Standardized Point Names: The WHO Standard Nomenclature and Location
What the WHO standard point names and locations are, how they were agreed, how the cun measuring system works, and the known limits of point-location accuracy.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Why a standard was needed
Before standardization, the locations of acupuncture points and the methods of stimulation varied among research reports, which made conclusions ambiguous for any meta-analysis. [1] The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office therefore worked on a common standard.What the WHO documents are
- Standard Acupuncture Nomenclature, second edition, 1993: the standardized name of each classical point, a brief explanation of the name, and a multilingual list. [1]
- WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific Region, 2007, freely available on the WHO website. [1]
- WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region, 2008: a standard for locating 361 points. [1]
How the 2008 standard was agreed
The first informal consultation was in October 2003. Through seven informal consultations and four task force meetings, experts from countries including China, Japan and Korea agreed on 86 of the 92 controversial points; 6 stayed controversial and are listed as alternative locations. [1] Some acupuncture journals now ask that papers follow it. [1] For the wider WHO role see WHO and International Bodies on Acupuncture.How locations are described
The standard uses a vertical and horizontal coordinate method where possible, modern anatomical terms, anatomical landmarks, and separates the proportional bone cun (B-cun) from the finger cun (F-cun). [1] The book has two parts, General Guidelines and the point locations. [1]Known limits
| Issue | What the source found |
|---|---|
| Finger cun | In Korean patients, F-cun and B-cun measures differed significantly, and the authors called F-cun unreliable [2] |
| Practitioner agreement | Across 14 studies, considerable variation among qualified medical acupuncturists; the directional method was inaccurate in all studies that tested it [3] |
| Character forms | In the 2009 reprint, only 48% of "original" Han character forms were traditional Chinese characters; the author asks for revision [4] |
| Cadaver location | In 25 forearms and hands, the cun systems differed by 1.5 to 3 cun for one measure [5] |
None of this says the standard is wrong. It says a written standard does not guarantee that two practitioners place a point identically.
How this connects to other pages
See Acupuncture Points Explained for naming, Meridians and Channels for the channels, and Acupuncture Practitioner Licensing and Training for how practitioners are trained and regulated.Frequently asked questions
Who publishes the WHO standard?
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific published it in 2008. [1]
How many points does it cover?
- [1]
Is there one global standard worldwide?
We read only the Western Pacific standard. Whether other regions use different lists was not covered by our sources.
What is a cun?
A traditional measuring unit used to describe location. The WHO standard distinguishes proportional bone cun from finger cun. [1]
Are the point names in the standard accurate?
A 2023 check of the Chinese characters found problems with "original" character forms. [4]
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.