懸顱 Xuanlu
“Suspended Skull” · GB5
Foot Shaoyang · 5 of 44
Where. In the hair of the temple, halfway along the curve from the forehead hairline corner to the ear tip.
For. Migraine; dizziness; toothache.
Press. Gentle fingertip pressure on the scalp, about a minute; not mid-attack.
懸顱二穴，在曲周上顳顬中按 · Press with me
Six slow breaths
About a minute. Press as you breathe out, ease as you breathe in.
鄰 · Neighbouring leaves
Where Xuanlu Sits Above the Temple Hairline
On the side of the head, above the point where the hairline sweeps round the temple, Xuanlu occupies the exact middle of a short curved line. The dataset places it at the midpoint of the arcuate line connecting Touwei (ST8) to Qubin (GB7). Two more gallbladder points share that same stretch — Hanyan (GB4) nearer Touwei and Xuanli (GB6) nearer Qubin — so four stations stand spaced evenly along the arc, dividing it into four equal parts, and Xuanlu holds the halfway mark. The traditional measure called a cun barely matters here; what matters is the curve itself and the even rhythm of points strung along it.
What lies under the fingertips is temple country pure and simple: scalp over the flat fan of the temporalis muscle, the sheet that tenses above and in front of the ear when you clench gently, and beneath the muscle the smooth plate of the skull. Above the temple hairline the layers run thin — skin, a little soft tissue, then firm bone — so fingertip contact reads clearly here. Most people sense the gentle rise and fall of the skull’s side through the scalp almost at once, which makes this one of the more forgiving territories for learning to locate points by touch.
The row’s front anchor belongs to another channel yet serves the gallbladder line: Touwei is a stomach-channel point, and the catalogue records it as a crossing-point — a place where pathways meet. Classical texts describe several yang channels converging over the temple and the side of the head, which helps explain why this modest span of scalp carries such a dense population of named points: the stomach channel’s corner post, then four gallbladder stations stepping away from the temple corner along the hairline curve toward Qubin.
A Self-Palpation Walkthrough
Sit comfortably facing a mirror if you can, hands clean and nails short, and part the hair above the temple so the skin shows. Find Touwei first: set a fingertip at the corner of the forehead where the hairline turns down toward the temple, then rise about half a thumb-width straight above the hairline at that corner. The dataset locates Touwei half a cun above the hairline at the temple corner, roughly four and a half cun out from the midline of the head. The spot usually announces itself as a subtle change of contour, where the rounded forehead gives way to the flatter plane of the temple.
From Touwei, let your fingertip trace the curve of the scalp above the temple hairline, moving away from the face toward the arc’s far end at Qubin. The distance is short — a few finger-widths on most adults — and the gallbladder points along it are evenly spaced: Hanyan first, then Xuanlu at the halfway mark, then Xuanli. If placing Qubin independently feels uncertain, work by proportion instead: walk the whole stretch slowly twice, notice where its middle falls, and you have arrived at the neighbourhood of Xuanlu. Rest a fingertip on each side at once; the two midpoints should mirror each other.
Two slips are common. The first is sliding too low, off the arc and into the soft hollow of the temple below the hairline; if what you feel is softer, dishing ground rather than the firmer curve of the line, climb back up to the hairline and begin again. The second is stopping early and mistaking Hanyan, the first station out from Touwei, for the midpoint — Hanyan sits only a quarter of the way along. Patience resolves it: the true midpoint lies noticeably farther from the temple corner, and quiet exploration often finds a faint, dull awareness there where a finger-width away there is little sensation at all.
Reading the Name: Suspended Skull
The name is spare and vivid. Xuan 懸 means to hang, to suspend — something held aloft without visible support. Lu 顱 means the cranium, the bony vault of the head. Together, Xuanlu reads as the suspended skull: the dome of the head imagined hanging above the temple, exactly where this point waits at the dome’s flank. The point-naming tradition delights in architectural imagery of this kind — gates, courtyards, valleys, storehouses — and here the image is simply the head itself, poised overhead while a row of points climbs its side.
The hanging figure repeats next door. Xuanli (GB6), the following station along the arc, opens with the same character, so the classical naming hung a matched pair of “suspended” names across the upper temple — as if the tradition wanted the whole stretch remembered as one suspended landscape rather than scattered dots. Reading names in runs like this is one of the quiet pleasures of the classical literature: the geography of a channel is also a little poem, images laid end to end along the body.
Pinyin renders the name Xuánlú, and both syllables carry the second tone — the rising tone, written as an acute accent over each vowel. Said aloud, the name climbs twice, rising then rising again, a small phonetic echo of suspension. The hanzi pair 懸顱 is compact enough to memorise at a glance, and like many channel names it folds a whole way of seeing into two syllables: the skull held aloft, and this point as the place where that suspension comes within reach of a fingertip.
