Daling 大陵
Front of the wrist, on the palm-side wrist crease, between the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis tendons.
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Palmaris longus muscle · Flexor carpi radialis · Flexor retinaculum of wrist
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On this page
1Where is Daling?
Front of the wrist, on the palm-side wrist crease, between the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis tendons.
It is level with HT7 and with the upper end of the pisiform bone.
Palmaris longus muscle · Flexor carpi radialis · Flexor retinaculum of wrist
2How do I find it on my body?
- Make a fist, turn the palm up and bend the elbow a little.
- Find the two tendons standing out in the middle of the wrist (palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis).
- Press in the middle of the wrist crease, between the two tendons.
- No palmaris longus tendon (not rare)? Use the spot just on the little-finger side of the flexor carpi radialis tendon.
- flexor carpi radialis
- A forearm muscle running from the inner elbow to the second metacarpal that bends the wrist and tilts it toward the thumb. Flex the wrist and its tendon stands out like a cord a little to the thumb side of the middle of the wrist crease.
- palmaris longus
- A thin muscle down the middle of the palm side of the forearm, missing in quite a few people. Touch thumb and little fingertips together and bend the wrist slightly: the thin tendon standing out most in the middle of the wrist is this one.
- wrist crease
- The horizontal crease that forms at the wrist when it is slightly bent. There is one on the palm side and one on the back, and they are starting lines for measuring arm points.
- median nerve
- The nerve running down the middle of the arm, through the center of the palm side of the wrist into the palm. It handles feeling on the thumb-side palm and movement of the thumb muscles.
3Before you press
- The median nerve runs deep between the two tendons.
- Ease off if the fingers tingle.
- 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?
- Classified as the Yuan-source point and the Shu-stream (Earth) point of the Pericardium meridian; the Lingshu names it the source point of the Heart — a historical classification, not a claim of effect.
- The name means 'great mound', read as the spot just below the raised base of the palm.
From traditional texts — not a claim of effect.
5Classical text
Donguibogam (Heo Jun, 1613), Acupuncture and Moxibustion, "Daling"
在掌後兩筋間陷中《銅人》
在掌後橫文兩筋兩骨陷中《入門》
手厥陰脈之所注爲腧 …《銅人》
- ①Behind the palm, in the hollow between the two tendons. Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing
- ②On the crease behind the palm, in the hollow between the two tendons and two bones. Yixue Rumen
- ③Where the Hand Jueyin channel pours in, which makes it the Shu-stream point. Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing
- Source tags as given in the Donguibogam: Tongren = Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing (1026), Rumen = Yixue Rumen (1575).
- The garbled glyph 杮 in the Wikisource text has been corrected to 腧.
- "…" marks the needling depth and moxa count, left out because they are for licensed practitioners.
Original text as written · translation is ours.
?FAQ
Where exactly is Daling?
Front of the wrist, on the palm-side wrist crease, between the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis tendons. It is level with HT7 and with the upper end of the pisiform bone.
How do I find Daling?
Make a fist, turn the palm up and bend the elbow a little. Find the two tendons standing out in the middle of the wrist (palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis). Press in the middle of the wrist crease, between the two tendons. No palmaris longus tendon (not rare)? Use the spot just on the little-finger side of the flexor carpi radialis tendon. it is on the same level line as HT7 on the little-finger side.
What should I watch out for?
The median nerve runs deep between the two tendons. Ease off if the fingers tingle. 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.
Sources
- Location: WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (2008), p. 155
- 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)
- Classification source: Lingshu ch. 2 (Ben Shu), which lists these points under 'Heart'; Nanjing ch. 64 for the phases
- Yuan-source source: Lingshu ch. 1 (Jiu Zhen Shi Er Yuan); Nanjing ch. 66
- Traditional use: Hyeoljari Seodang (Bookdramang, 2015; Korean), ch. 9 "Daling" and appendix (Yixue Rumen indications)
- Classical text: Donguibogam, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, "Daling" — Wikisource public edition (garbled glyph 杮 corrected to 腧)
- Indications: Yixue Rumen vol. 1 (Wikisource)
- Classification and traditional-use cross-check: AcuAtlas dataset (CC BY 4.0)
- 3D: computed on Z-Anatomy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · BodyParts3D © DBCLS
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.