Acupoint · Acupressure only
Taiyang
太阳
Location
Standard location. In the temple, in the hollow about one finger-breadth (one cun) posterior to the midpoint between the lateral end of the eyebrow and the outer canthus of the eye.
How to find it. Find the outer end of the eyebrow and the outer corner of the eye, take the halfway point between them, then move back towards the hairline until the finger settles into the soft hollow. After a long day at a screen it is usually tender.
The point sits in the hollow, not on the pulse. The superficial temporal artery runs through the temple, so a throbbing contact means the finger is on the vessel.
Acupressure
What it is used for
Skin and face
- Temple tension and the outer end of a habitual frown.
- Flushing with heat in the face, alongside Liver Qi Stagnation that transforms into Heat.
- The temple part of the routine on facial-acupressure.
- Tension after screen work, alongside dark-circles where eye strain is part of the picture.
Actions
- Clears heat from the head and eyes
- Relieves temporal headache
- Relaxes the temple and the jaw
- Eases eye strain after close work
Practitioner note
Safety
Safety and when to get help
- Press the hollow, not the pulsation: the superficial temporal artery runs here.
- Light pressure only. The temple is thin skin over bone.
- A new, severe or one-sided headache with tenderness over the temple, pain on chewing or any change in vision needs a doctor, not acupressure.
- Do not press on a bruised or sunburnt temple.
Used with
Common questions
Where is Taiyang exactly?
In the temple hollow, about one finger-breadth behind the halfway point between the outer end of the eyebrow and the outer corner of the eye.
Why does it hurt when I press it?
Temple tenderness is common after sustained close work, clenching or a long day. Press lightly and let the tenderness settle rather than working harder.
Is Taiyang on a meridian?
No. It is an extra point, numbered EX-HN5, and it is not part of the 361 meridian points.
How it is understood
Taiyang is the temple hollow, a place where several channels pass close to the surface and where tension collects. The tradition uses it for headache with a hot, tight or throbbing quality, for eye strain after long close work, and for the temple tightness that comes with clenching the jaw. In a facial routine it sits at the outer end of the brow line, so it is worked with the brow rather than on its own.
Sources
Guidelines and standards
EX-HN5 Taiyang
In the temple, in the hollow about one finger-breadth posterior to the midpoint between the lateral end of the eyebrow and the outer canthus of the eye.
GB/T 40997-2021 (extra points in common use) Standardization Administration of China, 2021.
Extra point; the location is cited to GB/T 40997-2021 (extra points in common use) and cross-checked against the site owner's diagram.