Kidney MeridianKI3

Taixi 太谿

For reference only · not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment

Short answer

Back-inner side of the ankle, in the hollow between the inner ankle bone and the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon.

Yuan-source pointShu-stream point (Earth)

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

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

Taixi — 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.

Taixi — ③ Under the skin — **③ Under the skin**
Flexor retinaculum of ankle · Flexor digitorum longus · Tibialis posterior muscle · Posterior tibial veins

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

On this page

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

1Where is Taixi?

Back-inner side of the ankle, in the hollow between the inner ankle bone and the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon.

It is level with the highest point of the inner ankle bone.

Beneath the point

Flexor retinaculum of ankle · Flexor digitorum longus · Tibialis posterior muscle · Posterior tibial veins

Our 3D measurement · In our 3D model: at the height of the medial malleolus peak, midway along the skin between the malleolus and the Achilles tendon (41.7 mm). No hollow shows on this skin, so the midpoint was used — still to be verified.

2How do I find it on my body?

Find the most prominent point of the inner ankle bone.
Keep that height and slide straight back to the thick Achilles tendon.
Press the hollow halfway between them.

Check · you may feel a pulse here (posterior tibial artery).

📖 Words explained

flexor retinaculum of ankle: A tough band from the inner ankle to the heel bone. The toe-bending tendons, the posterior tibial artery and the tibial nerve pass beneath it.
flexor digitorum longus: A muscle that starts deep on the inner back of the calf, curves behind the inner ankle and attaches to the tip bones of the 2nd–5th toes. It bends the toes.
posterior tibial artery: The artery running deep down the back of the calf, behind the inner ankle and into the sole. You can feel its pulse in the hollow between the inner ankle and the Achilles tendon.
posterior tibial veins: The veins running deep in the back of the calf alongside the posterior tibial artery.
tibialis posterior: The deepest muscle in the back of the calf. It curves behind the inner ankle to the bones of the inner sole and holds up the inner arch.

3Before you press

⚠ Do not press when

The posterior tibial artery runs here — do not press hard or for long where you feel the pulse.
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 Yuan-source point and the Shu-stream (Earth) point of the Kidney meridian; Lingshu ch. 1 names it the source point of the kidney — a historical classification, not a claim of effect.
The name is usually translated as 'Great Stream'.
Classical texts place it in the hollow where a pulse can be felt, and record it as a place where the pulse was checked.

From traditional texts — not a claim of effect.

5Classical text

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

一名呂細在足內踝後跟骨上動脈陷中《銅人》
在內踝後五分跟骨間動脈陷中《入門》
足少陰脈之所注爲腧 …
凡人病有此脈則生無則死《銅人》

①Also called Lüxi. Behind the inner ankle bone, above the heel bone, in the hollow where a pulse beats. Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing
②Half a cun behind the inner ankle bone, by the heel bone, in the hollow with the pulse. Yixue Rumen
③Where the Foot Shaoyin channel pours in, which makes it the Shu-stream point.
④A sick person who has this pulse will live; one who lacks it will die. Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing

Source tags as given in the Donguibogam: Tongren = Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing, Rumen = Yixue Rumen (1575).
In the Wikisource text the garbled glyph 嚹 has been corrected to 踝 (ankle) and 杮 to 腧 (the facsimile may read 兪).
"外骨" has been read as 跟骨 (heel bone): the character 跟 never appears on that page, and the Lingshu, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing and Yixue Rumen all place this point by the heel bone — a probable correction to be checked against a facsimile.
"…" marks the needling depth and moxa count, left out because they are for licensed practitioners.
Line ④ is a historical prognostic note, not a self-check.

Original text as written · translation is ours.

?FAQ

Where exactly is Taixi?

Back-inner side of the ankle, in the hollow between the inner ankle bone and the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon. It is level with the highest point of the inner ankle bone.

How do I find Taixi?

Find the most prominent point of the inner ankle bone. Keep that height and slide straight back to the thick Achilles tendon. Press the hollow halfway between them. you may feel a pulse here (posterior tibial artery).

What should I watch out for?

The posterior tibial artery runs here — do not press hard or for long where you feel the pulse. Avoid broken or swollen skin and press only to a comfortable level. Acupressure is not a substitute for medical care.

← PreviousRangu · KI2 Next →Dazhong · KI4

Sources

Location: WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (2008), p. 137
Standard comparison: Chinese national standard GB/T 12346-2021 (Nomenclature and location of meridian points)
Korean anatomical terms and point names: KMCRIC Standard Acupoint DB (Korea)
Classification source: Lingshu ch. 1 (Jiu Zhen Shi Er Yuan, source point) and ch. 2 (Ben Shu); Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing vol. 3 for the phases
Traditional use: Hyeoljari Seodang (Bookdramang, 2015; Korean), ch. 8 "Taixi" and appendix (Yixue Rumen indications)
Classical text: Donguibogam, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, "Taixi" — Wikisource public edition (garbled glyphs 嚹→踝, 杮→腧 and 外→跟 (probable) corrected)
Indications: Yixue Rumen vol. 1 (Wikisource)
Traditional use cross-check: AcuAtlas dataset (CC BY 4.0)

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.