"Shou" (手) refers to the upper limb; "Li" (里) means "cun". The original meaning is that the acupoint is five cun below Tianfu (LU3) (see Suwen-Qixue Lun Wang Bing's note), and it is also said to be five cun behind Chize (LU5) (Leijing Zhang Jie-bin's note), leading to some variation in its precise location. The original name was "Wuli". To distinguish it from Zuwuli (LR10) on the lower limb, Zhenjiu Zisheng Jing add "hand" as prefix; Shengji Zonglu add "arm" as prefix.

bubble_chart Location

Shouwuli (LI13) acupoint
(adapted from "Meridians and Acupoints")

On the lateral side of arm, on the line connecting Jianyu (LI15) and Quchi (LI11), Quchi (LI11) 3 cun above.

• Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing: "Three cun above the elbow, moving inward, in the center of the major artery;"
• Xunjing Kaoxue Bian: " Zhouliao (LI12) is slightly outward from Quchi (LI11), Shouwuli is slightly inward."

bubble_chart Anatomy

• Muscle: Origin of brachioradialis, anterior edge of triceps brachii.
• Nerve: dorsal cutaneous nerve of forearm; deep radial nerve trunk.
• Vessel: Between the superficial posterior edge of the origin of the brachioradialis muscle and the triceps brachii muscle, that is, within the muscle membrane sheath on the superficial side of the intermuscular septum on the lateral side of the arm, there are longitudinal accessory branches of the radial accessory artery and the dorsal branch of the vein. (Accompanies the dorsal cutaneous nerve of the forearm). There are radial accessory arteries and palmar branches of veins deep to the brachioradialis muscle. The brachial artery and brachial vein are about 2.5 cun from the surface of the skin.

bubble_chart Manipulation

Perpendicular insertion 0.5~1 cun.

bubble_chart Efficacy

• Classical: fullness and pain under the heart, shortness of breath, wind-induced fatigue and fright, hematemesis, pain in elbows and arms, excessive drowsiness, inability to move the limbs, chills and fever and scrofula, cough, dim or blurred vision, malaria.

bubble_chart Combinations

• Scrofula: Wuli, Binao (LI14).