Twenty characters that assign four points to the four regions of the body.
The English is translated from the Chinese vernacular. The original text and its pinyin sit beneath each sentence in smaller type; hide them whenever you prefer to read the translation alone.
For belly and abdomen retain Zusanli; for low back and spine seek Weizhong; for head and nape look to Lieque; for face and mouth take Hegu.
ORIGINAL肚腹三里留，腰背委中求，头项寻列缺，面口合谷收。
dù fù sān lǐ liú，yāo bèi wěi zhōng qiú，tóu xiàng xún liè quē，miàn kǒu hé gǔ shōu。
Later hands added: for heart and chest take Neiguan; for the lower abdomen, Sanyinjiao; for aching and soreness, the ashi point; in emergency, needle Shuigou.
ORIGINAL（后人增补：心胸取内关，小腹三阴谋，酸痛阿是穴，急救刺水沟。）
（hòu rén zēng bǔ：xīn xiōng qǔ nèi guān，xiǎo fù sān yīn móu，suān tòngā shì xué，jí jiù cì shuǐ gōu。）
—— 《针灸大成·四总穴歌》
The shortest and most widely known of the acupuncture songs: for disorders of the abdomen, Zusanli; for the head and neck, Lieque; for the back, Weizhong; for the face and mouth, Hegu.
Its popularity comes from its economy. Four distal points cover the four great regions of the body, which makes the song both a mnemonic and a demonstration of the logic of distant point selection. Practitioners have argued for centuries about how literally to apply it, but almost every student learns it first.
Four command points (四总穴): four summary points able to govern disorders of many regions.
Retain, seek, search, gather (留、求、寻、收): four interchangeable terms, all meaning to take this point and treat with it.
Only twenty characters, yet the crystallised experience of many centuries. In primary care and self-care the four command points remain the most frequently used group. One caution: the song states what is usual, while practice must discern what varies — one does not needle Weizhong for every low back pain without asking whether the pattern is full or empty.