三里

sān lǐ

Three Li · san li

Also rendered: Three Li (this site; the name left in pinyin, as the site leaves point names, with the chapter's own gloss 下膝三寸 beside it) · Zusanli; Leg Three Li (the name the point carries in later medicine; it brings with it a channel and a number the Suwen does not give)

Reviewed · 2026-10-02

At a glance

Pinyin
sān lǐ
Simplified
三里
Literal
三 sān — three. 里 lǐ — a settlement, a place to dwell: 《說文》 gives 里 as 居也, a dwelling, made of 田 and 土, field and earth, and by extension the measure of distance between one settlement and the next. As the name of a place to put a needle the two graphs say nothing about what the point does, and chapter 54 does not try to make them: 所謂三里者,下膝三寸也 — the so-called Three Li is three inches below the knee. That is the whole of the gloss, and it is the only place in the Suwen transcribed here so far where a chapter stops to say where a point is.
Shuowen
《說文解字》:「三,天地人之道也」;「里,居也,从田从土」;「膝,脛頭卪也」;「寸,十分也」。「三」讀 sān、**本篇9見**;「里」讀 lǐ、**「三里」之里,本篇1見**;「膝」讀 xī、**「下膝三寸」之膝,本篇2見**;「寸」讀 cùn、**「下膝三寸」之寸,本篇1見**;「下」讀 xià、**本篇8見**;「謂」讀 wèi、**「所謂」本篇3見,讀 wèi**;「跗」讀 fū、**「跗之」之跗讀 fū,本篇1見**;「舉」讀 jǔ、**「舉膝分易見」之舉,本篇1見**;「見」讀 jiàn、**「易見」之見讀 jiàn,本篇1見**;「巨」讀 jù、**「巨虚」之巨,本篇1見**;「虚」讀 xū、**「巨虚」之虚讀 xū,本篇11見**;「蹻」讀 qiāo、**「蹻足」之蹻讀 qiāo(舉足),本篇1見**;「足」讀 zú、**本篇3見**;「䯒」讀 héng、**「䯒」脛骨,讀 héng,本篇1見**;「獨」讀 dú、**「獨陷」之獨,本篇1見**;「陷」讀 xiàn、**本篇2見**;「廉」讀 lián、**「下廉」之廉,本篇1見**;「分」讀 fēn、**「舉膝分」之分讀 fēn,本篇7見**;**本篇「三里」「巨虚」「下廉」「跗之」四穴之名,皆綴於「九鍼各有所宜」之後**

In brief

The point chapter 54 names first, and the only one in the Suwen transcribed here so far whose place the text troubles to state: 所謂三里者,下膝三寸也 — the so-called Three Li is three inches below the knee. Two neighbours come with it: 巨虚, where with the foot raised the shinbone alone sinks in, and 下廉, simply the place that is sunken below. The chapter’s reason for stopping on them is the sentence it has just written — that each of the nine needles has what it is fitted to — and the place is part of what it is fitted to.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graphs 三里
三者數,里者居也(《說文》「里,居也,从田从土」);穴名取「三」與「里」,本篇不釋其義,但釋其位
所謂三里者 — Suwen 54
2
Where it is 所謂三里者,下膝三寸也
下膝三寸,本篇自釋其位,不假他說
所謂三里者,下膝三寸也 — Suwen 54
3
The point named with it 巨虚者,蹻足䯒獨陷者
巨虚在蹻足而脛骨獨陷之處;「蹻」讀 qiāo,舉足也
巨虚者,蹻足䯒獨陷者 — Suwen 54
4
The third of the three 下廉者,陷下者也
下廉但以「陷下」言之,不另著其寸數
下廉者,陷下者也 — Suwen 54
5
How such places are found 所謂跗之者,舉膝分易見也
跗之在舉膝而分肉易見之處,與三里同以體位取之
所謂跗之者 — Suwen 54
6
Why a chapter on the needles names them 九鍼之名,各不同形者
鍼各有所宜,宜者其地也;本篇言九鍼而及其地,故連舉四穴
九鍼之名,各不同形者 — Suwen 54

Occurrences in the classics

Passages where the term does real work, with the original, pinyin and English on the same line.

