The 'Turtledove Tail' of the Conception Vessel — sitting just below the breastbone, CV-15 is one of the great points for calming the mind and opening the heart. When the chest feels tight, the spirit is disturbed, or the mind is overwhelmed, this is a point worth knowing.
Name & story
The name 鸠尾 Jiuwei means 'Turtledove Tail' — a beautifully poetic image. The xiphoid process, the small cartilaginous tip at the very bottom of the breastbone, was thought to resemble the fanned tail feathers of a turtledove. The point sits just below it, tucked under this little bony 'tail', sheltered like a bird at rest. There is something fitting about that image: a point that calms the heart and settles the spirit, sitting in a small, protected hollow beneath the chest.
Point family & character
CV-15 belongs to the Conception Vessel (CV). According to some classical sources — including the earliest references — it is the Luo-Connecting point of the Conception Vessel, though later classics reassigned that role to Huiyin CV-1. This historical debate is noted by Deadman and others, and both traditions exist in the literature. The point is located 7 Cun above the umbilicus and 1 Cun below the sternocostal angle.
Five-element dynamics
The Conception Vessel flows along the front midline of the body, governing Yin and the interior. CV-15 sits at the very base of the chest — the meeting place of Heart and Lung, of Shen and Qi. In Chinese medicine, the Heart is the residence of the Shen, and the chest is where Qi gathers and moves. When Phlegm or Qi Stagnation disturbs this space, the spirit loses its anchor — the mind races, the chest oppresses, and sleep becomes impossible. CV-15 works right at this junction: calming what is agitated, opening what is bound, and helping the Shen return to stillness.
Location
Find the very bottom tip of the breastbone — the small, pointed xiphoid process — and go 1 Cun below it, on the midline. It sits 7 Cun above the navel. The sternocostal angle (where the ribs meet the breastbone on each side) forms a useful guide: CV-15 lies 1 Cun below that angle, in the soft tissue just beneath the bony tip.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the midline, just below the xiphoid process. In practice, the xiphoid process varies considerably in length between individuals — in some people the point will lie on the process itself, and in others just below it. Deep below this area lie the left lobe of the liver and, if enlarged, the heart.
Needling
The golden tip
CV-15 sits in a sensitive area close to the base of the breastbone and is best treated by a qualified practitioner rather than at home. For general support of the chest and Shen between sessions, gentle slow breathing — inhaling into the chest and belly and exhaling fully — can help open and settle the same region this point governs.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.