The fontanelle's own point. Xinhui (GV-22) sits at the very place where the skull was once open to the sky — the anterior fontanelle of a newborn. On the Governing Vessel (GV), it gathers Yang Qi to the crown, clears the head, and opens the nose. A quiet but significant point for headaches, nasal congestion, and the muddled mind.
Name & story
The name 囟会 Xinhui means 'Fontanelle Meeting'. 囟 (xìn) is the classical character for the anterior fontanelle — the soft, pulsing opening at the top of a baby's skull, the last place the skull closes after birth. 会 (huì) means meeting or convergence. The point sits precisely where all that openness once lived, and the name reminds us that the crown of the head is a place of gathering: Yang Qi from the whole body rises here, and the Governing Vessel (GV) meets the world at this very spot. There is something poetic about choosing the fontanelle — the body's most open moment — as the name for a point that treats the head when it has become too closed, too congested, too heavy.
Point family & character
Xinhui (GV-22) belongs to the Governing Vessel (GV), the great Yang channel that runs up the spine and over the crown of the head. It sits on the midline of the skull, between Shangxing (GV-23) below it and Qianding (GV-21) above it, close to the powerful Baihui (GV-20).
Five-element dynamics
The Governing Vessel (GV) is the sea of all Yang channels — it collects Yang Qi and carries it upward to the head, where clarity and alertness depend on that Yang rising freely. Xinhui (GV-22) is positioned near the crown, and like its neighbours on the channel, it participates in directing Yang upward when it is deficient, or dispersing it when it accumulates as Wind, Heat or Phlegm in the head. Because the nose and the brain both depend on clear, unobstructed Yang Qi reaching the top, this point — sitting at the ancient 'open door' of the skull — is well placed to restore that clarity.
Location
On the crown of the head, on the midline, 2 Cun behind the front hairline — which places it 1 Cun behind Shangxing (GV-23) and 1 Cun in front of Qianding (GV-21).
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies in the scalp, on the midline of the head, in the galea aponeurotica (the fibrous sheet connecting the scalp muscles). The underlying bone is the frontal bone, near the coronal suture.
Needling
The needle is inserted horizontally (transversely) along the scalp, in the same way as other scalp points on the Governing Vessel (GV). The needle slides just beneath the skin along the galea.
The golden tip
For a heavy, congested head or a blocked nose, gentle circular pressure with the fingertip on the midline of the skull — about two fingers' width behind the front hairline — can bring a sense of relief and openness. A few minutes of quiet pressure or gentle massage here, perhaps combined with the same at Shangxing (GV-23) just in front of it, is a safe and simple daily practice.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.