ST-22 Guanmen (关门) — Acupuncture Point — Qiniusway
ST-22
关门Guanmen
The gatekeeper of the Middle Burner. Guanmen (ST-22) keeps digestion flowing by moving Qi through the epigastrium, regulating the water passages and clearing Dampness — a quiet but dependable point whenever the middle of the body feels blocked, waterlogged or sluggish.
Meridian
Stomach channel
Pinyin name
Guanmen
Contraindications
⚠️ As with all points on the abdomen, needling should not be too deep. In thin patients, be mindful of the peritoneal cavity beneath. Standard clean, careful needling technique keeps this point entirely safe.
Name & story
The name 关门 Guanmen means "Pass Gate" or "Closing Gate". Picture the middle of the body as a busy crossroads, with a gate that controls what passes through — food, fluids, Qi. When this gate is working well, everything moves smoothly. When it jams, food accumulates, fluids pool into Dampness and Qi stagnates. Guanmen is the point that tends the gate — opening it when it is stuck, and holding it closed when things are leaking through too fast, as in chronic diarrhoea.
Point family & character
Guanmen (ST-22) belongs to the Stomach Meridian (ST). It has no special classical category (no Yuan Source, Xi Cleft or element point designation), but it is valued as a reliable local point on the abdomen, sitting at a level with Jianli REN-11.
Five-element dynamics
The Stomach is the Yang organ of the Earth element — the great "kitchen" of the body, responsible for receiving and ripening food and drink. Guanmen sits squarely in the Middle Burner, the zone where this transformation happens. When the Earth element is overwhelmed by Dampness or food accumulation, Qi stops flowing freely through the epigastrium and abdomen. Guanmen steps in to move that stagnant Qi and restore the Middle Burner's role as a clear, open passageway. It also reaches down into the Lower Burner, helping the body manage fluids and oedema — making it one of the more broadly acting points on the upper abdominal section of the Stomach channel.
Location
On the abdomen, 2 Cun lateral to the midline (the front centre line) and 3 Cun above the navel, level with Jianli REN-11. The 2 Cun line sits roughly halfway between the midline and the palpable outer border of the rectus abdominis muscle.
Anatomy & fascia
The point lies on the rectus abdominis muscle.
Needling
The needle is inserted perpendicularly (straight in).
Safe depth
1–1.5 Cun is the standard working depth for this abdominal location.
Moxa, cupping & Tui Na
The golden tip
If the belly feels bloated, heavy or waterlogged after meals, gentle self-massage at this point can help. Find it three fingers' widths above the navel and two fingers' widths to the side of the midline. Press softly in small circles for one to two minutes on each side. Warmth — a warm pack over the upper abdomen — is a simple and comforting complement, especially in cold or damp weather.
For education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner.
Moxa (warming with mugwort) suits this point well, especially when the pattern involves Cold, Dampness or chronic weakness of the Middle Burner. Gentle abdominal massage (Tui Na) around the epigastric region can complement needling, particularly for fluid accumulation and sluggish digestion.
Functions
Moves Qi in the epigastrium and abdomen; Regulates the Water passages of the Middle Burner; Resolves Dampness in the Middle and Lower Burner; Reduces oedema; Regulates the Stomach and Spleen and transforms food accumulation; Raises Qi and stops diarrhoea.
Indications
Epigastric pain and distension, poor appetite, borborygmus (rumbling in the belly), vomiting, undigested food in the stool, chronic or slippery diarrhoea (the persistent kind that weakens and exhausts, accompanied by shortness of breath, loss of appetite and emaciation). Oedema and fluid accumulation, particularly when the Middle or Lower Burner's water passages are not flowing freely.
Mind & spirit (Shen)
Guanmen does not have a direct classical association with the Shen or mental-emotional conditions. Yet in Chinese medicine, a congested Middle Burner quietly drains the mind: when the belly is stuck, bloated and heavy, thinking becomes foggy and the spirit grows dull. By clearing the gate and letting Qi flow again through the centre, the point can ease that heavy, clouded feeling that comes with prolonged digestive stagnation — not a dramatic effect on the Shen, but a gentle, grounding one.
Point combinations
With Ren-9 (Shuifen) and Ren-11 (Jianli) — a classic trio for Dampness in the Middle or Lower Burner and for oedema, as all three points share the same energetic level and together regulate the water passages of the abdomen.
Clinical spotlight
Guanmen (ST-22) is noted in the sources as an important point specifically for Dampness in the Middle and/or Lower Burner and for oedema — a role that sets it apart from its near neighbours on the Stomach channel, which tend to focus more on pure digestive Excess or Heat patterns. Its other distinguishing indication is "slippery diarrhoea" — the chronic, relentless kind where downward collapse of Qi makes the diarrhoea both day and night, progressively weakening the patient. In this context Guanmen acts to hold the gate and raise the sinking Qi, stabilising the Middle Burner.