Pressure Points VS Acupoints

Jianghu
1

When I read the Condor Trilogy, certain part of the translation used the term Pressure Points, other part would use the term Acupoints. Are they the same thing?

psksvp

1 Like
2

The right translation would be acupoints, but pressure points refers to the same thing.

4

Thanks @Jenxi

In JY universe, from a short list of novels that I’ve read, there was a number of actions that could be done with acupoints:

  • sealed off - caused the targeted person to be frozen?
  • massage - Improve circulation?
  • block - Stop blood flow?
  • circulate Chi through them - cultivating internal energy?
  • needle (acupuncture) - healing
    Are they closed to what JY tried to convey his idea?

Or this question should be asked? It ups to the imagination of the reader?

psksvp

5

These are actually kinda well known in the wuxia genre. Kinda like how you have mana for magic or have to cast from a scroll or use a magic wand or staff in the western fantasy genre.

Sealing an acupoint means applying pressure that blocks the qi circulation. The most common use of this is to temporarily paralyse a person. Depending on the acupoint sealed, you can affect different parts of the body. For example, you can make someone lose sight, hearing or taste. Or you can make them feel intense pain or itchy.

Massaging improves circulation, but they can also improve circulation through right breathing techniques and also moving the qi in their bodies to direct the flow. A common feature is a bottleneck in the flow of qi that once they overcome will cause them to improve greatly in their abilities, kinda akin to levelling up.

Using needle helps to improve circulation, usually used in treatment.

6

I think there’s significant overlap, but pressure points would be a subset of acupoints.

There’s like hundreds of “points” on the body which according to traditional Chinese medicine are points where chi/qi flow through, and applying pressure to those points have all kinds of different effects.

“Pressure point” in common parlance generally refer to the subset of points which experience pain disproportionate to the amount of pressure applied, usually in pain compliance holds.

Like there’s dozens of acupoints on the bottom of the foot, but none of those are generally considered “pressure points”.

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I’m pretty sure I felt pain when the masseur pressed on the acupoints on my feet :rofl: