Du4

命门 · Mingmen

Life Gate

Midline of the low back, between the kidney shu points.

Life-gate point of the Du vessel

Use caution

System

Channel: Du (Du)
Element: Not one of the five
Yin or yang: yang
Organ system: Sea of yang
Region: Back
Limb rule: Posterior midline

Open the Du page

Where it is

On the midline of the low back, below the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra — about at the waist, between the two kidney shu points.

Nearby: Spine. Press the space below the bony knob, on the ligament, mildly. Don’t jackknife the spine.

Traditionally said to

The “life gate” in classical language, a point for kidney yang, low-back weakness, deep cold, and erectile difficulty when textbooks call the pattern mingmen fire. Warmth and rest are the self-care version of the idea. Not a treatment for ED.

What people look up

Energy and fatigue Pain relief Local muscle tension Erectile difficulty Low back Cold limbs

Acupressure

Warm palm over the waist midline, 45–90 seconds. Or a very mild finger in the space.

When not to press: Skip if back pain includes leg weakness, numbness, or an injury.

About 30–90 seconds is the usual window, unless the step above is shorter. Stop if pain, dizziness, or anything unusual shows up.

Licensed practice only

Needle depth, angle, electroacupuncture

Textbook language for students. Not instructions. A cun is a body-inch on that person, not a ruler inch. Do not needle yourself.

Depth

Common textbook range: about 0.5–1 cun perpendicular, slightly upward in some manuals. The spinal canal is deep to the ligament. Licensed only.

Angle

Perpendicular or slightly upward, midline, below the spinous process.

Electroacupuncture

Introductory charts rarely assign a standard electroacupuncture setting here. Clinics that use current choose frequency and intensity for that person. No milliamp figure is given, because copying one would be misleading.