缺盆

quē pén

Empty basin · que pen

Also rendered: Empty basin (this site; the hollow above the collar bone) · Supraclavicular fossa (the anatomical name now current)

Reviewed · 2026-10-03

At a glance

Pinyin
quē pén
Simplified
缺盆
Literal
缺 quē — 《說文》 gives it as 器破也, a vessel that has been broken, and so the place where a piece is missing; the graph is right about the hollow above the collar bone, which is the one part of the whole shoulder that is not filled in. 盆 pén — 《說文》 盆,盎也, a shallow vessel meant to hold something. Put together the two graphs name a shape rather than an organ: the basin with a piece out of it. Chapter 59 treats it exactly that way and nothing more — 缺盆各一 in the line for the foot lesser yang, and 缺盆外骨空各一 in the line for the foot yang brilliance. Nothing in either graph says which vessel a place belongs to; here gravity is decided by the list a place stands in, and this one hollow stands in two. Reading must follow suit: 缺 is quē and never anything else in this book, and the chapter calls even the chapter's own places 空 rather than 穴 in its last phrase, 分之所在穴空.
Shuowen
「缺」讀 quē、**本篇「缺」2見,讀 quē**;「盆」讀 pén、**本篇「盆」2見,讀 pén**;「骨」讀 gǔ、**「缺盆外骨空」「面鼽骨空」「大迎之骨空」之骨,本篇「骨」16見**;「空」讀 kōng、**本篇「空」6見,皆讀 kōng,如字;本站第二十四篇「鍼空」讀 kǒng 通「孔」,與此異讀**;「各」讀 gè、**本篇「各」65見,讀 gè**;「一」讀 yī、**本篇「一」56見**;「脉」讀 mài、**本篇「脉」14見,不从「脈」**;「氣」讀 qì、**本篇「氣」12見**;「足」讀 zú、「少」讀 shào、**「足少陽」「足少陰」之少讀 shào,本篇「少」4見**;「陽」讀 yáng、**本篇「陽」8見**;「明」讀 míng、**本篇「明」2見**;「下」讀 xià、**本篇「下」29見**;「關」讀 guān、**「下關各一」之關,本篇「關」1見**;「耳」讀 ěr、**本篇「耳」6見**;「掖」讀 yè、**「掖下三寸」之掖讀 yè,本篇「掖」2見**;「脅」讀 xié、**本篇「脅」1見**;「胠」讀 qū、**本篇「胠」1見**;「閒」讀 jiān、**本篇「閒」1見、「間」3見,同篇二形並存,皆讀 jiān**;「髀」讀 bì、「樞」讀 shū、**「髀樞中傍各一」之髀讀 bì**;「之」讀 zhī、**本篇「之」11見**

In brief

The hollow above the collar bone, named for what it looks like — a basin with a piece out of it. Chapter 59 counts it twice, once in each of two lists: 缺盆各一 under the foot lesser yang, where it stands in a run that goes from behind the jaw carriage down to the ribs and out to the hip, and 缺盆外骨空各一 under the foot yang brilliance, given as the bone opening just outside the basin. Later practice knows it as Quepen, the twelfth point of the stomach channel, and the site has already met its neighbours in this book — 人迎 (id 382), 三里 (id 1408). What this entry adds is the arithmetic: the chapter is not naming localities so much as keeping two ledgers, and a place belonging to two vessels is entered in both. From Wang Bing onward that has been the standing explanation for why the separate totals overshoot the three hundred and sixty-five the chapter announces, and 缺盆 is the plainest case of it. 缺盆 occurs twice in this chapter and nowhere else among the chapters transcribed on the site so far.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The graphs 缺盆
缺者器破也(《說文》);盆者盎也
缺盆各一 — Suwen 59
2
Where it lies 缺盆各一
缺盆在鎖骨之上,乃肩項之間唯一凹陷之處
缺盆各一 — Suwen 59
3
Counted under the foot lesser yang 缺盆各一
足少陽之條:耳下牙車之後各一,缺盆各一,掖下三寸以下諸穴繼之
耳下牙車之後各一,缺盆各一 — Suwen 59
4
Counted again under foot yang brilliance 缺盆外骨空各一
足陽明之條作缺盆外骨空各一,以其外側之骨空言之
缺盆外骨空各一 — Suwen 59
5
What the chapter calls such places 分之所在穴空
本篇穴謂之空:「空」讀 kōng,如字,本篇凡6見
分之所在穴空 — Suwen 59
6
Why one place stands in two lists 足陽明脉氣所發者六十八穴
本篇各條分經而計,穴有兼屬二經者則兩見,故諸總數之合多於三百六十五
足陽明脉氣所發者六十八穴 — Suwen 59

