胃倉 Weicang
“The Stomach Granary” · BL50
Foot Taiyang · 50 of 67
Where. Below the twelfth bump counted down from the neck bone (C7), four finger-widths from the spine.
For. Stomach ache; bloating; back ache.
Press. Ask a partner to press with a thumb, or lean on a soft ball against a wall, a minute.
胃倉，在第十二椎下，兩傍各三寸陷者中按 · Press with me
Six slow breaths
About a minute. Press as you breathe out, ease as you breathe in.
鄰 · Neighbouring leaves
Where Weicang Sits on the Lower Back
Weicang belongs to the lower reaches of the back, in the transitional belt where the rib cage closes and hands the torso over to the loins. The dataset places it below the spinous process of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, three cun lateral to the posterior midline. A cun is the traditional measuring unit of Chinese point-location: proportional lengths taken from the person being examined rather than from a ruler, so a cun across the back of a broad-framed adult differs from a cun on a slight teenager. For this stretch of points there is a friendly shortcut — three cun is roughly the width of four fingers held flat together, measured outward from the groove that runs down the middle of the back.
The bladder channel, the longest meridian in the body, travels from the inner eye over the head and down the back toward the little toe, and on the back it moves as two parallel lines. The inner line, running about one-and-a-half cun from the midline, gathers most of the classical back-shu points; the outer line, three cun out, carries a series of companion points, and Weicang belongs to this outer line. At the very same vertebral level, directly inward halfway to the spine, sits Weishu (BL21), the back-shu point of the stomach — which is why the granary stands next to the storehouse. Under the fingertips here lies the thick, well-padded band of muscle that flanks the spine itself, spreading across the deeper compartments of the trunk.
The vertical neighbours are equally clear-cut. One level up, below the spinous process of the eleventh thoracic vertebra, rests Yishe (BL49); one level down, below the first lumbar vertebra, sits Huangmen (BL51); all three share the same three-cun line, stacked like rungs of a ladder. Counting the levels correctly matters, because one step up or down is already a different point with its own entry in the old books. Move patiently, count the spinous processes aloud if it helps, and remember that slouching can blur how clearly the levels are felt.
A Self-Palpation Walkthrough
Sit upright on a firm chair with both feet down and shoulders released, so the back muscles soften. First find the prominent knob of bone at the base of your neck where the spine meets the collar-line — the seventh cervical vertebra, the classic starting peg for counting downward. A widely taught landmark comes next: with the arms hanging loose, the lower angles of the two shoulder blades sit roughly level with the seventh thoracic vertebra. From there count down five spinous processes to reach the twelfth thoracic level, settle a fingertip on the lower edge of that process, then measure four flat finger-widths outward from the midline groove onto the thick muscle. That is the neighbourhood of Weicang.
A few confirmations help before any pressing begins. Touch feather-light and compare sides: many people notice a faint, dull awareness near the true spot and little sensation a finger-width away. Check the horizontal distance against the inner line too: at the same vertebral level, halfway in toward the spine, you should be able to find Weishu (BL21). As a further cross-check, the shortest and lowest of the twelve ribs ends its arc near this level, so the spot you want lies close beside the finishing point of the last rib — near, but measured from the midline, not from the rib itself. Both sides deserve the same careful survey, since the two points ought to mirror each other.
Two classic mistakes account for most misses. The first is losing count of the vertebrae: the prominent bump at the neck base is occasionally ambiguous, so anchor on the shoulder-blade angles as well and cross-check before settling. The second is measuring outward from the floating rib or the waistband rather than from the central groove, which throws the distance off from the very start. Posture matters too — a rounded, hunched back changes where every landmark rides. When in doubt, relax the shoulders, return to the base of the neck, and walk down the spine one process at a time, slowly.
Reading the Name: The Stomach Granary
The characters tell the story plainly. Wei 胃 means the stomach — the organ at the centre of digestion, rendered in the dictionary with a field-like frame over a body of flesh. Cang 倉 means a granary or storehouse: the building where harvested grain is received, kept dry, and portioned out through the year. Together, Weicang reads as the stomach granary — the place where the stomach’s wealth of food and fluids is gathered and stored. Like gates, valleys, courtyards and wells elsewhere on the channels, the name belongs to the tradition’s habit of mapping the body with the architecture of ordinary life.
Why a stomach name stands on the bladder channel becomes obvious on the map. Directly inward at the same level sits Weishu (BL21), the stomach’s back-shu point, where classical teaching says the stomach’s activity pools closest to the surface along the spine; the outer line runs beside it like an annexe. The old texts describe these outer-line stations as companions to the shu points they flank, and the pairing is almost domestic: the shu point receives, the granary stores. A granary is not a market — nothing is bought or sold there — it is where abundance is kept steady against lean days, which suits the stomach’s traditional office of receiving and ripening what life provides.
