Measuring in cun: the acupressure unit
The cun is the unit of measurement used in Chinese medicine. It is not a number of centimetres: it is taken with the fingers of the person whose point you are looking for. That is why the same description works on a child and on a tall adult.
The key principle
Always measure with the fingers of the person concerned. If you are locating a point on someone else, use their fingers, not yours.
The four landmarks used in the atlas
1 cun
The width of the thumb, at the joint.
1.5 cun
The width of the index and middle fingers held together.
2 cun
The width of the index, middle and ring fingers held together.
3 cun
The width of the four fingers held together (without the thumb), at the joint.
