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Do you think we should learn points by numbers or by their pinyin name in the west?

Both, but as westerner I found the pinyin names to be challenging to learn at first, the numbers are easier to learn and points easier to follow/find. I think the pinyin is important to know as the point name itself can disclose more information than just the point location … my thought anyway

Do you think students should be required to learn Pinyin names of points? Or should it just be further learning as most testing is always based on numbers in the west.

Not required for an acupuncture program, but if a student is in the Doctor of Chinese Medicine program, then possibly.

And in relation to Chinese herbs, where we are required to learn the Pinyin names for 300+ single herbs and 200+ formulas, the students can learn that so why not points?

Hmm, fair enough. But now you have me stumped… In this case, as a westerner studying TCM, one of the FIRST courses we should be required to take, is a Chinese language course. By no means an i against having to learn the pinyin for the points. It is Chinese Medicine that 'we' are studying so we should know the there pinyin names. But without some kind of background 700+ pinyin names for herbs and points, (not to mention other all the other words we learn) plus the translations, it is challenging. So i think definitely a course in TCM language would be beneficial to learning the pinyin names. Then it would be fair to make the pinyin names a requirement!

:) that is the question isn't it. It is a-lot to take in, especially for a first year student. There is so much that is contained in the name of an herb or point but just how much can a student digest in the 120 hours or so of that class.

Would it be easier if it was the english translations? Perhaps if they were standardized with the great work that has been done by people like Nigel Wiseman we could eliminate some of the confusion in translation and make it easier to remember by being English terms.

A lot of the issue lies in communication. Pinyin for herbs are standard so that a practitioner can effectively communicate with an herbalist in ordering prescriptions. And in the past, most herbalists dealing in Chinese Herbs were….well….Chinese. I'm not sure that is still the case though. It has been around in the west long enough that there are many companies that deal with them. Nevertheless, standardizing nomenclature is an important aspect of communication in any profession, especially health care. I do however, feel somewhat stunted in being required to know only point numbers while those trained in China are learning the names. Somehow it is saying, "nah, that's too hard for you to learn all that, we'll make it real easy for you".

And what if in learning herbs we developed a simple numbering system, for example REH1, REH2, where REH = Release Exterior Heat? Would that improve or take away form the practice of TCM?

How much Language study would be necessary to learn Acupuncture points by their Chinese names? Is it realistic? Is it Necessary? Would that time be better spent learning other topics in more depth?

Cheers!

Re: Acupuncture point nomenclature

I think both the western numbering system and the pinyin names should be learned along with their translations. A lot of information is contained within the name of acu-points which can help students memorize anatomical location or specialized functions. Furthermore, if students have any opportunity to study in China, the interpreters will not know the number system there. It might be a bit much to be tested on the Chinese names so I don't believe that it should be made mandatory, other than the main points used on each channel (ie the jing-well, ying-spring… xi-cleft etc., the influential points, the front-mu and back-shu points) and the extra points (especially since there is no standardized numerological system employed for the extra points).

During my herbal training I was responsible for learning the Latin and Pinyin names of medicinals. I've found this to be a valuable tool in my practice and research. The main difficulty I experience is in remembering the common names!

David S. Surman DTCM

Great to see you here Dave! Thanks for your input:)

I am currently an AOM student, and did have the opportunity to take a Chinese Medical Language class my first semester. I have found it invaluable! That being said, I would have found it overwhelming to be required to learn point names (pinyin or english) at the same time I was learning point location and energetics. And at that stage in my education it would not have been useful or understandable information. Now, as I'm coming towards the end of my program, I do get a tremendous amount of information from point names, but only as another layer of specificity on top of a now existing framework. Point names are something I do find interesting and useful, helping to provide a certain nuance to point personality. I am planning on devoting much more time to that AFTER nationals!