REN22 (Tiantu, “Celestial Prominence”) is the Window of Heaven point of the Conception Vessel Meridian. It is located on the anterior midline of the neck, in the center of the suprasternal fossa, just superior to the manubrium of the sternum. It descends rebellious Lung and Stomach Qi, benefits and clears the throat, resolves phlegm, and regulates Qi of the chest.
On the anterior midline of the neck, in the center of the suprasternal fossa, just superior to the manubrium of the sternum.
First, insert the needle perpendicularly about 0.2 cun, then angle it inferiorly, guiding it along the posterior aspect of the manubrium for 0.5 to 1.0 cun. This technique avoids puncturing the trachea or lungs.
Descends rebellious Lung and Stomach Qi, benefits and clears the throat, resolves phlegm, and regulates Qi of the chest.
Cough, rebellious upward-moving Qi, sudden and severe asthma, wheezing, throat swelling, cold sensation in the throat, broken voice, sores in the throat, hoarseness, inability to speak, coughing up pus and blood, body chills and fever, neck swelling, asthma with gurgling sounds like a water-chicken, chest Qi obstruction, stiffness under the tongue with a blue vein, heart and back pain that pull on each other, the five types of (Yē - dysphagia/choking), jaundice, acid regurgitation (vinegar heart), excessive salivation, vomiting, goiter, tumor, heat in the skin of the face, chest and rib-side fullness, accumulation of Qi in the chest.
Tiantu is a primary point for acute and chronic conditions of the throat and lungs. Its ability to descend rebellious Qi makes it essential for treating asthma, wheezing, coughing, and hiccups. It also directly addresses local issues like sore throat, voice loss, and goiter. The classical needling cautions highlight the anatomical sensitivity of the area, a warning that remains critically important in modern practice.
Classical text; the translation was prepared with AI and is not clinical advice.
《醫學綱目·刺灸》 Yīxué Gāngmù · Cìjiǔ — Outline of Medicine: Needling and Moxibustion, Lou Ying, 1565 · 卷之八·陰陽臟腑部 · 穴法下 · Source: jicheng.tw ↗
天突一穴，在頸結喉下四寸宛宛中，陰維任脈之會。 針五分，留三呼，得氣即瀉，灸三壯According to this text, REN22 (a single point) lies in the hollow 4 cun below the laryngeal prominence and is a meeting of the Yinwei and Ren vessels; it is needled 5 fen, retained three breaths and drained once qi arrives, with 3 moxa cones.
《千金翼方》 Qiānjīn Yìfāng — Supplement to the Thousand Gold Prescriptions, c. 682 · 卷26 · Source: Wikisource ↗
天突在頸結喉下五寸中央宛宛中It is located in the central hollow 5 cun below the laryngeal prominence on the neck, according to this text.
《扁鵲心書》 Biǎn Què Xīnshū — Bian Que's Heart Book, Dou Cai, 1146 · 卷上 · 附：竇材灸法 · Source: jicheng.tw ↗
一急喉痹、頤粗、頷腫、水穀不下，此乃胃氣虛風寒客肺也，灸天突穴五十壯The text records that acute throat-bi with thickened cheeks, swollen jaw and inability to swallow water or food was attributed to stomach qi deficiency with wind-cold lodging in the lung, and 50 moxa cones were applied at REN22.
《黃帝內經》 Huángdì Nèijīng — The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, c. 2nd–1st c. BCE · qi-xue-lun · Source: Wikisource ↗
背與心相控而痛，所治天突與十椎及上紀The text records that for pain in which the back and the heart pull on each other, the treatment was at REN22 together with the tenth vertebra and the 'upper marker'.
REN22 is one of 24 points on the Conception Vessel Meridian. Nearby points:
REN22 (Tiantu) is located on the anterior midline of the neck, in the center of the suprasternal fossa, just superior to the manubrium of the sternum.
REN22 descends rebellious Lung and Stomach Qi, benefits and clears the throat, resolves phlegm, and regulates Qi of the chest. Common clinical indications include cough, rebellious upward-moving Qi, sudden and severe asthma, wheezing, throat swelling, cold sensation in the throat, broken voice, sores in the throat, hoarseness, inability to speak, coughing up pus and blood, body chills and fever, neck swelling, asthma with gurgling sounds like a water-chicken, chest Qi obstruction, stiffness under the tongue with a blue vein, heart and back pain that pull on each other, the five types of (Yē - dysphagia/choking), jaundice, acid regurgitation (vinegar heart), excessive salivation, vomiting, goiter, tumor, heat in the skin of the face, chest and rib-side fullness, accumulation of Qi in the chest.
First, insert the needle perpendicularly about 0.2 cun, then angle it inferiorly, guiding it along the posterior aspect of the manubrium for 0.5 to 1.0 cun. This technique avoids puncturing the trachea or lungs. Caution: Overlies the thoracic cavity — risk of PNEUMOTHORAX. Needle obliquely or transversely, never deeply or perpendicularly toward the chest wall. Needling too deeply or with an incorrect downward angle can injure the Qi of the five Zang organs and shorten one's life. One source warns that improper needling can cause the patient to die young.
REN22 is a point on the Conception Vessel Meridian (Rèn Mài).