Shaoshang
少商 · Shào Shāng
Shaoshang (LU11, 少商) is a point on the Lung meridian. Location, functions, classical indications, and needling reference.
Last reviewed May 2026
About Shaoshang (LU11)
The name Shaoshang joins shao, “lesser” or “young,” with shang, the note of the five-tone scale that corresponds to Metal and to the Lung. The “lesser Shang” is the small, terminal expression of the Lung’s metallic note — fitting for the last point of the channel, set at the very tip of the thumb.
LU11 is the Jing-Well point of the Lung, the first of the five-shu points counting from the extremity, where the channel’s qi is said to bubble up as a well-spring at the body’s edge. Its five-phase assignment is Wood. Jing-Well points across the body share a distinctive clinical character: they are reached for in acute, full, and consciousness-disturbing conditions, and are classically treated by a shallow prick that may draw a drop of blood.
On the Lung channel this gives Shaoshang its dual reputation — the emergency point for a fiercely swollen throat and for clouding or collapse of consciousness, and the quiet terminus where the Hand Taiyin line hands its qi onward to the next channel. It is the channel’s outermost gate: small, acute in its action, and the close of the Lung’s long descent from chest to thumb.
Jing-Well point; Wood point of the Lung · Five-phase: Wood (Jing-Well)
What are the functions of Shaoshang in TCM?
In TCM this point is classically described as the terminal Jing-Well point of the channel; it is used to clear heat, benefit the throat, restore consciousness in collapse, and calm the spirit. As the Wood point of a Metal channel it is associated with the channel's exit and with reviving, opening actions.
What is Shaoshang classically indicated for?
Classically indicated for acute sore and swollen throat, mumps, fever, loss of consciousness or fainting, childhood convulsions, mania and agitation, and numbness of the thumb. As a Jing-Well point it is classically associated with acute, fullness, and consciousness-disturbing patterns, and is traditionally treated by shallow pricking or a small bloodletting.
Where is Shaoshang located?
The WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations places LU11 on the thumb, on the radial side of the distal phalanx, 0.1 cun (a finger-nail's width) proximal to the radial corner of the thumbnail, at the intersection of the lines along the radial border of the nail and the base of the nail.
Lies at the radial nail-corner of the thumb's distal phalanx, in richly innervated and vascular tissue supplied by the palmar digital nerves and the digital branches of the radial artery.
Needling reference
Educational reference only — describing how classical and standard texts characterize this point, not clinical instruction.
Standard references describe very shallow insertion to roughly 0.1 cun, or pricking to release a drop of blood, as is typical for Jing-Well points. The point is at the fingertip, away from the chest, so no pneumothorax caution applies.
What are the cautions for Shaoshang?
No pneumothorax risk. The site is small, sensitive and well-vascularized; standard references describe only shallow needling or a controlled prick, with attention to bleeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Shaoshang (LU11) acupoint located?
Shaoshang (LU11, 少商) is a point on the Lung meridian, in the hand region. The WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations places LU11 on the thumb, on the radial side of the distal phalanx, 0.1 cun (a finger-nail's width) proximal to the radial corner of the thumbnail, at the intersection of the lines along the…
What does the Shaoshang acupoint do in TCM?
In TCM this point is classically described as the terminal Jing-Well point of the channel; it is used to clear heat, benefit the throat, restore consciousness in collapse, and calm the spirit. As the Wood point of a Metal channel it is associated with the channel's exit and with reviving, opening actions.
What is Shaoshang (LU11) classically indicated for?
Classically indicated for acute sore and swollen throat, mumps, fever, loss of consciousness or fainting, childhood convulsions, mania and agitation, and numbness of the thumb.
What is the Chinese name for LU11?
LU11 is Shaoshang — 少商, pinyin Shào Shāng. Classical category: Jing-Well point; Wood point of the Lung.
How is Shaoshang (LU11) needled?
Standard references describe very shallow insertion to roughly 0.1 cun, or pricking to release a drop of blood, as is typical for Jing-Well points. The point is at the fingertip, away from the chest, so no pneumothorax caution applies.