Which BL point is located 3 cun lateral to the midline, level with the lower border of the spinous process of the fifth thoracic vertebra and BL-15?

• A. BL 43
• B. BL 44
• C. BL 41
• D. BL 42

Answer: (B)

Think about how the Bladder back-shu/point map runs along the thoracic spine. At the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra, a point located 3 cun lateral to the midline corresponds to Shenfu, the Bladder point at that level. This sits on the same horizontal line as BL-15 (Xinshu, the Heart Shu) but further from the midline—BL-15 is about 1.5 cun lateral, while BL-44 is 3 cun lateral. The other nearby bladder points lie at higher thoracic levels (BL-41 around T2, BL-42 around T3, BL-43 around T4), so they don’t match the described position. Therefore, the point described is Shenfu, Bladder 44.