In its review of the 48 extra points, the Scientific Group used the following criteria:

1. The point should be in common use.
2. It should be considered clinically effective.
3. It should have a clear anatomical location.
4. It should be at least 0.5 cun⁹ from a classical acupuncture point.
5. If it has the same name as an existing point, a prefix should be added to it.

⁹ The unit of measurement used for locating acupuncture points. A cun is the distance between the interphalangeal creases of the patient’s middle finger.

The proposed alphanumeric code consists of a general prefix “EX”, denoting “extra point”, followed by an alphabetic code indicating the region (HN for head and neck, CA for chest and abdomen, B for back, UE for upper extremity, and LE for lower extremity). Points are numbered from the higher to the lower level for the head, neck and trunk regions; from the proximal to the distal for the upper and lower extremities; and, if at the same level, from the medial to the lateral.

head and neck
tóujing

chest and abdomen
xiongfù

back
bèi

upper extremities
shàngzhi

lower extremities
xiàzhi