A quiet but capable point on the lower abdomen, Zhongzhu (KI-15) works where the Kidney channel meets the Penetrating vessel — regulating the intestines, easing abdominal pain, and supporting the lower Jiao. When the bowels are stuck and the lower belly aches, this is a point worth knowing.
Name & story
The name 中注 Zhongzhu means roughly "Central Infusion" or "Pouring into the Centre". 中 (zhōng) is the middle, the centre — and 注 (zhù) means to pour in, to infuse, to direct flow. The image is of Qi and fluid being channelled inward to the core of the abdomen, filling and moving what has become stuck or dry. It captures the point's nature perfectly: it pours movement back into a belly that has gone quiet and sluggish.
Point family & character
Zhongzhu (KI-15) belongs to the Kidney channel (KI). It is notably a meeting point of the Kidney channel with the Penetrating vessel (Chong Mai) — one of the eight extraordinary vessels, sometimes called the Sea of Blood and the Sea of the twelve channels. This dual belonging gives the point a reach beyond a simple local abdominal point.
Five-element dynamics
The Kidney channel belongs to the Water element — the deep, still reservoir that underlies all life. When Water fails to move and moisten, the intestines dry out, stools harden, and the lower belly becomes tight and painful. Zhongzhu (KI-15), sitting on the abdomen where the Kidney channel rises and meets the great Penetrating vessel, brings the nourishing, moistening quality of Water back into the bowels, and helps Qi flow again through the lower Jiao.
Location
On the abdomen, 1 Cun above the upper border of the pubic symphysis and 0.5 Cun lateral to the midline — that is, 0.5 Cun to the side of Yinjiao (REN-7). It sits just below the level of the umbilicus, in the row of Kidney channel points that run close to the midline.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the lower abdomen, over the rectus abdominis muscle.
Needling
The needle is inserted perpendicularly (straight in).
Safe depth
1 to 1.5 Cun. ⚠️ Caution: deep needling may penetrate the peritoneal cavity — keep to the stated depth.
Moxa, cupping & Tui Na
Gentle moxa can be used to warm the lower abdomen when Cold is the underlying pattern — especially useful in cold-type Shan disorder or cold in the epigastrium. Acupressure over the point can help ease mild abdominal discomfort between treatments.
Functions
Regulates the intestines and alleviates pain. Regulates Qi and warms the lower Jiao. Regulates and warms the intestines. Supports the movement of the Penetrating vessel (Chong Mai).
Indications
Constipation, dry and difficult stools, diarrhoea, borborygmus (rumbling in the belly). Pain of the epigastrium and abdomen, cutting pain of the abdomen, distension and pain of the abdomen, cold in the epigastrium. Shan disorder due to Cold. Vomiting. The five types of painful urinary dysfunction. Irregular menstruation. Sensation of heat in the lower abdomen. Redness and pain of the eye at the inner canthus. Pain of the lumbar spine and abdomen; rushing sensation up and down the lumbar spine.
Point combinations
With local abdominal points for intestinal regulation and abdominal pain. As part of the Kidney channel abdominal points when working with the Penetrating vessel (Chong Mai) to address menstrual irregularity or deep constitutional digestive weakness.
Clinical spotlight
What makes Zhongzhu (KI-15) quietly distinctive is its dual identity: it sits on the Kidney channel — the channel of Water, moistening and warming the deepest structures — and at the same time it meets the Penetrating vessel, the great "Sea of Blood" that flows through the core of the body. This makes it useful not only as a local point for constipation and abdominal pain, but as a point that can address the deeper root when dryness, Cold, or Qi Stagnation in the lower Jiao is involved. The range of its indications — from dry stools and cutting abdominal pain to irregular menstruation and even eye redness at the inner canthus (where the Kidney channel connects) — shows how far its reach extends when understood through the lens of the channels it belongs to.
The golden tip
If the lower belly feels tight, cold or sluggish, gently massaging the area 0.5 Cun to either side of the midline, just above the pubic bone, can encourage movement. A warm compress or hot water bottle over the lower abdomen is a safe and comforting home measure when Cold is the pattern — coldness, tightening pain, and stools that are hard to pass. Always consult a practitioner for persistent or severe symptoms.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.