Classica Sinica Medica

募

mù

Alarm point · mu

Also rendered: alarm point (The term used in most English acupuncture writing) · gathering point (Renders 募 literally; clearer for a reader new to the idea)

Vessels

Reviewed · 2026-09

At a glance

Pinyin
mù
Simplified
募
Literal
募 is to gather, to enrol — the word used for raising troops, and for the place where things collect. In the medicine of the channels it becomes the name of the points on the front of the body where a depot's or a palace's qi gathers and can be read, as the 俞 or transport points on the back are where it can be reached. Chapter 28 uses it once, and does so in the plainest possible way: for a sudden abdominal fullness that will not give when pressed, take the channel and network vessel of the hand greater yang — that is the alarm point of the stomach.
Shuowen
《說文解字》：募，廣求也，从力莫聲，引申為招募、聚集之義。經絡之學以「募」為氣聚於胸腹之穴，與在背之「俞」（shù）對舉：俞在背、募在腹。本篇之目：取手太陽經絡者，胃之募也。

In brief

The gathering point — the point on the front of the trunk where a depot’s or palace’s qi collects, paired with the transport point on the back. Chapter 28 names it once, in the course of an emergency: sudden fullness of the abdomen that does not give under the hand is to be taken at the channel and network vessel of the hand greater yang, which is the stomach’s alarm point. The chapter does not explain the term; it assumes the reader knows that a point exists where the stomach can be reached from the front.

Senses in the classical corpus

1
The point 募
氣聚於胸腹之穴，與背俞對舉
胃之募也 — Suwen 28
2
The stomach's alarm point 胃之募
本篇指為手太陽經絡者
取手太陽經絡者，胃之募也 — Suwen 28
3
Paired with the transport point 俞 / 募
俞在背、募在腹，本篇俞四見、募一見
夏亟治經俞…少陰俞 — Suwen 28
4
In an emergency 腹暴滿，按之不下
實滿而非虚脹，故取胃之募以瀉之
腹暴滿，按之不下 — Suwen 28
5
The word's own sense 廣求、聚集
募从力莫聲，招募之義引申為氣之所聚
胃之募也 — Suwen 28
6
Why it matters here 取
本篇刺法諸節多言取穴與刺數，此其一
取手太陽經絡者 — Suwen 28

Occurrences in the classics

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

Display
2 passages
素問·通評虚實論 Suwen 28 · 通評虚實論 Read in context →
腹暴滿，按之不下，取手太陽經絡者，胃之募也。 腹暴满，按之不下，取手太阳经络者，胃之募也。
Fù bào mǎn, àn zhī bù xià, qǔ shǒu tài yáng jīng luò zhě, wèi zhī mù yě.
For sudden fullness of the abdomen which does not give when pressed, take the channel and network vessel of the hand greater yang — that is the alarm point of the stomach.
腹暴滿而按之不下陷者，是實滿而非虚脹，故取手太陽經絡者（胃之募）以瀉之。「腹」讀 fù；「下」讀 xià；「取」讀 qǔ；**「募」讀 mù，本篇惟此一見**；「胃」讀 wèi，本篇二見。「募」與「俞」對舉：俞在背、募在腹；本篇「俞」四見（夏亟治經俞、治在經俞、少陰俞、剌俞傍五），皆讀 shù。此節與上文「夏亟治經俞」同屬取穴之法，而此為急證，故直言「取」而不復言時令。
素問·奇病論 Suwen 47 · 奇病論 Read in context →
治之以膽募俞，治在陰陽十二官相使中。 治之以胆募俞，治在阴阳十二官相使中。
Zhì zhī yǐ dǎn mù shù, zhì zài yīn yáng shí èr guān xiāng shǐ zhōng.
Treat it by means of the gallbladder’s alarm point and transport point; the treatment is set out in the Yin Yang Twelve Officials Serving One Another.
「治之以膽「募」讀 mù俞」——**本篇「募」1見**；**募讀 mù；募在前，俞在後，二穴相配而治府藏之病**；**本站第二十八篇「胃之募」為此字所自出，本篇以膽之募俞治膽癉，是其推用**；「膽」讀 dǎn、**膽讀 dǎn**。

Compounds built on this term

募
mù
alarm point
本篇惟此一見
胃之募
wèi zhī mù
the alarm point of the stomach
手太陽經絡者即胃之募
俞
shù
transport point
本篇四見，與募對舉
經絡
jīng luò
channels and networks
本站已立目（id 767），本篇十五見

How it has been translated

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

Wiseman & Fengalarm pointThey use the established English term for 募, paired with 'transport point' for 俞, as in standard acupuncture usage.
Unschuldcollecting pointUnschuld renders the literal sense — where the qi of an organ collects — rather than the traditional English name.
This sitealarm pointWe keep the established term because chapter 28 uses 募 without explanation, which means it was already technical vocabulary for its first readers, and a reader meeting it will meet 'alarm point' elsewhere. We gloss it once as the gathering point on the front.

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-09

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