What Quepen does
Quepen 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
- Subdues Rebellious Qi
- Removes Obstructions from the Channel
- Calms the Mind
Location
Four cun measured from the landmark shown in the diagram and the location text, lateral to the anterior midline, in the supraclavicular fossa, superior to the midpoint of the clavicle.
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. Find the midpoint of the collarbone by running a finger outward from the notch at the top of the sternum, then follow the bone upward and slightly back into the hollow immediately above it. Four cun lateral to the midline puts the point over that midpoint, between the clavicle below and the muscular ridge of the neck above. The gap is shallow: the pulse of the subclavian vessels can sometimes be felt just behind it and the dome of the lung lies beneath, which is why the spot is marked and needled with care rather than pressed deeply.
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 half a to half a cun. Direction: Needle in the direction the location describes.
Moxibustion
Five to ten minutes of moxa is recorded for this point, used where cold has settled in the shoulder and neck. The stick is kept moving and the skin is checked often, because the area is thin and the structures beneath it do not tolerate heat well.
Cupping
Cupping is contraindicated at Quepen. The fossa is shallow, the lung and the great vessels sit immediately beneath it, and suction would pull on structures that cannot be safely loaded, so cupping for the neck or chest is placed elsewhere.
Gua sha
Gua sha is contraindicated at this point for the same anatomical reasons. Pressure and friction over the hollow above the collarbone would work directly on the region of the subclavian vessels, so the technique is not used anywhere near it.
Bleeding
Bloodletting is contraindicated here as well. The reference rules it out because of the vessels and the pleural dome under the point, and the clearing effect that bleeding is used for is sought at other points of the same channel instead.
Skin uses
Quepen lies in the supraclavicular fossa and is recorded as a meeting place of five Yang channels, with actions that subdue rebellious Qi and remove obstruction from the channel. Its meeting-point status is the traditional basis for reasoning about the upper chest and neck, and its location supports a local reading for lesions in that area. The classical record also warns that needling is contraindicated in pregnancy, which belongs in any consideration of the point. Since no skin-specific classical indication is recorded for it, what follows is an indirect reading, 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
The classical record summarises the classical use of this point without quoting a passage in full.
classical record
Quepen is recorded as a meeting place of five yang channels, which is the basis for treating disorders of several channels at once.
Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing (Systematic Classic), as recorded in the classical literature.
Needling at Quepen is contraindicated during pregnancy; the text warns against using the point while a pregnancy is present.
Lei Jing Tu Yi (Illustrated Supplement to the Classic of Categories), as recorded in the classical literature.
The stomach channel reaches the supraclavicular fossa after descending from the face, which is why this region is treated as a gate for throat and chest disorders.
Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot), as recorded in the classical literature.
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: contraindicated or restricted in pregnancy; the reference marks it as a dangerous point. Needle with care, adjust depth to the patient's build, and modify or avoid the point where a flag applies. The hollow above the collarbone is one of the genuinely dangerous places on the body. The dome of the lung rises into it, the subclavian vessels and the brachial plexus lie behind it, and a needle angled downward and inward can cause a pneumothorax, so insertion stays shallow and follows the upper border of the clavicle. The reference marks cupping, gua sha and bloodletting as contraindicated here for the same reason, and needling is avoided in pregnancy. Severe breathlessness, a swollen neck or a lump in the hollow needs medical assessment before any acupuncture is considered.
Deficiency and constitution
In a depleted patient the point is worked gently and briefly. Where the patient is depleted the point is used with even more restraint: a very shallow needle, no strong manipulation, and moxa in short sessions rather than repeated needling. Because the effect depends on moving qi downward, a patient who is already weak or breathless from deficiency should not have it worked hard, and treatment is stopped if coughing, dizziness or tightness in the chest appears.
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 Quepen 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 0.3 - 0.5 cun. De qi: Local distension and soreness in the supraclavicular fossa. Sensation may radiate to the shoulder, neck, or down the arm. Due to the shallow needling depth required, deqi should be gentle. Avoid seeking strong sensations at this point due to proximity to vital structures.
Why is Quepen considered a dangerous point?
The hollow above the collarbone has the dome of the lung beneath it, the subclavian vessels running through it and the brachial plexus behind. A needle that goes deep or angles downward can puncture the lung and cause a pneumothorax, so the reference limits insertion to half a cun and marks the point as requiring extra caution. Cupping, gua sha and bloodletting are contraindicated here.
What connects Quepen to the arm?
The point is named as a meeting place of the stomach, large intestine, small intestine, triple burner and gallbladder channels, all of which pass through the shoulder region. That is the reason a point above the collarbone is used for pain or stiffness running from the neck into the arm: the tradition treats this hollow as a shared crossing rather than a local spot.
Is Quepen used in pregnancy?
The classical record warns against needling it during pregnancy and the reference carries that as a contraindication. The point sits on the upper chest and moves qi downward, and traditional practice avoids points of that kind while a pregnancy is present. A practitioner would choose a different point for neck or shoulder pain in that situation.
Does Quepen help with anxiety?
Only indirectly. Some practitioners describe it as calming the mind by bringing excess qi down from the upper body, and they use it where anxiety, nervousness and poor sleep accompany chest fullness or breathlessness. The reference presents that as a claim rather than an established action, so it is a supporting point rather than the main treatment for anxiety.