Pinyin renders the name Wèicāng: wei carries the fourth tone, a firm falling pitch, while cang rides the first tone, high and level. The hanzi pair 胃倉 is easy to memorise, and like many channel names drawn from storage — treasuries, depots, barns — the metaphor does real work. It tells you the tradition treats this spot as a hub where the business of nourishment settles, not a way-station things merely pass through. The name is itself a small set of instructions.
Traditional Indications, Explained
The recorded indications read: epigastric pain, abdominal distension, infantile food stagnation, edema, and back pain. Framed as tradition rather than promise, classical practice traditionally used Weicang for troubles of the pit of the stomach — a dull ache or blocked, uncomfortable feeling in the soft hollow below the breastbone, understood as stomach qi failing to move in its harmonious downward course. Abdominal distension is its neighbour concept: a subjective tightness, swelling, or fullness across the middle of the belly, read as qi stalling where the granary should have kept things moving.
The remaining entries broaden the picture. Infantile food stagnation is a traditional paediatric category: the old books described small children whose delicate digestion could be overwhelmed by food, leaving accumulation, poor appetite, and thinness, and practitioners of the day reached for points tied to the stomach’s territory — this one among them. Edema, swelling from retained fluid, entered the portfolio through the traditional logic of transformation: when the middle burner stalls, fluids fail to move as they should, and the bladder channel, belonging to the water element, stood at the centre of such discussions. Back pain needs little explanation — the longest meridian descends precisely this muscular corridor, and discomfort along the outer line belonged to its stations by simple geography.
It bears repeating plainly: these are the traditional uses recorded in a licensed dataset and classical literature, offered here for cultural and historical understanding. They are not claims that pressing this point treats disease, and nothing in this guide replaces assessment by a qualified clinician. Swelling in particular always deserves a medical explanation before any self-care routine begins. Where modern research touches self-applied pressure at all, reviews suggest effects are modest and context-dependent, and evidence specific to any single point remains thin. Hold the tradition lightly, and hold the safety rules firmly.
Self-Care Acupressure at Home
With the point located by the walkthrough above, settle into position: seated on a firm chair, spine tall but unforced, or resting comfortably forward with the low back released. Reach behind yourself with the opposite hand and rest the pads — not the tips — of the index and middle fingers on the spot. Begin with contact alone for a few breaths, then add small, slow circles, letting the skin glide over the muscle beneath rather than grinding against the ribs beneath the muscle. Pressure should register as pleasant dullness or mild warmth, never sharpness. A common home rhythm is one to three minutes per side, once or twice daily, matched where possible to slow exhales so each circle rides the breath out. Swap hands and repeat on the other side, keeping the two sessions symmetrical.
Reaching your own low back is awkward at first, and that is fine — comfort beats reach. Warm your hands before beginning, because chilled muscle guards; choose a quiet corner over a screen, since the practice doubles as a pause in the day: inhale through the nose, feel the breath widen the back under still fingertips, press gently on the long exhale. People who keep a routine often anchor it to an existing habit — after morning washing, or before bed — because consistency, not intensity, is what self-care traditions actually ask for. If a shoulder complains about the reaching, shorten the session rather than twisting harder.
Treat the exercise as a small ceremony of attention rather than a treatment session. Notice what changes across weeks: perhaps the low back feels less guarded, perhaps digestion feels easier on the days you practise, perhaps nothing shifts except that you spend ninety seconds attending to your own body. Every one of those outcomes fits the honest scope of self-acupressure. What does not fit is escalation — pressing harder, longer, or deeper to force a result. When curiosity pulls that way, return to gentleness or simply stop for the day.
Cautions and Safe Practice
This point earns its respect in writing, and the writing is brief. The licensed record warns practitioners: Keep insertion shallow. That is the whole entry line — no elaboration, no exceptions listed — and this page chooses to treat the brevity conservatively rather than fill the silence with guesswork about what lies beneath. Professional training manages whatever risks moved the compilers of the record to include those words; home self-care manages them differently and completely, by never leaving the surface at all. The caution describes professional technique, a category household acupressure never approaches — but honouring the warning builds exactly the habits gentle practice wants.
For fingertip practice the rules follow. Keep contact light and strictly superficial — the intention stays in skin and superficial muscle, never driving inward toward the spine or the deeper compartments of the trunk. Use finger pads, never elbows, knuckles, tools, or devices, and never press while holding the breath or through pain. Skip the point entirely over broken, bruised, or irritated skin, during an acute flare of back trouble, and for a stretch after any recent back injury or surgery, until a clinician clears ordinary movement. Sharp, electric, or radiating sensation means stop at once and not again that day. Pregnant readers should consult a qualified practitioner before adding any new point practice, and anyone living with kidney disease, osteoporosis, or diagnosed disc problems does well to ask first too — not because gentle surface contact is known to harm, but because individual circumstances deserve individual advice.
