A cun is a basic measure used in acupuncture and acupressure.

Acupuncture and acupressure points are measured, often from one to the other, in terms of the cun, which is the width of the patient's, not the acupuncturist's thumb. Basing points location on the patient's 'cun' ensures that all measurements are proportional.

Some cun measurements commonly used include:

• one cun equals the width of the patient's thumb
• one and a half cun equals the with of two of the patient's fingers
• three cun equals the width of four of the patient's fingers

References to cun measurements are common in acupuncture and acupressure related documentation, where point locations are described according to their physical location, and via measurement using the cun.

Follow this link for more information within our acupuncture and acupressure point charts.