What are the Eight Vessels

he eight vessels are called "Qi Jing Ba Mai." "Qi" means "odd, strange, or mysterious." "Jing" means "meridian or channels." "Ba" means "eight" and "Mai" means "vessels." Qi Jing Ba Mai is then translated as "Odd Meridians and Eight Vessels" or "extraordinary meridian (EM)."

Odd has a meaning of strange in Chinese. It is used simply because these eight vessels are not well understood yet. Many Chinese doctors explain that they are called "Odd" simply because there are four vessels that are not paired. Since these eight vessels also serve the function of homeostasis, sometimes they are called "Homeostatic Meridians." French acupuncturists call them "Miraculous Meridians" because they were able to create therapeutic effects when all other techniques had failed. In addition, because each of these channels exerts a strong effect upon psychic functioning and individuality, the command points are among the most important psychological points in the body. 

For this reason, they are occasionally called "The Eight Psychic Channels." These vessels are:
1. Governing Vessel (Du Mai)
2. Conception Vessel (Ren Mai)
3. Thrusting Vessel (Chong Mai)
4. Girdle (or Belt) Vessel (Dai Mai)
5. Yang Heel Vessel (Yangchiao Mai)
6. Yin Heel Vessel (Yinchiao Mai)
7. Yang Linking Vessel (Yangwei Mai)
8. Yin Linking Vessel (Yinwei Mai).

The first brief mention of some of these eight vessels is found in the second part of the Nei Jing chapter of the book Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic,) (Han dynasty, circa 100-300 B.C.) by Ling Shu. Also, some of the vessels were mentioned in Bian Que’s classic Nan Jing (Classic on Disorders,) (Qin and Han dynasty, 221 B.C. to 220 A.D.). It was not until the 16th century that all eight vessels were deeply studied by Li, Shi-Zhen (1518-1593 A.D.) and revealed in his book Qi Jing Ba Mai Kao (Deep Study of the Extraordinary Eight Vessels). From then until only recently, very few documents have been published on this subject. Although there is more research being published, as yet, there is still no single document, which is able to define this subject systematically and in depth.