The Triple Burner (san jiao), Chinese woodcut, 1817

Triple Burner (san jiao), woodcut illustration from 1817 edition of Bian Que maishu nan jing (Canon of Problems in Bian Que's Book of the Pulse) by Xiong Qinghu (Qing period). The Triple Burner, one of the six fu viscera, belongs to the hand shaoyang channel. The largest of the peripheral fu organs, it is also known as waifu (peripheral fu) or gufu (orphan fu). It is said to have Qi but no form. It acts as a conduit, directing various forms of Qi. The lettering on the body of the figure is a classical description of this organ: 'The Upper Burner is like a mist; the Middle Burner is like bubbles on water; the Lower Burner is like a drain'.

Image title: San jiao fu tu (Illustration of the sanjiao fu organ) Lettering on body: The Upper Burner (shangjiao) is like a mist; the Middle Burner (zhongjiao) is like bubbles on water; the Lower Burner (xiajiao) is like a drain.