What Jianyu does
Jianyu 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
- Removes Obstructions from the Channel
- Resolves Phlegm
Location
The written location is summarised from the classical record; use the landmark named there together with the diagram.
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
Jianyu is a Large Intestine point at the tip of the shoulder, recorded to remove obstruction from the channel and resolve Phlegm, and its classical description fixes the depression between the two bones. The skin reading is local and cautious: the point is sometimes considered where lesions or congestion sit over the shoulder, on the traditional reasoning that clearing the channel restores local flow. Its recorded uses are shoulder and arm pain, weakness and stiffness, with no developed skin rationale. No skin-specific classical indication is recorded for the point, so this remains an indirect rationale, 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 |
Classical record
Located at the shoulder tip, between the two bones.
Classical citation for this point.
At the tip of the shoulder bone, between the gap of the two bones, when the arm is raised level with the shoulder in the depression... one should support the arm or turn the hand to the waist, and insert the needle slowly.
Classical citation for this point.
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
No special hazard is recorded for this point; use standard care for the region and adjust depth to the patient.
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 Jianyu do in skin practice?
It is used where the skin picture includes goitre scrofula paralysis urticaria hemiplegia wind-stroke arm atrophy arm numbness shoulder pain weak shoulder arm stiffness arm contraction, always as part of a combination chosen for the pattern.
How is it needled?
90° (Perpendicular) / 45° (Oblique). Standard depth 0.8 - 1.5 cun. De qi: Local distension and soreness at the shoulder. The sensation often radiates down the arm toward the forearm. With deeper insertion toward the axilla, an electric or spreading sensation may extend through the shoulder region or down to the forearm.
Is it safe?
When needling deeply toward the axilla (armpit direction), be aware of the joint capsule and surrounding structures. Avoid excessive force or manipulation in patients with severe shoulder inflammation or injury. Deep needling (2-3 cun) toward HT-1 Jiquan should only be performed by experienced practitioners with proper arm positioning. For supraspinatus conditions, needle with arm hanging freely at side.