Bladder MeridianBL67

Zhiyin 至陰

For reference only · not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment

Short answer

Little toe, 0.1 finger-cun back from the outer corner of the toenail.

Jing-well point (Metal)

See it in 3DRotate the body and peel back the skin to see the bones and muscles beneath.
Open the 3D Acupoint Map →

🖼See it in pictures

Zhiyin — ① Where on the body? — **① Where on the body?**

Zhiyin — Textbook view — skin on the left, muscle and bone underneath on the right — **Textbook view — skin on the left, muscle and bone underneath on the right**
Location and structures come from our 3D model; only the drawing style was refined with AI. Labels are added by us.

Zhiyin — ③ Under the skin — **③ Under the skin**
Distal phalanx of fifth finger of foot · Dorsal digital arteries of foot

Rendered straight from the 3D model at the computed location. The glowing ring marks Zhiyin.

On this page

Where is Zhiyin?
How do I find it on my body?
Before you press
How has it been used traditionally?
Classical text
FAQ

1Where is Zhiyin?

Little toe, 0.1 finger-cun back from the outer corner of the toenail.

It is on the outer side of the end bone (distal phalanx), where a line along the outer side of the nail meets a line along the nail base.

Beneath the point

Distal phalanx of fifth finger of foot · Dorsal digital arteries of foot

Our 3D measurement · In our 3D model: the nail base was taken at 35% of the little toe's distal phalanx; the point is 0.1 cun behind the outer nail corner (2.2 mm from it).

2How do I find it on my body?

Extend a line back along the outer side of the little toenail.
Draw a cross-line along the base of the nail, where it disappears into the skin.
Press where the two lines meet.

Check · it is about 0.1 cun from the nail corner.

What is a “cun”?

A cun is a body-scaled unit of length. The precise way is to divide a bone length into equal parts (proportional bone cun); finger widths are a quick estimate.

📖 Words explained

dorsal digital arteries of foot: The thin arteries running to the toes on the top of the foot.
distal phalanx: The last bone at the tip of a finger or toe. The nail lies on top of it.

3Before you press

⚠ Do not press when

Do not press this point or apply moxa to it during pregnancy.
Needling here is traditionally forbidden in pregnancy.
Moxibustion here for the baby's position should only be done under the care of an obstetrician or licensed practitioner.
Avoid broken or swollen skin and press only to a comfortable level.
Acupressure is not a substitute for medical care.

4How has it been used traditionally?

Classified as the Jing-well (Metal) point and the last point of the Bladder channel — a historical classification, not a claim of effect.
The name means 'reaching yin': the channel hands over here to the Kidney (Foot Shaoyin) channel.
The Ming-dynasty Yixue Rumen (1575) places it a chive leaf's width from the corner of the nail.

From traditional texts — not a claim of effect.

5Classical text

Donguibogam (Heo Jun, 1613), Acupuncture and Moxibustion, "Zhiyin"

在足小指端外側去爪甲角如韭葉足太陽脈之所出爲井 …《銅人》

① At the outer side of the tip of the little toe, a chive leaf's width from the corner of the nail. This is where the Foot Taiyang channel emerges, which makes it the Jing-well point (Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing).

Source tag as given in the Donguibogam: Tongren = Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing (1026).
The garbled glyph 堛 in the Wikisource text has been corrected to 韭 (chive), checked against the Yixue Rumen ('a chive leaf from the corner of the nail').
Today's standard (WHO 2008) sets this distance at 0.1 finger-cun.
"…" marks the needling depth, retention time and moxa count, left out because they are for licensed practitioners.

Original text as written · translation is ours.

?FAQ

Where exactly is Zhiyin?

Little toe, 0.1 finger-cun back from the outer corner of the toenail. It is on the outer side of the end bone (distal phalanx), where a line along the outer side of the nail meets a line along the nail base.

How do I find Zhiyin?

Extend a line back along the outer side of the little toenail. Draw a cross-line along the base of the nail, where it disappears into the skin. Press where the two lines meet. it is about 0.1 cun from the nail corner.

Can I press it during pregnancy?

Do not press this point or apply moxa to it during pregnancy.

What should I watch out for?

Do not press this point or apply moxa to it during pregnancy. Needling here is traditionally forbidden in pregnancy. Moxibustion here for the baby's position should only be done under the care of an obstetrician or licensed practitioner. Avoid broken or swollen skin and press only to a comfortable level. Acupressure is not a substitute for medical care.

← PreviousZutonggu · BL66 Next meridian →Yongquan · KI1

Sources

Location: WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (2008), p. 133
Standard comparison: Chinese national standard GB/T 12346-2021 (Nomenclature and location of meridian points), p. 20 — same location
Korean anatomical terms: KMLE medical dictionary
Traditional-use cross-check: AcuAtlas dataset (CC BY 4.0)
Traditional use: Hyeoljari Seodang (Bookdramang, 2015; Korean), ch. 7 "Zhiyin" and appendix (Yixue Rumen indications)
Classical text: Donguibogam, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, "Zhiyin" — Wikisource public edition (garbled glyph 堛→韭 corrected)
Indications: Yixue Rumen vol. 1 (Wikisource)
Classification source: Lingshu ch. 2 (Ben Shu); Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing vol. 3, sec. 35
Safety: pregnancy caution point — Hyeoljari Seodang ch. 7 (records that needling is forbidden in pregnancy) · Yixue Rumen vol. 1 (listed among points used to hasten labour) · AcuAtlas dataset caution note

Positions computed from the WHO standard locations (2008) on Z-Anatomy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · BodyParts3D © DBCLS. For reference only — not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment. See a clinician if you are unwell.