Display
3 passages
Suwen 54 Suwen 54 · 鍼解 Read in context →
所謂三里者,下膝三寸也,所謂跗之者,舉膝分易見也。巨虚者,蹻足䯒獨陷者。下廉者,陷下者也。 所谓三里者,下膝三寸也,所谓跗之者,举膝分易见也。巨虚者,蹻足䯒独陷者。下廉者,陷下者也。
Suǒ wèi sān lǐ zhě, xià xī sān cùn yě, suǒ wèi fū zhī zhě, jǔ xī fēn yì jiàn yě. Jù xū zhě, qiāo zú héng dú xiàn zhě. Xià lián zhě, xiàn xià zhě yě.
The so-called Three Li is three inches below the knee; the so-called instep point is where the parting of the flesh shows plainly when the knee is lifted. The Great Hollow is where, with the foot raised, the shinbone alone sinks in; the Lower Ridge is where it is sunken below.
**「三里」本篇1見——「三」讀 sān、**本篇9見**;「里」讀 lǐ、**本篇1見**;「膝」讀 xī、**「下膝三寸」本篇2見**;「寸」讀 cùn、**本篇1見**;「跗」讀 fū、**「跗之」讀 fū,本篇1見**;「舉」讀 jǔ、**「舉膝分易見」本篇1見**;「見」讀 jiàn、**「易見」讀 jiàn,本篇1見**;「巨」讀 jù、「虚」讀 xū、**「巨虚」本篇各1、11見,虚讀 xū**;「蹻」讀 qiāo、**「蹻足」讀 qiāo,本篇1見**;「䯒」讀 héng、**脛骨,讀 héng,本篇1見**;「廉」讀 lián、**「下廉」本篇1見**;「陷」讀 xiàn、**本篇2見**;**四穴之名綴於「鍼各有所宜」之後:言鍼而及其地**
素問·氣府論 Suwen 59 · 氣府論 Read in context →
足陽明脉氣所發者六十八穴:額顱髮際傍各三,面鼽骨空各一,大迎之骨空各一,人迎各一,缺盆外骨空各一,膺中骨間各一,俠鳩尾之外當乳下三寸,俠胃脘各五,俠齊廣三寸各三,下齊二寸俠之各三,氣街動脉各一,伏菟上各一,三里以下至足中指各八俞,分之所在穴空。 足阳明脉气所发者六十八穴:额颅发际傍各三,面鼽骨空各一,大迎之骨空各一,人迎各一,缺盆外骨空各一,膺中骨间各一,侠鸠尾之外当乳下三寸,侠胃脘各五,侠脐广三寸各三,下脐二寸侠之各三,气街动脉各一,伏菟上各一,三里以下至足中指各八俞,分之所在穴空。
Zú yáng míng mài qì suǒ fā zhě liù shí bā xué: é lú fà jì bàng gè sān, miàn qiú gǔ kōng gè yī, dà yíng zhī gǔ kōng gè yī, rén yíng gè yī, quē pén wài gǔ kōng gè yī, yīng zhōng gǔ jiān gè yī, xié jiū wěi zhī wài dāng rǔ xià sān cùn, xié wèi wǎn gè wǔ, xié qí guǎng sān cùn gè sān, xià qí èr cùn xié zhī gè sān, qì jiē dòng mài gè yī, fú tú shàng gè yī, sān lǐ yǐ xià zhì zú zhōng zhǐ gè bā shù, fēn zhī suǒ zài xué kōng.
What the qi of the foot yang brilliance vessel sends forth is sixty-eight points: three each beside the hairline at the brow; one each in the bone opening of the cheek bone on the face; one each in the bone opening at the great welcome; one each at the man’s welcome; one each in the bone opening outside the empty basin; one each between the bones in the chest; five each alongside the stomach duct, running outside the dove’s tail and level with the breast three inches below it; three each alongside the width of three inches at the navel; three each flanking it two inches below the navel; one each at the throbbing vessel of the qi street; one each above the crouching hare; from three li down to the middle toe eight transport points each — every one of them set in the opening of the point where it belongs.
