Sizhukong (TE23): The Outer Eyebrow Point for Temple Headache and Tired Eyes

Where Sizhukong Sits

This point sits in the small dip at the outer end of each eyebrow, on the bony rim of the eye socket, toward the temple.

The line this point belongs to runs from the hand up to the head. It starts at the outer side of the ring finger, crosses the back of the wrist, climbs the back of the forearm and upper arm, rises over the shoulder and up the side of the neck, then circles behind the ear. It finishes here, at the outer end of the eyebrow. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Triple Energizer channel, also written as the Sanjiao or San Jiao. This is its twenty-third and last stop. From here, in this tradition, the flow passes to the Gallbladder channel at the outer corner of the eye nearby.

The old texts place it in the depression at the tip of the eyebrow. No measuring is needed. The World Health Organization standard of 2008 uses the same description: on the head, in the depression at the outer end of the eyebrow. The eyebrow and the bone beneath it are the landmarks.

Underneath lies a ring of muscle that circles the eye and closes the eyelids. Squeeze your eyes shut and you can feel its outer edge firm up under your fingertip. Beneath it is the bony rim of the eye socket, which at this corner runs up toward the side of the head. That rim is what you press against. It protects the eye, which sits well inside and below it.

The skin here is served by small branches of the fifth cranial nerve, the main nerve of feeling for the face. One branch comes up over the brow from the ridge above the eye; another comes forward from the side of the face across the temple. Small vessels from the artery that runs in front of the ear also reach this area. This is a busy, sensitive patch of skin, and it does not need much force.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the outer brow sits where several small muscles of the face meet the edge of the temple. The muscle around the eye squints and screws up the eyes all day, especially in bright light or when reading small print. The broad jaw muscle on the side of the head begins a little behind this point. When the eyes are strained and the jaw is clenched, this corner of the face often aches. A light press here works into that tired junction.

In this tradition this point is an ending and a hand-over. It is the last point of a channel that runs from the hand to the head, and it passes the flow to the channel that serves the side of the head and the eyes. That position is why the old books use it for headaches at the side of the head and the outer brow, and for complaints of the eyes. Because the same channel starts at the ring finger, teachers often pair a point on the forearm with this one, working the line from both ends.

The name describes the eyebrow. Silk bamboo means the fine, slender leaves of a bamboo plant, which the old writers saw in the shape of the brow. Hollow is the small dip at its tip. Its Vietnamese name, Ty Trúc Không, carries the same three ideas.

What the Old Texts Say About Sizhukong

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, set the location still used today: in the depression at the tip of the eyebrow. The same work gives a clear warning that this point must not be warmed with burning herbs, the old practice of heating points with smouldering mugwort. The worry was harm to the eye. Later manuals repeated that caution for centuries. It is a good reminder that the old practitioners handled the area around the eye with respect, and so should we. Use light pressure here, and no heat at all.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for headache and for diseases of the eyes. The same book gives the plain way to find it used in this page: in the dip close to the tail of the eyebrow, where a press brings a dull, aching tenderness.

In the wider tradition the point appears in combinations for one-sided headache at the temple, for eyes that feel tired, dry or strained, and for twitching of the eyelid. It is often joined with the inner end of the eyebrow and with the temple, so that the whole brow is worked in one short sitting. That reputation comes from long use rather than proof. It tells you which complaints the old practitioners had in mind: aching around the eye and the side of the head, often after long close work.

Points That Work With Sizhukong

The first partner sits at the inner end of the eyebrow. Run your fingertip along the brow toward the nose; at the very start of the eyebrow, on the bony ridge, there is a small notch or dip. In this tradition it is commonly paired with this one for tired eyes and a heavy brow. Working the inner and outer ends of the brow one after the other covers the whole ridge.

The second sits at the temple, a little behind this point. Find the point midway between the outer end of your eyebrow and the outer corner of your eye, then go back about one finger-width into a soft hollow on the flat of the temple. It is used with this one when the ache sits squarely at the side of the head.

The third is on the forearm, on the same channel. Turn your hand palm down and find the crease on the back of the wrist. Measure three finger-widths up from the crease toward the elbow, in the middle of the forearm, between its two bones. It is used with this one when a headache sits at the side of the head, so the channel is worked from both ends.

How to Find and Press Sizhukong

Getting Into Position

Sit at a table and rest both elbows on it, so your arms stay relaxed while you work. Take off your glasses, and take out contact lenses if you wear them. Wash your hands. Close your eyes once you have found the spot.

