How many meridians are there in the body?

Everyone's body structure is different, and each person's body is composed of many meridians. Human bones and body muscles are composed of meridians, so meridians are very important to the human body. The human body often suffers from various diseases due to external factors. Therefore, people should pay attention to regulating their body meridians to prevent and treat diseases. How many meridians are there in the body?

1. How many meridians are there in the human body?

The meridians in the human body can generally be divided into twelve meridians, eight extraordinary meridians, and the central meridian described by Tibetan Tantric practitioners. The twelve meridians refer to the gallbladder meridian, liver meridian, lung meridian, large intestine meridian, stomach meridian, spleen meridian, heart meridian, small intestine meridian, bladder meridian, kidney meridian, pericardium meridian, and triple burner meridian. These twelve meridians connect the vital energy of the five internal organs in the human body, including the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidney, large intestine, small intestine, stomach, gallbladder, bladder, and triple burner, and make them circulate naturally according to the changes of the twelve hours. In fact, these twelve meridians are connected in every normal human body.

2. Distribution of human meridians

The twelve meridians are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the human body, running along the inner or outer sides of the upper or lower limbs respectively. Each meridian belongs to an internal organ or a bowel movement. Therefore, the name of each of the twelve meridians includes three parts: hand or foot, yin or yang, and internal organ or bowel movement. The hand meridians run through the upper limbs, the foot meridians run through the lower limbs; the yin meridians run through the inner sides of the limbs and belong to the internal organs, while the yang meridians run through the outer sides of the limbs and belong to the internal organs.

3. The direction of the human meridians

The direction and intersection of the twelve meridians inside the human body follow certain rules. According to Lingshu. In "Reverse and Shun Fat and Thin", it is said: "The three yin meridians of the hand, the three yang meridians of the hand, run from the hand to the head; the three yang meridians of the foot run from the head to the foot; the three yin meridians of the foot run from the foot to the abdomen." This means that the three yin meridians of the hand run from the chest to the fingertips and intersect with the three yang meridians of the hand; the three yang meridians of the hand run from the fingertips to the head and face and intersect with the three yang meridians of the foot; the three yang meridians of the foot run from the head and face to the toes and intersect with the three yin meridians of the foot; the three yin meridians of the foot run from the toes to the abdomen and chest and intersect with the three yin meridians of the hand, thus forming a circular path of "yin and yang intersecting, like a ring with no end".