LR-14 - Gate of Hope
期门 - Qī mén
Point Region: Chest
Location & How to Find
Anatomical Location: On the front of the chest, in the sixth space between the ribs, 4 cun out from the midline. It lies straight below the centre of the nipple and 2 cun outside ST-19.
Distances are in cun, a unit that scales with each person's body. As a guide, the width of your thumb at its joint is 1 cun, and your four fingers held together, measured across the middle joints, are 3 cun.
How to Locate:
- Find the vertical line straight down from the centre of your nipple (4 cun from the midline, since the nipples are 8 cun apart)
- Count down the spaces between your ribs, starting with the first one just below the collarbone, to the sixth
- The point is where that line crosses the sixth rib space
How to Apply Pressure
Find the sixth rib space directly below the nipple and rest the fingertips on it lightly; never push between the ribs. Skip it after chest surgery or a chest injury, and chest pain needs your local emergency number, not acupressure.
Traditional Indications
In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:
- Rib fullness
- Acid reflux
- Irritability
- Side pain
- Digestive problems
- Emotional stress
- Anger
- Depression
Related Health Concerns
Related Acupoints
Select a point to see its location, how to find it, and its traditional uses.
Important Precautions
Avoid this point with:
- Recent chest surgery
- Severe heart conditions
- Chest wall injuries