Zhongfu
中府 · Zhōng Fǔ
Zhongfu (LU1, 中府) is a point on the Lung meridian. Location, functions, classical indications, and needling reference.
Last reviewed May 2026
About Zhongfu (LU1)
The name Zhongfu is usually rendered “Central Treasury” or “Middle Palace” — the chamber where the gathered qi of the middle region collects before it is offered to the Lung. As the first point of the Hand Taiyin channel, it sits at the chest where the channel surfaces, and its name marks it as a storehouse of qi rather than a mere passage.
Its classical category is the most defining feature of the point. LU1 is the Front-Mu point of the Lung, one of twelve alarm points where the qi of an organ pools on the front of the body; for this reason it has long been read in both diagnosis and treatment as a window onto the state of the Lung. It is additionally described as a meeting point of the Lung and Spleen channels, reflecting the Ayurveda-adjacent idea in Chinese medicine that the Lung’s qi is built from what the Spleen extracts.
What makes LU1 notable is this double role — a beginning point that is also a gathering point — paired with its anatomical caution. Lying over the lung apex, it is among the points whose classical literature carries an explicit warning, a reminder that the channel’s opening is held close to the organ it serves.
Front-Mu of the Lung; Meeting point of the Lung and Spleen channels
What are the functions of Zhongfu in TCM?
In TCM this point is classically described as the Front-Mu (alarm) point where Lung qi gathers on the chest; it is used to distribute and descend Lung qi, disperse fullness in the chest, and harmonize the Lung and Spleen.
What is Zhongfu classically indicated for?
Classically indicated for cough, wheezing, asthma, fullness and pain in the chest, shoulder and upper-back pain, and patterns of Lung qi stagnation. As the Front-Mu point it is traditionally cited for both acute and chronic disorders of the Lung organ.
Where is Zhongfu located?
The WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations places LU1 on the anterior thoracic wall, in the first intercostal space, lateral to the depression of the infraclavicular fossa, 6 cun lateral to the anterior median line, roughly 1 cun inferior to LU2 Yunmen.
Overlies the first intercostal space near the lateral border of the pectoralis major and the deltopectoral groove; the apex of the lung lies deep to this region, and the cephalic vein and branches of the thoracoacromial vessels run nearby.
Needling reference
Educational reference only — describing how classical and standard texts characterize this point, not clinical instruction.
Standard references describe oblique or transverse insertion toward the lateral chest wall to roughly 0.5–0.8 cun. Because the apex of the lung lies directly beneath this point, the classical and modern caution is against deep or medially directed needling, which carries a recognized risk of pneumothorax.
What are the cautions for Zhongfu?
A recognized pneumothorax-risk point: the lung apex lies immediately deep to it, so perpendicular or deep insertion is contraindicated in standard references. Needling is described as oblique/transverse and shallow, directed away from the thoracic cavity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Zhongfu (LU1) acupoint located?
Zhongfu (LU1, 中府) is a point on the Lung meridian, in the chest region. The WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations places LU1 on the anterior thoracic wall, in the first intercostal space, lateral to the depression of the infraclavicular fossa, 6 cun lateral to the anterior median line, roughly 1 cun…
What does the Zhongfu acupoint do in TCM?
In TCM this point is classically described as the Front-Mu (alarm) point where Lung qi gathers on the chest; it is used to distribute and descend Lung qi, disperse fullness in the chest, and harmonize the Lung and Spleen.
What is Zhongfu (LU1) classically indicated for?
Classically indicated for cough, wheezing, asthma, fullness and pain in the chest, shoulder and upper-back pain, and patterns of Lung qi stagnation. As the Front-Mu point it is traditionally cited for both acute and chronic disorders of the Lung organ.
What is the Chinese name for LU1?
LU1 is Zhongfu — 中府, pinyin Zhōng Fǔ. Classical category: Front-Mu of the Lung; Meeting point of the Lung and Spleen channels.
How is Zhongfu (LU1) needled?
Standard references describe oblique or transverse insertion toward the lateral chest wall to roughly 0.5–0.8 cun. Because the apex of the lung lies directly beneath this point, the classical and modern caution is against deep or medially directed needling, which carries a recognized risk of pneumothorax.