The throat knot · jie hou

Also rendered: Throat knot (plain, and it keeps the text's image) · Adam's apple (the everyday English name) · Laryngeal prominence (precise, and it is modern)

Physiology

Reviewed · 2026-10-24

At a glance

Pinyin: jié hóu
Simplified: 结喉
Literal: 結 jié — to knot, to tie; 喉 hóu — throat. The knot in the throat: the prominence of the larynx, which in this chapter is the highest landmark of the trunk measurement.
Shuowen: 《說文》：喉，咽也。「結喉」本篇1見，為量骨之起點：結喉以下至缺盆中四寸。

In brief

The laryngeal prominence, taken as the top of the trunk’s vertical scale. The chapter measures downward from it: four cun to the middle of the supraclavicular fossa, nine more to the sword bone, eight more to the heavenly pivot, six and a half more to the pubic bone. Every later figure depends on where this first point is taken, which is why the commentators argue about whether the measure starts at the knot itself or at its lower edge.

Senses in the classical corpus

The landmark 結喉以下至缺盆中長四寸

结喉以下到缺盆中长四寸

From the throat knot to the fossa is four cun.

結喉以下至缺盆中長四寸 — 靈樞·骨度

Occurrences in the classics

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

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1 passages

靈樞·骨度 Read in context →

結喉以下至缺盆中長四寸，缺盆以下至𩩲骬長九寸，過則肺大，不滿則肺小。𩩲骬以下至天樞長八寸，過則胃大，不及則胃小。天樞以下至横骨長六寸半，過則迴腸廣長，不滿則狹短。横骨長六寸半。横骨上廉以下至内輔之上廉長一尺八寸，内輔之上廉以下至下廉長三寸半，内輔下廉下至内踝長一尺三寸，内踝以下至地長三寸。膝膕以下至跗屬長一尺六寸，跗屬以下至地長三寸。故骨圍大則大過，小則不及。结喉以下至缺盆中长四寸，缺盆以下至𩩲骬长九寸，过则肺大，不满则肺小。𩩲骬以下至天枢长八寸，过则胃大，不及则胃小。天枢以下至横骨长六寸半，过则回肠广长，不满则狭短。横骨长六寸半。横骨上廉以下至内辅之上廉长一尺八寸，内辅之上廉以下至下廉长三寸半，内辅下廉下至内踝长一尺三寸，内踝以下至地长三寸。膝腘以下至跗属长一尺六寸，跗属以下至地长三寸。故骨围大则大过，小则不及。

jié hóu yǐ xià zhì quē pén zhōng cháng sì cùn, quē pén yǐ xià zhì hé yú cháng jiǔ cùn, guò zé fèi dà, bù mǎn zé fèi xiǎo. hé yú yǐ xià zhì tiān shū cháng bā cùn, guò zé wèi dà, bù jí zé wèi xiǎo. tiān shū yǐ xià zhì héng gǔ cháng liù cùn bàn, guò zé huí cháng guǎng cháng, bù mǎn zé xiá duǎn. héng gǔ cháng liù cùn bàn. héng gǔ shàng lián yǐ xià zhì nèi fǔ zhī shàng lián cháng yī chǐ bā cùn, nèi fǔ zhī shàng lián yǐ xià zhì xià lián cháng sān cùn bàn, nèi fǔ xià lián xià zhì nèi huái cháng yī chǐ sān cùn, nèi huái yǐ xià zhì dì cháng sān cùn. xī guó yǐ xià zhì fū zhǔ cháng yī chǐ liù cùn, fū zhǔ yǐ xià zhì dì cháng sān cùn. gù gǔ wéi dà zé dà guò, xiǎo zé bù jí.

From the Adam’s apple down to the middle of the supraclavicular fossa is four cun. From the fossa down to the sword bone is nine cun: beyond that the lung is large, short of it the lung is small. From the sword bone down to the heavenly pivot is eight cun: beyond that the stomach is large, short of it the stomach is small. From the heavenly pivot down to the pubic bone is six cun and a half: beyond that the returning intestine is wide and long, short of it narrow and short. The pubic bone is six cun and a half long. From the upper edge of the pubic bone down to the upper edge of the inner shin bone is one chi eight cun; from the upper to the lower edge of the inner shin bone is three cun and a half; from the lower edge of the inner shin bone down to the inner ankle is one chi three cun; from the inner ankle down to the ground is three cun. From below the knee hollow to the instep is one chi six cun; from the instep to the ground is three cun. Thus where the bone measure is large it is excessive, and where small it falls short.

「結喉」本篇1見，為量骨之始。自此以下，缺盆、𩩲骬、天樞、横骨，節節相承。

Compounds built on this term

結喉

jié hóu

the throat knot

甲狀軟骨隆起

How it has been translated

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

This site	the throat knot	the text's own image
Literal	tied throat	exact, and it sounds like strangulation
Clinical	the laryngeal prominence	clear, and it is later anatomy

Entry status

Review pending — who reviews this?

2026-10-24

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Reading path

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