And the wider rule stands over everything: this page is educational, and acupressure is self-care, not diagnosis or therapy. Some back stories need prompt professional attention rather than any pressure routine: pain following a fall or accident; numbness, tingling, or weakness spreading into a leg; any change in bladder or bowel control; fever accompanying back pain; noticeable swelling of the ankles, legs, or face; or pain that persists without explanation beyond a few weeks. Seek licensed medical or East Asian medical care as suits the complaint — promptly, and alongside self-care rather than instead of it. The granary imagery is warm, but the safest gift Weicang offers most people is a kinder acquaintance with their own lower back: attended regularly, pressed gently, and sometimes simply left alone.
Weicang — the Stomach Granary — stands low on the back beside the spine, three cun out from the midline at the twelfth thoracic level, alongside its inner-line partner Weishu. Classical practice reached for it in epigastric pain, abdominal distension, infantile food stagnation, edema, and back trouble; this guide covers finding it by touch, gentle pressing, and its depth warning.
Cautions from the classical sources
- Keep insertion shallow.
Self-care limits
Frequently asked
- How do I find Weicang without knowing anything about cun?
- Use the spine as the map and your hand as the ruler. Find the knob of bone at the base of your neck, drop to where the shoulder-blade angles sit level (about the seventh thoracic vertebra), count down five bony ridges, then measure four flat finger-widths outward from the central groove onto the thick muscle. That spot, low on the back beside the spine, matches the location the dataset describes — three cun below the twelfth thoracic vertebra is simply the proportional language for the same landmark sequence.
- Is pressing Weicang myself actually safe?
- Gentle fingertip pressure held on the surface is generally reasonable self-care for healthy adults, because it engages skin and superficial muscle far short of anything the record’s warning concerns. The caution — do not needle deeply — describes professional techniques that enter the body, a category home acupressure never approaches. Respect the stop signals anyway: sharp pain, electric or radiating sensation, or discomfort that worsens all mean finish immediately and try again another day, more softly.
- What did classical practice use Weicang for?
- The traditional record lists epigastric pain, abdominal distension, infantile food stagnation, edema, and back pain. The pattern makes sense of the name: as the stomach granary beside the stomach’s own shu point, the station stood for the storing and moving of food and fluids, so complaints of fullness, stalled digestion, and retained water dominated its historic portfolio. Those are traditional frameworks for understanding the body, documented for context — not evidence-backed treatment claims.
- Why does a stomach-named point belong to the bladder channel?
- Because the bladder channel walks the back in two parallel lines, and the two lines work as a team. The inner line, about a cun and a half from the spine, carries the back-shu points where each organ’s activity gathers — Weishu (BL21) holds that office for the stomach at this exact level. The outer line, three cun out, runs its companion stations alongside, and Weicang is the stomach’s companion there. One gathers, one stores: the granary built next to the office it serves.
- My child eats poorly and often looks bloated — should I press this point?
- No — please do not build a home routine for a child from a web page. Infantile food stagnation is a traditional category, and the old practitioners who worked with it examined the child in person; a young body is not a small adult, and persistent poor appetite, bloating, or faltering growth in a child deserves proper assessment by a qualified practitioner promptly. This guide’s self-care instructions are written for healthy adults practising on themselves, and they stay that way on purpose.
Sources
- 01WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (2008), World Health Organization — nomenclature conventions.
- 02A Manual of Acupuncture, Peter Deadman, Mazin Al-Khafaji and Kevin Baker — point-name tradition, the granary pairing with the stomach shu, and channel context.
- 03aijiu-mpvue (MIT License) licensed dataset, entry for BL50 Weicang — location, actions, and caution record.
Last reviewed
牌記This leaf, for machines
Old books ended with a colophon saying who printed them. Every leaf here carries the same facts as structured data for agents and search, with no layout in the way.
- GET /en/points/bl50/leaf.json
- GET /zh-hant/points/bl50/leaf.json
- GET /zh-cn/points/bl50/leaf.json
- /llms.txt — the index of every leaf
- JSON-LD in the page: MedicalWebPage, MedicalEntity and FAQPage
{
"id": "BL50",
"name": {
"en": "Weicang",
"gloss": "The Stomach Granary",
"zh-Hant": "胃倉",
"zh-Hans": "胃仓"
},
"channel": {
"id": "BL",
"order": 50,
"of": 67
},
"location": {
"text": "Below the twelfth bump counted down from the neck bone (C7), four finger-widths from the spine."
},
"for": [
"stomach ache",
"bloating",
"back ache"
],
"press": {
"text": "Ask a partner to press with a thumb, or lean on a soft ball against a wall, a minute.",
"seconds": 60
},
"cautions": [],
"source": "Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing, book 3",
"url": "https://acupoints.com/en/points/bl50",
"lastReviewed": "2026-08-25"
}