Acupuncture Bronze Figure

The acupuncture bronze figure is an important tool in the development of traditional Chinese medical education and acupuncture studies. It originated in the Song Dynasty and was initially cast under the supervision of Wang Weiyi, aiming to help learners intuitively grasp the distribution patterns of meridians and acupoints in the human body. The bronze figure is marked with the positions of acupoints throughout its body according to the meridian system and their names, serving as a teaching medium that combines theory with practice.

Its most prominent feature is that it can visually display the direction of meridians and the location of acupoints on the model, providing learners with a basis to rely on when studying meridian theory and acupuncture. In ancient times, bronze figures were often made into hollow structures that could be filled with water. During practice, wax was applied to the acupoints to seal them. If the trainees accurately needled and the wax layer fell off while water flowed out, it indicated that the acupoints were correctly located.

This assessment method not only enhances the intuitiveness and interest of learning, but also promotes the standardization of acupuncture education. Modern acupuncture bronze figures are mostly used for teaching demonstrations and operation training, helping students become familiar with the distribution of human acupoints and improving the accuracy of clinical applications. At the same time, it is also an important symbol of acupuncture culture, demonstrating the scientific nature and historical inheritance value of traditional Chinese medicine education. The emergence of the acupuncture bronze figure not only promoted the development of ancient acupuncture studies but also laid the foundation for contemporary acupuncture teaching and dissemination.