Yuji
鱼际 · Yú Jì
Yuji (LU10, 鱼际) is a point on the Lung meridian. Location, functions, classical indications, and needling reference.
Last reviewed May 2026
About Yuji (LU10)
The name Yuji means “Fish Border” or “Fish Margin” — the fleshy mound of the thenar eminence at the base of the thumb resembles the rounded belly of a fish, and the point lies along its edge, at the border of the red palm and the white back of the hand.
Among the five-shu points, LU10 is the Ying-Spring point, where the channel’s qi is said to glide as water in a young spring, and it is the Fire point of the Lung. Because Fire controls Metal in the restraining cycle, the Fire point of a Metal channel is classically the point reached for to clear heat from that channel — which is exactly the reputation Yuji holds for hot, swollen, painful throats and for the loss of voice that comes with Lung heat.
Set on the thenar mound just before the channel reaches its final point at the thumb, it is the channel’s heat-clearing station. Its clear category, easily found location, and consistent classical use for the throat make it one of the most recognizable of the distal Lung points.
Ying-Spring point; Fire point of the Lung · Five-phase: Fire (Ying-Spring)
What are the functions of Yuji in TCM?
In TCM this point is classically described as clearing heat from the Lung, benefiting and easing the throat, and — as the Ying-Spring and Fire point — draining heat from the channel. It is a noted point for febrile and throat patterns.
What is Yuji classically indicated for?
Classically indicated for sore and swollen throat, loss of voice, dry mouth, cough, coughing of blood, fever without sweating, and heat in the palm. Classical texts also note its use in certain restless or feverish states.
Where is Yuji located?
The WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations places LU10 on the palm, at the radial aspect of the midpoint of the first metacarpal bone, at the border of the red and white skin (the junction of the palmar and dorsal surfaces).
Lies over the belly of the abductor pollicis brevis and opponens pollicis at the radial midpoint of the first metacarpal, along the thenar eminence; branches of the radial nerve and the radialis indicis vessels are nearby.
Needling reference
Educational reference only — describing how classical and standard texts characterize this point, not clinical instruction.
Standard references describe perpendicular insertion to roughly 0.5–0.8 cun into the thenar muscle. The point is on the hand, away from the chest, so no pneumothorax caution applies.
What are the cautions for Yuji?
No pneumothorax risk. General hand needling cautions apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Yuji (LU10) acupoint located?
Yuji (LU10, 鱼际) is a point on the Lung meridian, in the hand region. The WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations places LU10 on the palm, at the radial aspect of the midpoint of the first metacarpal bone, at the border of the red and white skin (the junction of the palmar and dorsal surfaces).
What does the Yuji acupoint do in TCM?
In TCM this point is classically described as clearing heat from the Lung, benefiting and easing the throat, and — as the Ying-Spring and Fire point — draining heat from the channel. It is a noted point for febrile and throat patterns.
What is Yuji (LU10) classically indicated for?
Classically indicated for sore and swollen throat, loss of voice, dry mouth, cough, coughing of blood, fever without sweating, and heat in the palm. Classical texts also note its use in certain restless or feverish states.
What is the Chinese name for LU10?
LU10 is Yuji — 鱼际, pinyin Yú Jì. Classical category: Ying-Spring point; Fire point of the Lung.
How is Yuji (LU10) needled?
Standard references describe perpendicular insertion to roughly 0.5–0.8 cun into the thenar muscle. The point is on the hand, away from the chest, so no pneumothorax caution applies.