A gentle gateway on the Kidney channel's upward path through the abdomen. Futonggu (KI-20) helps food and water move freely through the middle, calming the stomach, easing fullness, and clearing the chest — a quiet but reliable point where digestion and breath meet.
Name & story
The name 腹通谷 Futonggu tells a small story: 腹 fù means "abdomen", 通 tōng means "passing through" or "free passage", and 谷 gǔ means both "valley" and — through its homophone — "grain" or "food and water". The point appeared in one of the earliest classics of acupuncture, the Systematic Classic (Zhēn Jiǔ Jiǎ Yǐ Jīng), and was named for its location on the belly, right along the pathway where food and water travel through the body. Think of it as a mountain valley through which a river flows — the Qi of the Kidney channel passes through the muscles of the central abdomen like water finding its way through a gorge. When the passage is blocked and the river backs up, this is the point that opens the gate and lets things move again.
Point family & character
Futonggu (KI-20) belongs to the Kidney Meridian (KI). It is one of the upper abdominal points of the channel where the Kidney channel meets and travels together with the Penetrating vessel (Chong Mai) — a deeply important extraordinary vessel that governs Blood (Xue) and the fundamental currents of the body.
Five-element dynamics
The Kidney is the Water element, the deepest root of Yin and Yang in the body. Yet this point sits in the upper abdomen — the domain of Earth, of digestion, of the Stomach and Spleen. Here Water and Earth meet: the Kidney channel, carrying its essential vitality upward, passes through the middle region where food is transformed. When digestion is overwhelmed — when food stagnates, Qi rebels upward, or the chest fills with pressure — Futonggu (KI-20) helps restore the downward flow, letting the middle settle so that the Kidney's own Qi can rise smoothly to nourish the heart and mind.
Location
On the upper abdomen, 5 Cun above the centre of the navel (umbilicus), and 0.5 Cun lateral to the midline. It sits just beside the midline point Shangwan (REN-13), one Cun below its neighbour Youmen (KI-21).
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the upper abdomen, in the region of the rectus abdominis muscle.
Needling
The needle is inserted perpendicularly. A sensation of local soreness or heaviness is typical.
Safe depth
Perpendicular insertion 0.5 to 1 Cun. Caution: deep needling, especially in thin subjects, may penetrate the peritoneal cavity.
Moxa, cupping & Tui Na
Moxibustion is appropriate at this point — warming with a moxa stick for several minutes can help when there is Cold in the middle, poor digestion, or a sensation of fullness and stagnation. Gentle abdominal Tui Na massage around the point can also support its action of moving Qi and easing the stomach.
Functions
Harmonises the Stomach and descends rebellious Qi; Fortifies the Spleen and regulates digestion; Unblockes the middle and moves food and water; Benefits the chest and eases fullness; Calms the Heart and settles the Shen.
Indications
Abdominal distension and fullness, stomach pain, vomiting, nausea, hiccups, and counterflow Qi rising upward. Diarrhoea. Fullness and oppression of the chest, pain of the lateral costal region, Heart pain. Coughing and dyspnoea. Rhinitis with clear nasal discharge (used classically in combination). Palpitations, disorientation, epilepsy. Sudden loss of voice; swelling beneath the tongue with difficulty in speaking; protrusion of the tongue; deviation of the mouth. Inability to turn the neck. Redness of the eyes originating at the inner canthus. Malaria.
Mind & spirit (Shen)
Futonggu (KI-20) sits on the Kidney channel, which in Chinese medicine has a direct inner pathway connecting all the way up to the Heart — and the Heart is the home of the Shen. When the middle is blocked and Qi rebels upward, that disturbed movement can stir the Heart: palpitations come, the mind becomes disoriented, and in more extreme cases even epilepsy or sudden loss of speech can follow. By restoring order in the abdomen and calming the upward rush of rebellious Qi, this point helps the Shen find steadiness again — gently, through the pathway that Water and Fire share.
Point combinations
With Hegu (LI-4), Fengmen (BL-12), Shenting (DU-24), Zanzhu (BL-2), Yingxiang (LI-20) and Zhiyin (BL-67) — classical formula from the Thousand Ducat Formulas for rhinitis with clear nasal discharge.
Clinical spotlight
What makes Futonggu (KI-20) interesting is its position at the crossroads of two powerful currents: the Kidney channel and the Penetrating vessel (Chong Mai). The Chong Mai is sometimes called the "Sea of Blood" and the "Sea of the twelve channels" — it governs the deepest tides of Qi and Blood (Xue) in the body. Points along its abdominal pathway, including KI-20, can influence not just local digestion but the broader movement of Qi through the trunk, which explains the striking range of indications: from stomach fullness and vomiting all the way to Heart pain, palpitations, and sudden loss of voice. The name itself offers the clinical key: when the passage of food and water is blocked, clear it — and many things downstream settle on their own.
The golden tip
If you notice a heavy, full, or uncomfortable feeling in the upper abdomen — especially after eating — gently press the point with your fingertips: find the midline of your belly, move up about five finger-widths from the navel, then shift just a tiny bit to one side. Hold gentle circular pressure for one to two minutes. Warmth over the area (a warm compress or warm hand) can also relieve a cold, stagnant feeling in the stomach.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.