Du (Governing)
Back midline; said to oversee the yang channels; paired with ren in orbit discourse.
Meridians & Channels
A thought-history overview of jingluo (channels) in Chinese medicine and Daoist inner alchemy: the twelve primary channels, the eight extraordinary vessels, and links to on-site daoyin and breathing pages. Based on classics such as the Lingshu of the Huangdi Neijing and the Nanjing.
This page is thought-history and contemplative culture only. It is not medical advice and does not replace diagnosis or treatment. See a clinician for health concerns. On-site practice links are for orientation; practise within your limits and consult a qualified human teacher when needed.
Concept & intellectual history
In the classics, jingluo names the channel network of qi and blood: a backbone of Chinese medical theory, later reused by inner alchemy and daoyin as a body map. Early systematic accounts appear in the Lingshu of the Huangdi Neijing (channel chapters); the Nanjing outlines channels, extraordinary vessels and wrist-pulse method. Later works such as the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing and Shisijing Fahui arranged points and courses. ORDL covers intellectual history only—no acupuncture or clinical how-to.
Primary sources
Huangdi Neijing · Lingshu (channel chapters); Nanjing; Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing; Shisijing Fahui. For inner-alchemy discourse on ren/du circulation, see e.g. Zhong-Lü chuandao ji (textual history, not a practice manual).
Twelve primary channels
Each of the twelve primary channels belongs to a zang-fu organ, is hand or foot, yin or yang, and pairs interior–exterior with another. The table gives name, organ, yin/yang pairing, hand/foot, and one-line course—for classic study; ask Orin or read the sources for detail.
| Name | Zang-fu | Yin/Yang · pair | Hand / foot | Rough course | Ask Orin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lung (Hand Taiyin) | Lung | Yin · pairs with Large Intestine | Hand | From middle jiao to Large Intestine, up to Lung, then along the inner arm to the thumb. | Ask Orin |
| Large Intestine (Hand Yangming) | Large Intestine | Yang · pairs with Lung | Hand | From index finger up the outer arm to the shoulder, links Lung and Large Intestine, with a branch to the face. | Ask Orin |
| Stomach (Foot Yangming) | Stomach | Yang · pairs with Spleen | Foot | From beside the nose down the neck, chest and abdomen, along the front-outer leg to the second toe. | Ask Orin |
| Spleen (Foot Taiyin) | Spleen | Yin · pairs with Stomach | Foot | From the big toe up the inner leg into the abdomen to Spleen and Stomach, then toward the throat. | Ask Orin |
| Heart (Hand Shaoyin) | Heart | Yin · pairs with Small Intestine | Hand | From the Heart system to Small Intestine; a branch runs the inner arm to the little finger. | Ask Orin |
| Small Intestine (Hand Taiyang) | Small Intestine | Yang · pairs with Heart | Hand | From the little finger up the outer arm to the shoulder, links Heart and Small Intestine, with a branch to the ear. | Ask Orin |
| Bladder (Foot Taiyang) | Bladder | Yang · pairs with Kidney | Foot | From the inner canthus over the head and down the back beside the spine, then the back of the leg to the little toe. | Ask Orin |
| Kidney (Foot Shaoyin) | Kidney | Yin · pairs with Bladder | Foot | From the sole up the inner leg to Kidney and Bladder, then through diaphragm toward Lung and throat. | Ask Orin |
| Pericardium (Hand Jueyin) | Pericardium | Yin · pairs with Sanjiao | Hand | From the chest (Pericardium) along the inner arm to the middle finger. | Ask Orin |
| Sanjiao / Triple Burner (Hand Shaoyang) | Sanjiao | Yang · pairs with Pericardium | Hand | From the ring finger up the outer arm to the shoulder, links Pericardium and Sanjiao, with a branch to the ear. | Ask Orin |
| Gallbladder (Foot Shaoyang) | Gallbladder | Yang · pairs with Liver | Foot | From the outer canthus along the side of the head and trunk, then the outer leg to the fourth toe. | Ask Orin |
| Liver (Foot Jueyin) | Liver | Yin · pairs with Gallbladder | Foot | From the big toe up the inner leg to the lower abdomen, to Liver and Gallbladder, then the flanks. | Ask Orin |
Eight extraordinary vessels
The eight extraordinary vessels are not tied one-to-one to the twelve zang-fu; they oversee and regulate channel qi and blood. Inner alchemy especially stresses the ren and du vessels; their head-to-tail circuit is called the Microcosmic Orbit (a textual idea; see the breathing page and its safety notices).
Ren, Du & the Microcosmic Orbit
The ren vessel runs the midline of the front; the du vessel the midline of the back. Texts such as the Nanjing treat the extraordinary vessels as regulators of the primary channels. From the Song–Yuan onward, inner-alchemy writing often depicts ren–du connection as an “orbit” joined to intention and breath. That is body imagery and technical vocabulary in contemplative literature—not clinical channel therapy, and not an invitation to unsupervised breath-hold or qi-guiding. If you are frail, ill, or without a qualified human teacher, do not attempt high-risk breath work.
Ask Orin · Breathing · Microcosmic Orbit
The eight at a glance
Ren (Conception)
Front midline; said to oversee the yin channels; commonly joined to du in orbit texts.
Chong (Penetrating)
Called a “sea of the twelve channels” in some texts; linked to blood-sea discourse.
Dai (Girdle)
Horizontal about the waist; described as girdling the vertical channels.
Yin Linking
Said to link the yin channels; outlined in texts such as the Nanjing.
Yang Linking
Said to link the yang channels; counterpart to Yin Linking.
Yin Heel / Motility
Associated with motility; yin course along the inner leg in Lingshu outlines.
Yang Heel / Motility
Counterpart to Yin Heel; yang course along the outer leg in classical outlines.
Links to on-site practices & mentors
Read the following practice and mentor pages alongside channel thought-history. See each page’s cautions; mentor pages are intellectual-history profiles.
- Daoyin
- Baduanjin
- Wuqinxi
- Daoyin (breathing)
- Baduanjin breathing
- Wuqinxi breathing
- Neiyanggong
- Microcosmic Orbit / orbital breathing
- Zhang Zhongjing
- Sun Simiao
- Map · Medicine · Chinese medical thought
Want to compare a channel or ren–du passages? Ask Orin, or book a human teacher. Orin · Consultation · Practices · Breathing · Hall of Fame