Acupoint · Acupressure only
Tongziliao
瞳子髎
Location
Standard location. On the head, in the depression, 0.5 B-cun lateral to the outer canthus of the eye.
How to find it. Find the outer corner of the eye, then move one finger-width outward along the bone until the fingertip settles in a small hollow.
The point is on the orbital rim. If the finger slides towards the eye it has gone past it, and if it drifts back towards the hairline it is heading to Taiyang.
Acupressure
What it is used for
Skin and face
- Eye strain and a heavy feeling at the outer corner of the eye
- Temple and outer-eye tension after close work
- The outer edge of the eye sequence on facial-acupressure
- Tension that runs from the eye out towards the temple, alongside Taiyang (EX-HN5)
Actions
- Clears heat from the eyes
- Benefits the eyes and eases strain
- Relieves temporal headache
- Relaxes the outer corner of the eye
Practitioner note
Safety
Safety and when to get help
- On the outer canthus: light pressure on the bony rim only, never on the eyeball and never into the orbit.
- Do not press on a stye, a chalazion or an infected area.
- Stop and see a doctor for eye pain, redness with discharge or any change in vision.
- Needling this point is a practitioner procedure and is not described on this page.
Used with
Common questions
Where exactly is Tongziliao?
In the small hollow on the bony rim about half a cun outside the outer corner of the eye.
Should I press towards the eye?
No. The direction is outward towards the temple, and the pressure stays on the bone.
Is it used with Taiyang?
Yes. It closes the eye sequence and Taiyang, in the temple hollow, follows it.
How it is understood
Tongziliao is the first point of the Gallbladder channel on the face, and it sits at the outer canthus, where the eye area meets the temple. The tradition uses it for the eyes and the side of the head: eye strain, redness, blurred vision from fatigue, and temporal headache. In a facial routine it is the outer anchor of the eye sequence, worked between the brow points and the temple.
Sources
Guidelines and standards
GB-1 Tongziliao
On the head, in the depression, 0.5 B-cun lateral to the outer canthus of the eye.
WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008.
Location quoted from the WHO standard. The classical record for this point has not been verified against a primary text here, so it is not quoted.