The emergency point of the Heart channel. Yinxi (HT-6) steps in when the Heart is under acute stress — stopping night sweats, calming alarm palpitations, and cooling the hidden fire that burns beneath the surface when Yin runs thin.
Contraindications
Yinxi (HT-6) is a safe and accessible wrist point with no special contraindications reported in the classical or modern sources. Use standard clean needle technique and stay within the recommended depth.
Name & story
The name 阴郄 Yinxi is made of two characters: Yin (阴) and Xi (郄), meaning "cleft" or "crevice". Together they paint a picture of a deep, narrow gap — a place where something precious gathers in the depths. And that is exactly what a Xi Cleft point is: a spot on the channel where the Qi and Blood (Xue) plunge downward into a deeper layer, like water rushing into a hidden gorge. The Yin in the name reminds us that this is a Yin channel, and that the point has a special bond with the Blood (Xue) and with the quiet, nourishing side of the Heart.
Point family & character
Yinxi (HT-6) belongs to the Heart Meridian (HT). Its defining character is that it is the Xi Cleft point of the channel — the gathering place where Qi and Blood (Xue) collect and plunge deep. Xi Cleft points across all channels are called upon in acute conditions and pain; and because this one belongs to a Yin channel, it carries the added ability to address Blood (Xue) disorders — in particular bleeding and the kind of stirring of Blood by Heat that produces haemorrhage.
Five-element dynamics
The Heart belongs to the Fire element, and it governs the Blood (Xue) and houses the Shen. When the Heart's Yin becomes depleted — worn away by chronic stress, overwork or illness — a deficiency Fire smoulders inside, invisible and restless. It is this hidden Fire that drives the body to sweat at night, that startles the Shen into palpitations at rest, and that slowly consumes what little cool moisture remains. Yinxi (HT-6), as the Xi Cleft of the Heart, reaches into that deep reservoir of Qi and Blood (Xue) and acts urgently: it moderates the acute flare-up, cools the deficiency Fire, and helps protect the Blood (Xue) from being driven out of its vessels.
Location
Find the ulnar (little-finger) side of the wrist crease. Feel for the thick tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris running toward the wrist — Yinxi (HT-6) sits just to the radial side of that tendon, 0.5 Cun above the wrist crease. It is nestled between HT-5 (Tongli, 1 Cun above the crease) and HT-7 (Shenmen, at the crease itself).
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the ulnar side of the wrist, at the radial edge of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon, where the forearm meets the wrist crease.
Needling
The golden tip
If you wake at night drenched in sweat, or feel your heart suddenly racing with anxiety, try finding Yinxi (HT-6): on the little-finger side of the wrist, just 0.5 Cun (roughly half a thumb's width) above the wrist crease, at the edge of the prominent tendon there. Press gently but firmly with your opposite thumb for one to two minutes, breathing slowly. This will not replace a professional consultation for ongoing symptoms, but as a calming first measure in a moment of acute alarm or night-time restlessness, it is a safe and time-honoured self-care gesture.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.