SP-19 - Chest Village

胸乡 - Xióng xiāng

Point Region: Chest

SP

Spleen Meridian

足太阴脾经 - Zú Tàiyīn Píjīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the front of the chest, in the third space between the ribs, 6 cun out from the midline.

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:

  1. Find the fourth rib space (in men, level with the nipples) and move up one rib to the third space
  2. Go two thumb-widths outside the nipple line (the nipple line is 4 cun from the midline)
  3. The point is in the rib space there
SP-19 (Chest Village) acupressure point location: On the front of the chest, in the third space between the ribs, 6 cun out from the midline.

How to Apply Pressure

With SP-19 identified, rest a fingertip gently against the rib space without pushing into the chest wall. Do not use it after recent chest surgery or an intercostal injury, and seek medical care for chest pain or shortness of breath.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Intercostal pain
  • Chest tightness
  • Rib pain

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 respiratory conditions
  • Intercostal injuries