REN-01 (Hui Yin) Meeting of Yin

What does REN-01 Hui Yin do?

REN-01 regulates the anterior and posterior yin, drains damp-heat, calms the spirit, and promotes resuscitation — the first point of the Conception vessel, in the perineum, where the body’s yin meets.

• Regulates the anterior and posterior yin — the “anterior yin” being the genitals and urethra, the “posterior yin” the anus; the point sits between them
• Drains damp-heat — from the lower jiao and the genital region
• Calms the spirit — for mental disturbance
• Promotes resuscitation and revives from drowning — a classical resuscitation use

Where the yin of the body meets. The name Hui Yin means “Meeting of Yin”, and it is apt: REN-01 lies in the perineum, the lowest point of the trunk, where the front (urogenital) and back (anal) regions meet — and where the three extraordinary vessels that rise through the core of the body (the Conception, Governing and Penetrating vessels) are classically said to arise. It is the Conception vessel’s first point and the base of that midline circuit.

A point of restricted, specialist use. Because of its intimate location, REN-01 is rarely used and only by practitioners, with full consent and professional propriety (see the location and needling tabs). It is not a point for casual or self-treatment.

On the name. “Hui Yin” — Meeting of Yin, the meeting of the yin regions in the perineum, as noted above.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (channel, action, location and translation records; the Conception vessel’s first-point status queried against our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

What is REN-01 Hui Yin used for?

REN-01 is used for vaginal inflammation, retention of urine, haemorrhoids, nocturnal emission, involuntary urination, irregular menstruation, and mental disorders. Our own indication record is reproduced here in full.

• Vaginitis (vaginal inflammation) and irregular menstruation
• Retention of urine and enuresis (involuntary urination)
• Haemorrhoids
• Nocturnal emission
• Mental disorders

The urogenital and anal region, plus the spirit. The genital, urinary and anal entries are the “anterior and posterior yin” and damp-heat actions, all belonging to the perineum the point occupies; the mental disorders are the calm-the-spirit action. Classically REN-01 also has the drowning-resuscitation use noted in its actions.

An honest and necessary note. Retention of urine (inability to pass urine) is a medical emergency. Vaginal inflammation or discharge requires assessment (infection is a common, treatable cause). Haemorrhoids that bleed, and any rectal bleeding, require medical assessment — bleeding must not be assumed to be piles without evaluation. Drowning is a medical emergency requiring immediate rescue, CPR and emergency services, not acupuncture — the historical resuscitation indication is not a substitute for modern resuscitation. This record documents classical use only.

How it is combined. With DU-01 Chang Qiang (the Governing vessel’s first point, just behind it) and REN-03 Zhong Ji for the lower jiao, and DU-20 Bai Hui for prolapse and sinking qi. All held here.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (indication and action records; the DU-01, DU-20 and REN-03 records queried from our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

Where is REN-01 Hui Yin located?

REN-01 is in the perineum, midway between the anus and the genitals.

• In males: between the anus and the root of the scrotum
• In females: between the anus and the posterior commissure of the labia (the back join of the vulva)
• On the midline of the perineum, the lowest point of the trunk

An intimate location, and the reason for its restricted use. REN-01 lies in the perineum — a private, intimate region — and locating or treating it demands the highest standards of consent, explanation, draping, chaperonage and professional conduct. It is a point a qualified practitioner uses only when clearly indicated and with the patient’s full understanding; it is never a point to seek out casually. Positioning (often side-lying with knees drawn up) is arranged for dignity and access.

On the name. “Hui Yin” — Meeting of Yin, the perineum where the yin regions meet, as noted above.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (location and translation records, retained unchanged, against our own data).

• A Manual of Acupuncture (p. 497): At the perineum, midway between the anus and the scrotum in men, and the anus and the posterior labial commissure in women.
• Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion (p. 235): Between the anus and the root of the scrotum in males and between the anus and the posterior labial commissure in females.

How is REN-01 Hui Yin needled?

Our own record states perpendicular insertion of 0.5–1.0 inch, with moxibustion applicable. What follows is a neutral record of what the reference literature documents. It is not instruction, and this page does not teach technique — and given the point’s intimate location, that is doubly the case.

• Angle and depth as recorded: perpendicular, 0.5–1.0 inch.
• Moxibustion: recorded as applicable, though moxa in this region is used with obvious care.
• Consent and conduct: beyond the physical technique, this point requires explicit informed consent, careful explanation, draping and chaperonage — it is among the most sensitive points to treat, and professional propriety governs its use as much as any needle technique.
• Pregnancy: the point is avoided in pregnancy.
• Regional anatomy: the perineum holds the external anal sphincter, the perineal body, the urethral and (in women) vaginal openings, and the perineal nerves and vessels.

Hazard, stated plainly. The chief considerations are propriety, consent and hygiene in an intimate region, and avoidance in pregnancy. Our record carries no arterial caution at REN-01, and it is not among the nine points that do. This is emphatically a practitioner’s point and never one for self-treatment.

What is not claimed. No study measuring a safe depth at REN-01 could be located, and none is borrowed. No case report naming REN-01 was located.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (needling record, retained unchanged; the nine arterial cautions queried from our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources; regional anatomy from standard anatomical description.

Is there research on REN-01, and what should a reader know?

No trial isolates REN-01. Where it appears it is one component of a protocol, and a study that includes a point in a protocol is not evidence about that point.

What this page can state with confidence. REN-01 Hui Yin (“Meeting of Yin”) is the first point of the Conception vessel, in the perineum, where the front and back yin regions meet and where the three midline extraordinary vessels are said to arise. It regulates the anterior and posterior yin, drains damp-heat, and calms the spirit — its indications spanning the genital, urinary and anal region. Because of its intimate location it is a restricted, specialist point, requiring full consent and professional conduct, and it is avoided in pregnancy.

A safety note that outranks any TCM claim. Urinary retention, rectal bleeding and drowning are all emergencies; this page records classical use and says so.

A note on searching for it. “REN 1”, “CV 1” and “Huiyin” searches return protocol trials and unrelated material — and “Huiyin” is a common Chinese given and place name. Any claim attached to this point should be checked against what a study actually used.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (action, indication and location records; the Conception vessel’s first-point status queried, against our own data).