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CV-16 Zhongting (中庭) — Center Courtyard

Depth
00.3–0.5 cun3.0
Transverse insertion
Precautions
Bone directly below.
Location (classical)
On the anterior midline, over the sternum, at the level of the fifth intercostal space (at the costosternal angle).
How to find it (practical)
In supine decubitus, locate the point on the lower border of the sternum, on the anterior midline.
Anatomy
Body of the sternum. Innervated by the anterior cutaneous branch of the sixth intercostal nerve.
Needling
Transverse (subcutaneous) insertion directed superiorly or inferiorly, 0.3–0.5 cun.
Etymology
Zhong (中), center; Ting (庭), courtyard of the imperial palace. The point is located below Tan Zhong (CV-17), as if it were the courtyard in front of the imperial palace. The Xin (Heart) is the governing organ and lies within the pericardium, like the monarch in his palace.
CLASSICAL SOURCEJia Yi Jing
Clinical Relations
Adjacent Points on the Meridian