[Analysis on Qijie (pathway of qi) theory of acupuncturology]

In order to clarify the connotation and academic significance of the term Qijie (pathway of qi) in Chinese medicine, the author of the present article collected related ancient literature and made a theoretical analysis on its concept, its relevance to the content of Sihai (four seas i.e.: 1) the brain, the sea of marrow, 2) Danzhong, the sea of qi; 3) stomach: the sea of water and food; 4) Chongmai, the sea of the 12 meridians), its related application and the evolution of the relationship between acupoints and their subordinated meridian. The author holds that the four Qijie aims at explaining the underlying mechanism of acupoints located on the head, chest and abdominal regions. The four Qijie theory was established in the transition period of the developmental process of meridian-acupoint theory, and is of realistic significance in elucidating the correlation between the back shu-acupoints and zang-fu organs.