A Study of Meridian and Collateral Diagrams of Chosun Dynasty

조선시대 경락도(經絡圖)에 관한 고찰

The Meridian and Collateral Diagram is one of the most important 圖像s of Traditional Korean Medicine. A 圖像 is a picture made on a two-dimensional surface using lines and colors to portray an object or an image. Meridian and Collateral diagram is a 圖像 of the human body with indications of acupoints and meridian passageways and have different names such as 經穴圖, 輸穴圖, 鍼灸圖, 明堂圖, 銅人圖, in accordance with its classification. The documental basis of the Meridian and Collateral Diagram is the Internal Classic and the very first Meridian and Collateral Diagram confirmed through textual evidence can be found in 葛洪's "抱朴子 雜應". The Korean 동인도 in existence today, called '銅人明堂之圖', exists in two versions; a hand-copied version and a wooden engraving block version. It displays all the locations of the acupoints located on the anterior side of the human body, labels the names of the acupoints, and specifically distinguishes 起始穴 and 終止穴 of the eight meridian vessels.