The 'Stone Gate' of the lower abdomen. Shimen (CV-5) is a powerful point on the Conception Vessel that moves water, regulates the lower abdomen, and supports the transformation of fluids — a gateway between what the body holds and what it lets go.
Name & story
The name 石门 Shimen means 'Stone Gate'. Picture a heavy stone door set into the earth — solid, regulating, controlling what passes through. In the body, this gate governs the lower abdomen: what flows, what is retained, what is released. It sits at the level of the Triple Burner's Mu point, where the body's water passages and lower energies are managed. The image of stone also hints at its association with difficult, obstructed conditions — blockages in the lower abdomen that feel fixed and unyielding.
Point family & character
Shimen (CV-5) lies on the Conception Vessel (CV), the great Yin vessel of the midline. Its most distinguished character is that it is the Front-Mu (alarm) point of the Triple Burner (San Jiao) — the organ system responsible for the movement and transformation of fluids throughout the body's three levels.
Five-element dynamics
The Triple Burner, whose Mu point this is, has no single organ form — it is the great coordinator of water and warmth through the body's three spaces. When the Lower Burner loses its ability to separate the clear from the turbid, fluids accumulate, the abdomen swells, and elimination becomes difficult. Shimen opens that stone gate, helping water find its proper path downward and outward.
Location
On the midline of the abdomen, 2 Cun below the navel. It sits between CV-6 (Qihai, 1.5 Cun below the navel) and CV-4 (Guanyuan, 3 Cun below the navel).
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the midline of the lower abdomen, over the linea alba.
Needling
The needle is inserted perpendicularly, straight into the lower abdomen.
Safe depth
1–1.5 Cun.
Moxa, cupping & Tui Na
Moxa is well suited here, especially when there is Cold in the lower abdomen, fluid accumulation, or weakness of the Lower Burner. Gentle warming with a moxa stick can help move stagnant water and warm the lower Qi.
The golden tip
For mild lower abdominal bloating or a sensation of heaviness, gently resting a warm hand or a warm pack over the lower abdomen — in the area around CV-5, between the navel and the pubic bone — can help ease discomfort. Always seek guidance from a qualified practitioner before self-treating the lower abdomen.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.