Chinese Body Clock
An interactive map of the TCM organ clock and the twelve meridians — what the 2,000-year-old model actually says, and where it stands next to modern circadian science.
Enable JavaScript to see the live wheel — the full schedule is in the table below.
In classical Chinese medicine, qi is described as circulating through twelve primary channels (jīngluò 經絡) in a fixed daily sequence, spending a two-hour "high tide" in each. Practitioners read symptoms that recur at the same hour — the famous example is consistently waking at 1–3 AM, "Liver time" — against this schedule. Midnight sits at the top of the wheel; click any segment to jump to that meridian below.
The meridians on the body
Tap a channel — on the figure or in the list — to trace its path. Every channel runs on both sides of the body; charts traditionally draw one side. Dots mark the first and last points of each channel.
The full schedule
| Time | Meridian | Element | Yin/Yang |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–5 AM | Lung | Metal | Yin |
| 5–7 AM | Large Intestine | Metal | Yang |
| 7–9 AM | Stomach | Earth | Yang |
| 9–11 AM | Spleen | Earth | Yin |
| 11 AM–1 PM | Heart | Fire | Yin |
| 1–3 PM | Small Intestine | Fire | Yang |
| 3–5 PM | Bladder | Water | Yang |
| 5–7 PM | Kidney | Water | Yin |
| 7–9 PM | Pericardium | Fire | Yin |
| 9–11 PM | Triple Burner | Fire | Yang |
| 11 PM–1 AM | Gallbladder | Wood | Yang |
| 1–3 AM | Liver | Wood | Yin |
The 12 meridians
Six yin channels run along the inner surfaces of the body and pair with the "solid" organs; six yang channels run along the outer surfaces and pair with the "hollow" organs. Each entry below gives the classical pathway, functions, imbalance patterns, and best-known acupuncture points.
LU · Lung
11 points · paired with the Large Intestine · emotion: grief · season: autumn
Pathway. Begins in the middle burner near the stomach, descends to the large intestine, returns up through the diaphragm into the lungs, emerges near the shoulder and runs down the inner arm to the thumb.
Classical functions
- Governs qi and respiration — extracts "clean qi" from air
- Regulates the water passages, dispersing fluids downward
- Controls the skin and body hair; spreads defensive wei qi to the surface
Classical imbalance patterns
- Cough, shortness of breath, weak voice
- Frequent colds, dry skin
- Unresolved grief; difficulty letting go
Signature points: LU7 Lieque (command point of the head and nape). LU9 Taiyuan (source point; influential point of the vessels).
LI · Large Intestine
20 points · paired with the Lung · emotion: grief / letting go · season: autumn
Pathway. Starts at the index finger, runs up the outer arm, over the shoulder, up the neck and cheek, ending beside the opposite nostril.
Classical functions
- Receives waste from the small intestine, reabsorbs fluids, excretes stool
- The physical side of "letting go" — paired with the Lung
Classical imbalance patterns
- Constipation or loose stools, bloating
- Toothache, sore throat, nasal congestion (channel-pathway signs)
- Rigidity, inability to release the old
Signature points: LI4 Hegu (one of the most-used points in acupuncture; traditionally contraindicated in pregnancy). LI20 Yingxiang (beside the nostril, classically for congestion).
ST · Stomach
45 points · paired with the Spleen · emotion: worry · season: late summer
Pathway. Begins beside the nose, circles the face and jaw, descends the throat, chest, and abdomen, and runs down the front of the leg to the second toe.
Classical functions
- "Rotting and ripening" — the first stage of digestion
- Descends qi (stomach qi should move down)
- With the Spleen, the root of post-natal qi
Classical imbalance patterns
- Nausea, reflux, belching, hiccups ("rebellious" stomach qi)
- Appetite extremes
- Worry expressed in the gut
Signature points: ST36 Zusanli (the most famous fortifying point in TCM). ST25 Tianshu (abdominal regulation).
SP · Spleen
21 points · paired with the Stomach · emotion: pensiveness · season: late summer
Pathway. Starts at the big toe, runs up the inner leg through the abdomen and spleen, up the chest, with an internal branch to the root of the tongue.
Classical functions
- Transformation and transportation — turns food into qi and blood
- Holds blood in the vessels; governs the muscles and limbs
- Houses the Yi — focused thought
Classical imbalance patterns
- Fatigue after eating, bloating, heavy limbs
- Easy bruising
- Rumination and brain fog
Signature points: SP6 Sanyinjiao (crossing of the three leg yin channels; traditionally contraindicated in pregnancy). SP9 Yinlingquan (classical point for "dampness").