「「三」讀 sān「里」讀 lǐ以下至足中指各八俞」——**本目第五十四篇所立,以其為本篇首舉之穴;此處則以其為度之始:三里以下至中指凡八俞**;**「里」讀 lǐ,本篇1見**;**第五十四篇言「所謂三里者,下膝三寸也」,可以互見**;「指」讀 zhǐ、**「足中指」之指讀 zhǐ,本篇「指」9見**
素問·水熱穴論 Suwen 61 · 水熱穴論 Read in context →
歧伯曰:頭上五行,行五者,以越諸陽之熱逆也;大杼、膺俞、缺盆、背俞,此八者,以冩胸中之熱也;氣街、三里、巨虚、上下廉,此八者,以冩胃中之熱也;雲門、髃骨、委中、髓空,此八者,以冩四支之熱也;五藏俞傍五,此十者,以冩五藏之熱也;凡此五十九穴者,皆熱之左右也。 歧伯曰:头上五行,行五者,以越诸阳之热逆也;大杼、膺俞、缺盆、背俞,此八者,以写胸中之热也;气街、三里、巨虚、上下廉,此八者,以写胃中之热也;云门、髃骨、委中、髓空,此八者,以写四支之热也;五藏俞傍五,此十者,以写五藏之热也;凡此五十九穴者,皆热之左右也。
Qí bó yuē: tóu shàng wǔ háng, háng wǔ zhě, yǐ yuè zhū yáng zhī rè nì yě; dà zhù, yīng shù, quē pén, bèi shù, cǐ bā zhě, yǐ xiè xiōng zhōng zhī rè yě; qì jiē, sān lǐ, jù xū, shàng xià lián, cǐ bā zhě, yǐ xiè wèi zhōng zhī rè yě; yún mén, yú gǔ, wěi zhōng, suǐ kōng, cǐ bā zhě, yǐ xiè sì zhī zhī rè yě; wǔ zàng shù bàng wǔ, cǐ shí zhě, yǐ xiè wǔ zàng zhī rè yě; fán cǐ wǔ shí jiǔ xué zhě, jiē rè zhī zuǒ yòu yě.
Qi Bo says: five rows on the head, five points to a row, serve to let out the hot counterflow of all the yang. Great Shuttle, the transport points at the chest, Empty Basin and the back transport points – these eight – drain the heat in the chest. Qi Street, Three Li, the great hollows and the upper and lower border – these eight – drain the heat in the stomach. Cloud Gate, the shoulder bone, the bend in the middle and the marrow opening – these eight – drain the heat of the four limbs. Five beside the transport points of the five depots – these ten – drain the heat of the five depots. All fifty-nine of these points are what stands to either side of the heat.
「氣街、「三」讀 sān「里」讀 lǐ、巨虚、上下廉」——**「三里」本篇1見,在寫胃中之熱八穴之內**;**「里」讀 lǐ,《說文》「居也」;本篇不从「裡」而作「里」**

Compounds built on this term

三里
sān lǐ
Three Li
本篇一見(所謂三里者,下膝三寸也)
下膝三寸
xià xī sān cùn
three inches below the knee
本篇一見,三里之位
巨虚
jù xū
the Great Hollow
本篇一見,蹻足而脛骨獨陷之處
下廉
xià lián
the Lower Ridge
本篇一見,陷下之處

How it has been translated

Every rendering below is a decision about which reader is being addressed. There is no neutral option.

This siteThree Lientered as chapter 54 gives it — a place three inches below the knee, named in a list of places
Later medicine足三里 zú sān lǐthe point of the stomach channel; the one every later handbook opens with, and the one most often needled
Modern editions足三里 Zusanli (ST 36)named, numbered and assigned to a channel; what is lost is the chapter's reason for naming a place at all — that each needle has what it is fitted to

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-02

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Reading path

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