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 59 Suwen 59 · 氣府論 Read in context →
足少陽脉氣所發者六十二穴:兩角上各二,直目上髮際内各五,耳前角上各一,耳前角下各一,鋭髮下各一,客主人各一,耳後陷中各一,下關各一,耳下牙車之後各一,缺盆各一,掖下三寸、脅下至胠八閒各一,髀樞中傍各一。 足少阳脉气所发者六十二穴:两角上各二,直目上发际内各五,耳前角上各一,耳前角下各一,锐发下各一,客主人各一,耳后陷中各一,下关各一,耳下牙车之后各一,缺盆各一,掖下三寸、胁下至胠八间各一,髀枢中傍各一。
Zú shào yáng mài qì suǒ fā zhě liù shí èr xué: liǎng jiǎo shàng gè èr, zhí mù shàng fà jì nèi gè wǔ, ěr qián jiǎo shàng gè yī, ěr qián jiǎo xià gè yī, ruì fà xià gè yī, kè zhǔ rén gè yī, ěr hòu xiàn zhōng gè yī, xià guān gè yī, ěr xià yá chē zhī hòu gè yī, quē pén gè yī, yè xià sān cùn, xié xià zhì qū bā jiān gè yī, bì shū zhōng bàng gè yī.
What the qi of the foot lesser yang vessel sends forth is sixty-two points: two each on the two corners of the head; five each inside the hairline straight above the eye; one each above the corner in front of the ear; one each below it; one each beneath the sharp hair; one each at guest and host; one each in the hollow behind the ear; one each at the lower gate; one each behind the jaw carriage below the ear; one each in the empty basin; one each three inches below the armpit, and one each in the eight spaces from the flank down to the armpit sweep; one each beside the centre of the hip pivot.
**「缺盆」本篇2見——「缺」讀 quē、**本篇「缺」2見,讀 quē**;「盆」讀 pén、**本篇「盆」2見,讀 pén**;「空」讀 kōng、**本篇「空」6見,皆讀 kōng,如字;本站第二十四篇「鍼空」讀 kǒng 通「孔」,與本篇異讀**;「掖」讀 yè、**「掖下三寸」之掖讀 yè,本篇「掖」2見**;「脅」讀 xié、**本篇「脅」1見**;「胠」讀 qū、**本篇「胠」1見**;「閒」讀 jiān、**本篇「閒」1見、「間」3見,二形並存,皆讀 jiān**;「髀」讀 bì、**「髀樞中傍各一」之髀讀 bì**;「鋭」讀 ruì、**「鋭髮下各一」:底本作从兌之「鋭」,通行本作「銳」,此从底本,本篇1見**;「角」讀 jiǎo、**本篇「角」4見,皆讀 jiǎo(頭角、耳前角),不讀五音之 jué**
素問·骨空論 Suwen 60 · 骨空論 Read in context →
視背俞陷者灸之,舉臂肩上陷者灸之,兩季脅之間灸之,外踝上絶骨之端灸之,足小指次指間灸之,腨下陷脉灸之,外踝後灸之,缺盆骨上切之堅痛如筋者灸之,膺中陷骨間灸之,掌束骨下灸之,齊下關元三寸灸之,毛際動脉灸之,膝下三寸分間灸之,足陽明跗上動脉灸之,巔上一灸之。 视背俞陷者灸之,举臂肩上陷者灸之,两季胁之间灸之,外踝上绝骨之端灸之,足小指次指间灸之,腨下陷脉灸之,外踝后灸之,缺盆骨上切之坚痛如筋者灸之,膺中陷骨间灸之,掌束骨下灸之,脐下关元三寸灸之,毛际动脉灸之,膝下三寸分间灸之,足阳明跗上动脉灸之,巅上一灸之。
Shì bèi shù xiàn zhě jiǔ zhī, jǔ bì jiān shàng xiàn zhě jiǔ zhī, liǎng jì xié zhī jiān jiǔ zhī, wài huái shàng jué gǔ zhī duān jiǔ zhī, zú xiǎo zhǐ cì zhǐ jiān jiǔ zhī, shuàn xià xiàn mài jiǔ zhī, wài huái hòu jiǔ zhī, quē pén gǔ shàng qiè zhī jiān tòng rú jīn zhě jiǔ zhī, yīng zhōng xiàn gǔ jiān jiǔ zhī, zhǎng shù gǔ xià jiǔ zhī, qí xià guān yuán sān cùn jiǔ zhī, máo jì dòng mài jiǔ zhī, xī xià sān cùn fēn jiān jiǔ zhī, zú yáng míng fū shàng dòng mài jiǔ zhī, diān shàng yī jiǔ zhī.
