24/03/2025
Luòquè (络却, BL-8) name came from and meaning
Name Explanation:
The term luò (络) refers to collateral connections, while què (却) denotes returning. The qi of the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang enters inward at this point to connect with the brain and then circles back, hence the name Luòquè (络却, "Collateral Return").
Luò (络): Refers to the smaller collateral branches diverging from the main meridians. As stated in Língshū·Mài Dù (Spiritual Pivot, Chapter on Vessel Measurement): "The main meridians run longitudinally, while the transverse branches are the collaterals."
Què (却): Originally written as 卻, meaning "to retreat" or "to return." It is also phonetically related to xì (隙, "crevice") and xì (郄, "cleft"), referring to the gaps between bones and flesh.
The Foot-Taiyang Meridian originates at the inner canthus, ascends to the forehead, and reaches the vertex. At this point (Luòquè), the meridian crosses laterally—left to right and right to left—to intersect at Bǎihuì (GV-20), as described in the phrase "ascends the forehead and crosses the vertex."
Horizontally traversing vessels are called luò (collaterals).
Larger crevices are termed xì (郄, clefts).
Since this acupoint lies on a transverse collateral pathway and occupies a major cleft, it is named Luòquè (络却).
After passing through Tōngtiān (BL-7), the Foot-Taiyang Meridian travels through Luòquè (BL-8) and Yùzhěn (BL-9) to enter and connect with the brain, then exits and descends along the neck. This point marks where the meridian both returns and retreats, justifying its name Luòquè ("Collateral Return").