The Gallbladder Channel at the Side of the Head
Classical channel theory gives the gallbladder one of the longest, most winding routes in the body: the registry describes a meridian that zigzags down the side of the head and the body to reach the fourth toe, with forty-four recorded stations along the way. Its element is wood, and the wood phase in classical thinking speaks of springlike arising, planning, and decision. On the head the route is at its most intricate — the recorded course zigzags repeatedly across the side of the head before beginning its long descent.
That head course matters for understanding this point. The channel’s first recorded station, Tongziliao (GB1), rests beside the outer corner of the eye, and classical descriptions then carry the pathway up over the brow region and across the temple — the very territory where Xuanlu stands midway along its own short arc. A channel that starts at the eye and crosses the temple naturally connects, in traditional reasoning, the structures of face and eye with the points of the head’s side; the eight recorded indications for Xuanlu read almost like footnotes to that map.
Classical teaching pairs the gallbladder channel with the liver channel as the two wood-phase partners, one yang and one yin, and assigns the gallbladder a traditional office over judgement and courage — the system said to preside over decision-making. Whether or not one takes that physiology literally, the frame explains the temperament of this channel’s points: they cluster where people gather tension — the temples, the neck and shoulder line, the flank of the trunk — and classical practice reached for them when that tension climbed toward the head. Xuanlu sits high on that map, near the crown of the zigzag’s first great sweep.
Traditional Indications, Explained
The dataset records eight indications for this point: migraine, dizziness, toothache, facial swelling, nosebleed, conjunctivitis, keratitis, and palpitations with fright. Read as tradition rather than promise, the list sketches a coherent portrait. Migraine in the old records maps closely onto what readers today recognise: one-sided head pain, often throbbing, frequently accompanied by nausea or aversion to light. Dizziness gathers the unsteady, swimming, sometimes spinning sensations people struggle to describe. Toothache, facial swelling, and nosebleed belong together as complaints of the face, approached at points on the head along the channels that cross it.
The remaining entries extend the same logic. Conjunctivitis and keratitis are modern anatomical labels for red, inflamed eyes and inflammation of the eye’s clear front surface; the classical records speak more simply of red, painful, clouded eyes. Because the gallbladder channel’s first station sits at the outer corner of the eye, points along its head course were traditionally gathered for eye complaints — the pathway passing near the structures it served. Palpitations with fright looks the outlier until the classical frame is recalled: the gallbladder was linked with courage, the heart regarded as the residence of the spirit, and the startled, easily frightened heart sat at the border between them, so some classical discussions reached for gallbladder points on its behalf.
It bears repeating plainly: these are the traditional uses recorded in a licensed dataset, offered here for cultural and historical understanding. They are not claims that pressing this point treats disease. 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. Anyone with active eye inflammation, recurring one-sided headaches, or unexplained palpitations should be assessed by a qualified clinician rather than self-managing — the tradition itself always assumed diagnosis came first.
Self-Care Acupressure at Home
With the point located, settle in: seated, spine easy rather than rigid, shoulders heavy, hands warm. Rest the pads of the index and middle fingers — never the tips or the nails — on the spot. Begin with contact alone for a few slow breaths, then add small, unhurried circles, letting the scalp glide minutely over the bone beneath. Pressure should register as pleasant fullness 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; then swap hands and give the other side its turn, keeping the two sessions symmetrical.
Quality outranks duration here, as throughout the self-care traditions. Light, patient, regularly repeated touch suits this practice; hard jabbing at the temple serves nobody. Choose a quiet moment over a screen, because the exercise doubles as a pause: breathe in through the nose, feel the side of the head soften under still fingers, press gently on the long breath out. People who sustain the habit usually anchor it to something existing — washing the face, an afternoon break — since consistency, not intensity, is what these traditions actually ask for. A useful preliminary: clench the jaw slightly, feel the muscle tense above and in front of the ear, release, and only then settle into stillness.
Treat the whole thing as a few minutes of attention rather than a treatment session. Across weeks you may notice the temple area feeling less guarded, or the practice becoming a cue to unclench the jaw and lower the shoulders, or nothing at all beyond having spent time on yourself — 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 close the day’s practice and begin again tomorrow.
Cautions and Safe Practice
This point carries no caution of its own in the licensed record — the dataset notes none — and that absence deserves careful reading. It means professional reference works flag nothing special about this patch of the head’s side, not that force becomes welcome here. The temple region is thin country: skin and scalp over bone, with sensitive vessels and nerves threaded through. Light surface pressure stays comfortable; digging, grinding, or sustained heavy thumb pressure can leave a dull ache for hours afterwards — discomfort, not benefit.
