Acupoint Name Meanings: English Renderings and Identity

Revised 2026-11-01

An acupoint name’s English rendering is an attempt to explain its Chinese wording. It may be a translation, paraphrase or memorable nickname. That rendering is a separate field from the code, the Pinyin spelling and the Chinese characters that identify the source entry.

Keep meaning and identity in separate fields

The selected 1991 WHO scientific-group report discusses code, Pinyin and Han-character naming elements. Its meridian table also provides English meridian names. Those English meridian names should not be presented as official English titles for every individual point.

For a traceable identity example, its table lists PC6 / nèiguān / 內關. MSK’s English heading uses P-6 (Neiguan); the linked Chinese heading uses P-6（内关）. This pair helps check the label. It does not verify every English explanation someone gives for the name.

Questions to ask about an English rendering

1. Which exact Chinese entry is being rendered?
2. Which author or reference supplies the English wording?
3. Does that source present it as a title, a literal translation or an explanatory paraphrase?
4. Is the code and Pinyin pairing documented, or has it been inferred from a nickname?

If the attribution is missing, record that limit. Do not label a writer’s phrase “WHO’s official point name” merely because a standardized code appears elsewhere in a WHO publication. A pleasing English phrase is not sufficient proof that two pages discuss the same point.

When scripts or characters differ

The actual PC6 example displays 內關 in the report and 内关 in the hospital translation. Preserve each source’s form in your notes. Other apparent character differences need their own entry check; do not treat every variation as either a harmless spelling difference or a different point automatically.

A naming story also does not establish what a point can treat. Keep interpretation and product claims outside the identity record. If an entry is unresolved, name the missing code, characters, source or translation attribution so the next check is clear.

For all fourteen report prefixes, exact name examples and a reusable comparison record, read Acupoint Codes and Names: How to Check Translations.