DU16 (Fengfu, “Wind Mansion”) is the Window of Heaven point of the Governing Vessel Meridian. It is located on the posterior midline of the neck, in the depression directly below the external occipital protuberance, 1 cun superior to the posterior hairline, between the trapezius muscles. It expels wind, clears the mind, benefits the head and neck, resolves speech impediments, treats disorders of the Governing Vessel.
On the posterior midline of the neck, in the depression directly below the external occipital protuberance, 1 cun superior to the posterior hairline, between the trapezius muscles.
With the patient's head slightly flexed, needle inferiorly towards the chin, 0.5 to 1.0 cun. Deep superior or supero-anterior insertion is strictly forbidden to avoid puncturing the cisterna magna.
Expels wind, clears the mind, benefits the head and neck, resolves speech impediments, treats disorders of the Governing Vessel.
Headache, neck stiffness, inability to turn the head, dizziness, blurred vision, nosebleed, swollen and painful throat, mania, desire to commit suicide, seeing things that are not there, hemiplegia, flaccid tongue, inability to speak, shivering with fever and sweating, body heaviness, aversion to cold, epilepsy, convulsions, opisthotonos, jaundice (mahuang), all diseases of the head, wind-stroke, sequelae of febrile disease.
Fengfu is a critical point for expelling both external and internal wind, making it essential for treating colds, flu, fever, headache, and stiff neck. As a 'Window of Heaven' point, it powerfully affects the brain and spirit, used for mania, epilepsy, and post-stroke sequelae like aphasia. Its location at the 'gateway' to the head explains its importance in preventing wind invasion, as noted in the Zi Sheng Jing's advice to keep the neck covered.
Classical text; the translation was prepared with AI and is not clinical advice.
《黃帝內經》 Huángdì Nèijīng — The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, c. 2nd–1st c. BCE · gu-kong-lun · Source: Wikisource ↗
歧伯對曰：風從外入，令人振寒，汗出頭痛，身重惡寒，治在風府，調其陰陽，不足則補，有餘則寫The text records that when wind enters from outside, causing shivering, sweating with headache, heavy body and aversion to cold, it is treated at DU16, regulating yin and yang: tonifying deficiency and draining excess.
《針方六集》 Zhēnfāng Liùjí — Six Collections on Needling, Wu Kun, 1618 · 卷之一·神照集 · 督脈圖穴二十 · 督脈所發二十七穴 · Source: jicheng.tw ↗
風府一穴，一名舌本。 在項後，入髮際一寸，大筋內宛宛中，去腦戶一寸五分，疾言其肉立起，言休其肉立下According to this text, DU16 (also called Sheben) lies at the back of the neck 1 cun inside the hairline, in the small hollow inside the large tendons, 1.5 cun from DU17; when one speaks quickly the flesh rises, and when speech stops it falls.
《扁鵲神應針灸玉龍經》 Biǎn Què Shényìng Zhēnjiǔ Yùlóng Jīng — Bian Que's Jade Dragon Classic of Divinely Responsive Acupuncture & Moxibustion, 1329 · 头项强痛 · Source: Wikisource ↗
风府∶在项后入发际一寸，两筋间，言语则起，不言语则陷下处是穴。 针三分，不可深，深则令人哑噤According to this text, DU16 lies at the back of the neck 1 cun inside the hairline between the two tendons, at the spot that rises when speaking and sinks when silent; it is needled 0.3 cun and not deeply, since deep needling is said to cause muteness and lockjaw.
《扁鵲心書》 Biǎn Què Xīnshū — Bian Que's Heart Book, Dou Cai, 1146 · 卷中 · 頭暈 · Source: jicheng.tw ↗
余為針風府穴，向左耳入三寸，去來留十三呼，病人頭內覺麻熱，方令吸氣出針This case account records that the author needled DU16 3 cun in the direction of the left ear, retaining the needle for thirteen breaths, until the patient felt numbness and heat inside the head, and then withdrew it while the patient breathed in.
DU16 is one of 28 points on the Governing Vessel Meridian. Nearby points:
DU16 (Fengfu) is located on the posterior midline of the neck, in the depression directly below the external occipital protuberance, 1 cun superior to the posterior hairline, between the trapezius muscles.
DU16 expels wind, clears the mind, benefits the head and neck, resolves speech impediments, treats disorders of the Governing Vessel. Common clinical indications include headache, neck stiffness, inability to turn the head, dizziness, blurred vision, nosebleed, swollen and painful throat, mania, desire to commit suicide, seeing things that are not there, hemiplegia, flaccid tongue, inability to speak, shivering with fever and sweating, body heaviness, aversion to cold, epilepsy, convulsions, opisthotonos, jaundice (mahuang), all diseases of the head, wind-stroke, sequelae of febrile disease.
With the patient's head slightly flexed, needle inferiorly towards the chin, 0.5 to 1.0 cun. Deep superior or supero-anterior insertion is strictly forbidden to avoid puncturing the cisterna magna. Caution: Close to the brainstem/spinal cord — never needle deeply or angle superomedially; direct the needle as standard (e.g. toward the opposite eye for GB20). Deep insertion can be fatal. Moxibustion is forbidden as it may cause loss of voice. Deep needling is dangerous; the Su Wen states that needling into the brain at Naohu (a nearby point) is fatal, and similar caution applies here due to proximity to the medulla oblongata. The Zi Sheng Jing notes that it is safer not to needle this point if unsure, despite some classics giving needling depths.
DU16 is a point on the Governing Vessel Meridian (Dū Mài).