How to Find It

Place a fingertip in the middle of your eyebrow and run it slowly outward along the brow. Where the hairs of the brow run out, keep your fingertip on the bone. You will feel the bony rim of the eye socket turning up toward the side of the head. Right at the tail of the brow there is a small, shallow dip in that bone. That dip is the area. It sits above and slightly outside the outer corner of the eye, never on the eyelid.

Now probe the dip gently with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in tiny steps. Most of it will feel like ordinary skin over bone. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. If you feel pressure on the eye itself, or your vision blurs or flashes, you are too close to the eye. Lift off, move up and outward onto the bone, and use less force.

How to Press It

Keep the tip of the tool or thumb on the stinging spot and rub in small circles, smaller than a fingernail, roughly one each second. Aim the pressure straight back toward the side of the head, onto the bone. Never press inward or downward toward the eyeball. Keep your eyes closed. You can work both sides at once, one hand on each side. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide onto the eyelid.

How Much Pressure

Gentle is right here, less than you would use anywhere else on the body. A small sting under the tool tells you that you are on the point. The test is what happens when you lift off: the sting should fade within moments. If the pain stays after you lift the tool, if it spreads, or if the skin turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. Stop at once for any pain in the eye, blurring, flashes of light or watering that does not settle. If you are holding your breath or screwing up your face, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

Work each side for one to three minutes. In the first sessions keep to about one minute, because the point is often most tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both sides. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer does not add benefit; it mostly adds soreness to a delicate area.

When to Do It

Mid-afternoon suits eyes that are tired from reading, sewing, puzzles or screens. Press, then keep your eyes closed for a minute, or look at something far away. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a headache wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Keep the pressing for the day and the evening, and mention headaches that wake you to your doctor.

What This Won't Do

It will not remove the reason your eyes are tired or your temple aches. Common reasons include glasses that no longer suit you, dry eyes, poor light, long hours of close work without breaks, a tight neck or jaw, too little sleep, too little water, and the overuse of painkillers. A point at the end of your eyebrow will not out-argue any of that. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: an eye test every year or two, good light, regular breaks to look into the distance, and eye drops if your optician suggests them.

It will not replace a diagnosis either, and around the eyes and head this matters. Call emergency services for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst of your life, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or a headache with weakness or numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face, confusion or loss of vision. The same applies after a blow to the head. Get urgent care the same day for a painful red eye with blurred vision or haloes around lights, sudden flashes or a shower of floaters, or a shadow across your vision. See your doctor soon for a new headache after the age of fifty, especially with tenderness at the temple or jaw pain when chewing.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, infected, swollen or rashy, or on a stye or a lump on the eyelid. Leave the area alone with a red, painful or infected eye, and after eye surgery, including cataract surgery, until your eye doctor says it is fine. Do not use heat on this point. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily or have a bleeding disorder, use very light pressure, keep sessions short, and talk to your doctor first.

Stop at once if the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or if the area becomes swollen, hot or red. Stop too for any pain in the eye or change in your vision. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. For the full list of cautions and the situations where pressing on yourself is not appropriate, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Sizhukong (TE23) pressure point? Sizhukong (TE23) sits in the small dip at the outer end of each eyebrow, on the bony rim of the eye socket. Run your fingertip along the brow to its outer tip and feel for the dip on the bone. Probe gently until one spot stings. In English it is called the Silk Bamboo Hollow; in Vietnamese, Ty Trúc Không.

Is it safe to press so close to the eye? Yes, if you press gently and onto the bone. The point sits on the rim of the eye socket, not on the eye. Keep your eyes closed, aim the pressure straight back toward the side of the head, and never press inward or downward toward the eyeball. Use less force here than anywhere on the body.

How long should I press Sizhukong? One to three minutes on each side. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, then add a little as the days go on, up to three. Once or twice a day is enough. Work both sides.

Can I use a warm pack on this point? No. The old texts warn against using heat on this point, and the skin around the eye is thin and easily burned. Use gentle pressure only.

When is a headache an emergency? Call emergency services for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst of your life, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, a headache with weakness, numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face or loss of vision, or a headache after a blow to the head. Do not press any point in these situations.

Can I press it if I wear contact lenses? Take the lenses out first. Rubbing near the eye with lenses in can shift them or irritate the eye. Wash your hands before you start.

Other Points in This Library

Each of these sits within reach of the same hand. They are often worked in the same sitting.

This page shares general information about a traditional practice. It is not medical advice and does not replace what your doctor has given you. If you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or unsure whether this applies to you, check with your doctor first.

The whole inner edge of the foot, laid out on one page with photographs, is in The Foot Map — the free book. For every point in this library, see the full pressure point index.

(Point shown: TE23 · Sizhukong · Silk Bamboo Hollow · Ty Trúc Không.)