The standing rules of home acupressure apply in full. Use finger pads only; skip the point over broken, irritated, or recently shaved skin; and leave the practice alone during an acute headache attack, when even light hurts — return on quieter days. Stop at once on sharp, electric, or radiating sensation, and do not resume that day. Pregnant readers, and anyone living with a neurological condition, a recent head injury, or a disorder of the eyes, should consult a qualified practitioner before adding any new point practice. Children’s heads deserve a professional’s judgement first: teach them gentleness, not technique.
And the wider rule stands over everything: this page is educational, and self-acupressure is comfort care, not diagnosis or therapy. Seek prompt medical attention — not a pressure routine — for the worst headache of one’s life, headache after a blow to the head, headache with fever and a stiff neck, sudden changes in vision or speech, weakness or numbness, or palpitations that will not settle. Recurring migraine deserves a proper management conversation with a clinician, because sound modern options exist. Persistent symptoms belong with a licensed practitioner, medical or East Asian medical as suits the complaint. The suspended-skull imagery is elegant, but the safest gift Xuanlu offers most people is a slower breath and a looser jaw at the end of a long day.
Xuanlu, the Suspended Skull, holds the middle of a short arc of gallbladder points that steps evenly above the temple hairline. Classical practice reached for this point when one-sided migraine, dizziness, or face and eye complaints weighed on a person. This guide walks through finding it by touch and pressing it gently at home.
Self-care limits
Frequently asked
- How do I find Xuanlu if I cannot locate Qubin?
- You barely need it. Anchor on Touwei at the temple corner — about half a thumb-width above the hairline where the hairline turns — then trace the curve above the temple hairline and take the halfway mark of that short stretch as your target. The four gallbladder stations along the arc stand evenly spaced, so the middle of the stretch is the middle point. For surface-level comfort practice, precision matters far less than gentleness: a fingertip resting anywhere near the midpoint already works the same territory.
- Is pressing Xuanlu myself actually safe?
- Gentle fingertip pressure held on the surface is generally reasonable self-care for healthy adults, and the licensed dataset records no special caution for this point. Scalp-over-bone territory forgives light touch and resents grinding force. Respect the stop signals: sharp or radiating sensation, worsening discomfort, or dizziness brought on by the pressure all mean finish immediately — and skip the point entirely during an acute migraine attack or over broken skin.
- What did classical practice use Xuanlu for?
- The traditional record lists migraine, dizziness, toothache, facial swelling, nosebleed, conjunctivitis, keratitis, and palpitations with fright. The pattern follows the channel: a pathway beginning beside the outer corner of the eye and crossing the temple connected, in classical reasoning, the side of the head with the face and the eyes. These are traditional frameworks documented for cultural context — not evidence-backed treatment claims — and modern reviews suggest effects from related practices are modest at best.
- Why does a gallbladder point relate to the eyes and teeth?
- Because of where classical theory draws the pathway. The gallbladder channel’s first recorded station stands beside the outer corner of the eye, and its route then crosses the temple where Xuanlu sits. Yang channels in general crisscross the face and head, so a point on the side of the head was understood to share territory with the face’s structures. Traditional channel logic treats the route itself as the connection — a coherent historical framework rather than a modern physiological claim.
- Can acupressure replace treatment for my migraines?
- No. Self-acupressure is a comfort practice, not a diagnostic tool, and recurring one-sided headaches deserve proper assessment — sound preventive and acute options exist through conventional care. Red flags such as the sudden worst-ever headache, headache after an injury, headache with fever or a stiff neck, or disturbances of vision or speech call for urgent medical attention. Think of gentle temple practice as a small daily habit that coexists with professional care, and never replaces it.
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 and gallbladder-channel context.
- 03aijiu-mpvue (MIT License) licensed dataset, entry for GB5 Xuanlu — location, actions, and indication 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/gb5/leaf.json
- GET /zh-hant/points/gb5/leaf.json
- GET /zh-cn/points/gb5/leaf.json
- /llms.txt — the index of every leaf
- JSON-LD in the page: MedicalWebPage, MedicalEntity and FAQPage
{
"id": "GB5",
"name": {
"en": "Xuanlu",
"gloss": "Suspended Skull",
"zh-Hant": "懸顱",
"zh-Hans": "悬颅"
},
"channel": {
"id": "GB",
"order": 5,
"of": 44
},
"location": {
"text": "In the hair of the temple, halfway along the curve from the forehead hairline corner to the ear tip."
},
"for": [
"migraine",
"dizziness",
"toothache"
],
"press": {
"text": "Gentle fingertip pressure on the scalp, about a minute; not mid-attack.",
"seconds": 60
},
"cautions": [],
"source": "Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing, book 3",
"url": "https://acupoints.com/en/points/gb5",
"lastReviewed": "2026-08-24"
}