Customer Reviews

Grasping the Wind: An Exploration Into the Meaning of Chinese Acupuncture Point Names

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This book fills an important nitch, that of providing details on the meanings behind the names for acupuncture points and a rapid summary of point features/locations. I find it listed among recommended books (sometimes strongly so), for 5-Element practioners, TCM students and physicians practicing medical acupuncture (sold in the AAMA bookstore). There is apparently only one edition from 1989.

Unfortunately there are errors readily identified, beginning with something that is easily verified with most other sources. The element attached to each of the transport points was wrong or missing in 5 out of 60 cases (8% inaccuracy on just one feature). Details are shown below.

(BL60 is listed as a water point and it actually a fire point; TB or TH 6 was listed as a wood point and is actually a fire point; PC8 was listed as a water point and is a fire point; ST 43 is listed as a water point and is actually a wood point). I don't think it is simply explained by the fact that the authors may have been referring to different sources -- because they list both ST 43 and ST 44 as water points and omit the fire point all together.

Thus until further editing and scholarship is applied, it I think it would be difficult for me or others without advanced knowledge and study of chinese to rely on this as a single source for the meaning of chinese characters. I now feel I need to check with alternative publications.

There some nice features --
1. A list of chinese radicals positioned at the beginning of the book (shows sub-elements of the chinese character that taken together make up the meaning).
2. A Glossary of single characters and their English meaning as Appendix A. Some of these include word etymology which is interesting and helpful.

Furthermore the authors of this book are giants in the field as demonstrated by the following texts which are considered to be critical references for TCM: Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine: Zhong Yi Xue Ji Chu (Paradigm title) and A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine some of whom personally have direct working expertise with Chinese and the ancient classics.

There is an alternative source which I find promising. Characters of Wisdom: Taoist Tales of the Acupuncture Points. It is less ambitious in scope and focuses on the author's expertise -- the use of the points and their meaning for practitioners of 5-Elements acupuncture. Furthermore it is written with a conversational style appropriate both for practitioners and recipients of this form of acupuncture -- with likely relevance to other schools as well. What is included is described in more depth with heavy reliance on creating more memorable visual images; these serve to direct one's wisdom, intuition, intention and participation, particuarly with respect to the elemental uses of each point and thus could enhance depth of communication and healing between clients and their healers.

First of all, if you want to know the location, indications, contraindications and prescriptions for all the 400+ acupoints, please see _A Manual of Acupuncture_ by Peter Deadman, Mazin Al-Khafaji with Kevin Baker. But if you want more than a two or three word translation of the point's Chinese name, turn to _Grasping the Wind_.

After the introduction, You have several essays: Influences on the Development of Point Names, Point Name Taxonomy, A Brief Discussion of Chinese Characters, Radicals, And Character Categories; these are followed by the entries on each point.

They are listed in meridan order, with the meridians in horary order, and the first thing that you see is the name of the point in Chinese - in a font size that a Westerner can easily see and appreciate. Then comes the translation, followed by the alphanumeric point designation, and the pinyin with tone marks. Each word is then translated, and alternate names for the point are given. A classical description of the location is then given, which I find quite picturesque, and a paragraph or two explaining the point name. Points listed are on all 14 of the regular meridians (the 12 Zangfu plus the Du and Ren meridians).

Now, it could be that this book isn't as accurate as someone with a complete background in Chinese would like it to be - but for someone with an abiding love for TCM, it is a gift to be digested.

While there may be differing opinions on the etiological accuracy of the linguistic terminology in this text, it is important to note that it was co-written by Nigel Wiseman, whose Chinese medical terminology is commonly accepted as the standard in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the West. If you practice TCM in the West, this really should not present a problem.

That said, this is a very useful text for any student of TCM and/or Acupuncture who needs to learn acu points. It breaks down the Chinese name of each point, and gives a memorable English name for each (based on the Chinese name), that makes recollection of point location MUCH easier.

For example, ST-39 is "xia ju xu." The author breaks down these Chinese words as: xia (lower), ju (great, large), and xu (hollow, deficiency or vacancy). The English name for this point is given as "Lower Great Hollow," and its location is given as: "One inch below the Ribbon Opening (ST-38) in the depression (hollow) below the sinew and bone."

Along with Deadman's "A Manual of Acupuncture," which is now a required text for the California acupuncture licensing exam (and the best text on the subject, in my opinion), "Grasping the Wind" is a very useful text for learning a somewhat illusive subject (acupuncture points) and should be in every TCM student's library.

I bought this book first year and really wish I hadn't. All of the neccesary information is found in Deadman's "A Manual of Acupuncture" and I memorized bad information about the shu points.

I quoted some of this information in China to classically trained Daoists and in hospitals and they laughed at me.

Now I know better and I understand why they were laughing. Much like Worsley, this kind of information appeals to the Westerner's imagination because it was created in a Westerner's imagination. At the time the only thing to be had were poor quality books from China with vague information. In this vaccuum of real information imaginations flourished. The time of infancy in the profession is over, its maturing and requires more sound scholarship.

My book is somewhere in storage and even though I can make eight bucks selling it to amazon, I won't do you the injury.

