in this area may affect the axillary nerve.