Then look for the depressions at the back transport points and moxa them; moxa the depression on the shoulder when the arm is raised; moxa between the two short ribs; moxa the end of the cut-off bone above the outer ankle; moxa between the little and second toes; moxa the sunken vessel below the calf; moxa behind the outer ankle; moxa where, on the bone of the empty basin, pressure finds something hard and painful like a sinew; moxa between the sunken bones within the chest; moxa below the binding bone of the palm; moxa three inches below the navel at Gate of the Source; moxa the pulsing vessel at the hairline; moxa the space three inches below the knee; moxa the pulsing vessel on the instep of the foot yang brightness; and moxa one place on the crown.
「「缺」讀 quē「盆」讀 pén骨上切之堅痛如筋者灸之」——**缺盆者,鎖骨上之凹陷,本目第五十九篇所立,本篇2見**;**前曰「在缺盆中者」,謂天突;此曰「缺盆骨上切之堅痛如筋者」,謂按之而得**;**「切」讀 qiè,本篇1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.
「大杼、膺俞、「缺」讀 quē「盆」讀 pén、背俞」——**「缺盆」本篇1見,在寫胸中之熱八穴之內**;**「缺」讀 quē,《說文》「器破也」;「盆」讀 pén**;**第六十篇「缺盆骨上切之堅痛如筋者灸之」別是一用**

Compounds built on this term

缺盆各一
quē pén gè yī
one each at the empty basin
足少陽條一見;本篇「缺盆」凡2見
缺盆外骨空
quē pén wài gǔ kōng
the bone opening outside the empty basin
足陽明條一見,本篇「骨空」4見
骨空
gǔ kōng
bone opening
面鼽骨空、大迎之骨空、缺盆外骨空、大迎骨空是也;「空」讀 kōng
穴空
xué kōng
the opening of the point
本篇一見:「分之所在穴空」,即諸穴各在其所分之處

How it has been translated

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

This siteempty basinliteral from the two graphs; the chapter never names the place as an organ, only as a hollow belonging to whichever list it stands in
Anatomicalsupraclavicular fossaexact, and the reason modern point lists can site it where the text does
AcupunctureQuepen · ST 12the name and number later practice settled on; worth having here because this chapter is one of the two places in which the Suwen itself puts it on record

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-03

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