Nigel Wiseman's "Grasping the Wind" is an alright book for understanding how some of the names came to be; however, there are a lot of typos and a lot of the phases of the Shu Antiques are incorrect.

Besides that, it is what it is...

I'm not a professional, just a self acupressure practitioner and Taiji player.

And usually I don't review a book until I'm completely finished reading it,
but, I can see the whole pattern of this useful reference book.

A neat feature of this book is its identification of points where a pulse can be felt.
For example, the very first point discussed is LU-1.
Its description includes the comment, "in a depression where a pulsating vessel can be felt."
I never knew this.
No other book I have gives this information:
See: Maciaoca, Deadman, Teeguarden, Kaatz (Characters of Wisdom: Taosit tales of the acupunture points).

I've observed that holding one of these pulsating points makes all the other points on the meridan or extraordinary vessel come alive. I have no idea if this has any clinical purpose--but it sure makes me come alive.
(I've previously observed this with the exceptionally strong pulsations at Liver-12 and Spleen-12 which straddle the femorial artery.)

A few errors and different names doesn't bother me much--obviously there is no International Standard for acupuncture points and names anyway

Nevertheless, "Grasping the Wind" is rather dry compared to Debra Kaatz's dynamo vignettes for each point:
Compare her description of Lung-1, The Centre of the Palace of Riches: "Zhong Fu goes right to the centre of our inner richness."
"...this point can take us back to the security of our core.... finding our own special qualities , gifts and insights."
Wow, lovely.

This book has some interesting tidbits but is hardly
worth it overall. Some information misleading. Some vague.

Take, for example, the discussion of the Ki-4 Point, Da Zhong which is given the seemingly odd translation of "Large Goblet".

The author expends two brief paragraphs on this, correctly mentioning that it is a Luo connecting point and then attempts to link the name of the point, Large, or Big Goblet, with the retentitive or storative aspect of Kidney and Bladder. In the next paragraph come some observations on what the author calls the "homophones" "bell" and "goblet", mentions some radicals and then attempts to relate the shape of the heel bone, which he thinks is shaped like a goblet or bell (??) to the location of the point. Then the author concludes... "Thus, the name "Large Goblet" may further serve to remind the practitioner of the location of the point at the heel.". One wonders, is this completely speculative, an exercise of the author's imagination or has any research been done to justify such a loose association? Specific references are not given. One suspects the former and I wish some documentation might have been included. And, oh, by the way, Ki-4 is NOT on the heel.

NOW, let's look at what some OTHER authors have to say about the name of this point.

Professor Li Ding is slightly more informative (Acupuncture, Meridian Theory and Acupuncture Points") when he states that the point name means "Great Bell" and refers to a "convergent place of the qi of the meridian", a Luo connecting point "at which the qi is abundant and floushing". Li Deng also mentions the "heel"connection and than states that the word "Zhong" "also can refer to the heel, which supports the whole weight of the body and on which the point is located, hence the name Da Zhong (Great Bell). Well, that was slightly more informative but still vague, leaving the student with the very curious analogy of a bell shape as a support. Doable I suppose, but one gets the feeling that this is a bit CONTRIVED and that SOMETHING is MISSING.

Now let's look at a third author who, in my opinion, gets it right, and by "right" I mean in the sense of being useful for the student and accurate in relating the actual point functionality to the name. In Sinologist Dr. Manfred Porkert's explanation of the Chinese name of this point, he mentions the other associations but then focuses on the functionality of the point - an essential only hinted at by Li Ding if one is using the Chinese names to achieve a truly integrated understanding of the points on the meridian system. On page 306 of Dr. Porkert's book "Classical Acupuncture, the Standard Textbook", he does mention the "goblet" connection but also focuses on "great bell" as the key meaning.

Dr. Porkert mentions the interesting association of "bell" with "metal" and "yin" but then goes on to mention that the bell sound was used to signal retreat in Chinese warfare in opposition to drums which signaled the attack. Dr. Porkert concludes: "A 'bell' consequently refers to a movement of the yin, to an involutive centripetal movement. It is in this direction that is found the most striking quality of the effects to be achieved by stimulating the foramen. (moreover, it can hardly be said to have been an accident that the two "bell points" - the second is "Suspended Bell" [GB 39, xuan zhong] - are located on the rapidly moving lower leg. Now THAT explanation satisfies me, gives a symbolic indicative of the functionality and goes on to make association with a like named point - in other words, at least some attempt at integration.

In general, I felt that much of the cleverly entitled "Grasping the Wind" book, did not deliver the depth and clarity of associations and detail that would be needed. Perhaps a re-write is in order!



In general, WORTHLESS for the beginner, despite the excellence
of the author and his other books.

Considering the amount and quality of the information provided, the clever title "Grasping the Wind" has a connotation to the frustrated student that was probably unintended by the author in naming the book after one of the point names.

Avoid it.

I found this book to be very helpful in my understanding of acupuncture points. However, I have spoke with some older, veteran chinese acupuncturists who warn that even though some of the information in this book is correct, much of it is not. How are you going to know which is which? I see many students using this book and I fear that modern practitoners are going to lose the accuracy of this body of knowledge. And, furthermore, we run the risk of ending a very important lineage.