Triple Energizer Channel
Clear Cold Abyss
清冷渊Qīng Lěng YuānAnatomical location
2 cun above TE10 (Tianjing), on the line connecting TE10 with the acromion, at the posterior border of the humerus.
Main function
Clears Heat, benefits the eyes and ears, relieves pain.
Therapeutic indications
- Headache
- eye pain
- ear pain
- arm pain
- shoulder pain
- fever
- shoulder and arm pain
- cephalalgia
- inability to raise the arm
Name and classical tradition
Qinglengyuan, 清冷渊, is the “clear, cold abyss.” 清冷 means cool, cold, and limpid; 渊 (淵) is the abyss, the deep pool. The modern gloss explains that the channel's Qi, once cooled, forms a pool of cold, clear water here. The point is on the posterior aspect of the arm, above TE10.
The sources attribute it to the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion). Sun Simiao's Qianjin Yaofang (Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold) records it, according to the sources consulted, as 清冷泉, “cold, clear spring,” with 泉 in place of 淵. The abyss and the spring are two images of deep water, and the change does not alter the idea behind the name.
One modern source mentions that, in the old practice of variolation against smallpox, this point was combined with TE12 to drain toxic Heat. The detail is anecdotal and has not been located in any ancient text.
