Pericardium MeridianPC1

Tianchi 天池

For reference only · not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment

Short answer

Front of the chest, in the fourth intercostal space, 5 cun out from the front midline.

Crossing point of the Pericardium and Gallbladder channels

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

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

Tianchi — 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.

Tianchi — ③ Under the skin — **③ Under the skin**
Fourth rib · Fifth rib · Pectoralis major

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

On this page

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

1Where is Tianchi?

Front of the chest, in the fourth intercostal space, 5 cun out from the front midline.

Beneath the point

Fourth rib · Fifth rib · Pectoralis major

Our 3D measurement · In our 3D model: 5 cun (104.0 mm; 1 chest cun = 20.8 mm) from the front midline, in the 4th intercostal space measured at that spot, 20.2 mm lateral to the nipple.

2How do I find it on my body?

Find the fourth intercostal space (in men usually at nipple height).
Go 5 cun out from the front midline.

Check · it is 1 cun outside the male nipple line, which lies at 4 cun.

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

intercostal space: The gap between two ribs, felt with a fingertip as a slight groove between bone and bone. It is named after the rib above it (the gap below the first rib is the first intercostal space).
pectoralis major: The large fan-shaped muscle covering the front of the chest. It runs from the collarbone, breastbone and rib cartilages to the top of the humerus, and it tightens when you bring the arm forward or hug.
chest wall: The wall around the chest organs, made of skin, muscle, ribs and the muscles between them. In places it is thinner than you might think.

3Before you press

⚠ Do not press when

The pleura and lung lie just beneath the chest wall.
Do not jab with pointed tools or dig in deeply.
In women this spot may fall on or at the edge of the breast.
Avoid broken or swollen skin and press only to a comfortable level.
Acupressure is not a substitute for medical care.
Crushing chest pain, breathlessness or a cold sweat can signal a heart emergency — call emergency services at once; do not try acupressure.

4How has it been used traditionally?

The first point of the Pericardium meridian. The Lingshu places it 'three cun below the armpit' on the Hand Heart-Master channel, and the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing records it as a crossing point with Foot Shaoyang — a historical classification, not a claim of effect.

From traditional texts — not a claim of effect.

?FAQ

Where exactly is Tianchi?

Front of the chest, in the fourth intercostal space, 5 cun out from the front midline.

How do I find Tianchi?

Find the fourth intercostal space (in men usually at nipple height). Go 5 cun out from the front midline. it is 1 cun outside the male nipple line, which lies at 4 cun.

What should I watch out for?

The pleura and lung lie just beneath the chest wall. Do not jab with pointed tools or dig in deeply. In women this spot may fall on or at the edge of the breast. Avoid broken or swollen skin and press only to a comfortable level. Acupressure is not a substitute for medical care. Crushing chest pain, breathlessness or a cold sweat can signal a heart emergency — call emergency services at once; do not try acupressure.

← Previous meridianShufu · KI27 Next →Tianquan · PC2

Sources

Location: WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (2008), p. 152
Standard comparison: Chinese national standard GB/T 12346-2021 (Nomenclature and location of meridian points), p. 22
Korean anatomical terms: KMLE medical dictionary (Korean Medical Association terms)
Classical source: Lingshu ch. 2 (Ben Shu), list of pulsing sites on the neck and armpit
Crossing-point source: Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing vol. 3 (Wikisource edition)
Classification and 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.