HT · Heart
9 points · paired with the Small Intestine · emotion: joy (agitation in excess) · season: summer
Pathway. Emerges from the heart, crosses the lung, surfaces in the armpit, and runs down the innermost line of the arm to the little finger.
Classical functions
- Governs blood and the vessels
- Houses the Shen — mind, consciousness, sleep
- "The emperor" of the organ system in classical texts
Classical imbalance patterns
- Palpitations, chest tightness
- Insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, restlessness
- Speech issues (the Heart "opens into the tongue")
Signature points: HT7 Shenmen ("Spirit Gate" — the classic calming and sleep point).
SI · Small Intestine
19 points · paired with the Heart · emotion: discernment · season: summer
Pathway. Begins at the little finger, ascends the back of the arm, zigzags over the shoulder blade, up the neck to the cheek, ending in front of the ear.
Classical functions
- "Separates the pure from the turbid" — sorts nourishment from waste
- Mental counterpart: discernment and clear judgment
Classical imbalance patterns
- Shoulder-blade and neck pain, ear issues
- Digestive sorting problems
- Muddled decisions
Signature points: SI3 Houxi (command point of the neck and spine). SI19 Tinggong ("Palace of Hearing," in front of the ear).
BL · Bladder
67 points · paired with the Kidney · emotion: fear · season: winter
Pathway. The longest channel: from the inner eye corner over the crown, down the back in two lines beside the spine, through the back of the leg to the little toe.
Classical functions
- Stores and excretes urine
- Carries the back-shu points — one for every organ system — the regulating highway of the back
Classical imbalance patterns
- Back and neck stiffness, sciatica-pattern pain
- Urinary frequency or urgency
- Chronic bracing, being "on guard"
Signature points: BL40 Weizhong (command point of the back). BL23 Shenshu (the classical low-back point).
KI · Kidney
27 points · paired with the Bladder · emotion: fear · season: winter
Pathway. Begins under the sole, circles the inner ankle, ascends the innermost leg through the spine to the kidneys, then up beside the midline of the abdomen and chest.
Classical functions
- Stores Jing (essence) — the deep constitutional reserve
- Governs birth, growth, reproduction, and aging; rules the bones and marrow
- Houses the Zhi — willpower
Classical imbalance patterns
- Low-back and knee weakness, bone and teeth problems
- Tinnitus, hearing decline
- Deep fatigue, burnout, fearfulness
Signature points: KI1 Yongquan ("Bubbling Spring," the lowest point on the body). KI3 Taixi (the classic Kidney source point).
PC · Pericardium
9 points · paired with the Triple Burner · emotion: protection · season: summer
Pathway. Emerges from the chest beside the nipple and runs down the middle of the inner arm through the palm to the middle finger.
Classical functions
- "Heart protector" — buffers the Heart from emotional shock
- Governs intimacy and emotional boundaries in five-element psychology
Classical imbalance patterns
- Chest oppression, palpitations
- Nausea and motion sickness
- Over-guarded or boundary-less relating
Signature points: PC6 Neiguan ("Inner Pass" — among the best-researched acupuncture points, classically and clinically studied for nausea).
SJ · Triple Burner
23 points · paired with the Pericardium · emotion: regulation · season: summer
Pathway. Starts at the ring finger, runs up the back of the arm, over the shoulder, up the neck, around the ear, ending at the outer eyebrow.
Classical functions
- An organ with "a name but no form": the three burners (chest, upper abdomen, lower abdomen) as one fluid-and-qi metabolism network
- Coordinates the waterways between body regions
Classical imbalance patterns
- Ear problems, temporal headaches
- Fluid distribution problems in classical patterns
- Poor temperature regulation
Signature points: SJ5 Waiguan ("Outer Pass," paired with PC6). SJ17 Yifeng (behind the earlobe, a classical ear point).
GB · Gallbladder
44 points · paired with the Liver · emotion: decisiveness · season: spring
Pathway. Begins at the outer eye corner, zigzags over the side of the head and behind the ear, down the side of the trunk and outer leg to the fourth toe.
Classical functions
- Stores and secretes bile
- Governs decision-making and courage — "the Gallbladder decides"
- Rules the sides of the body
Classical imbalance patterns
- One-sided temporal headaches, hip and lateral-leg pain
- Bitter taste, trouble with fatty foods
- Timidity and indecision — or recklessness
Signature points: GB20 Fengchi ("Wind Pool" — the classic headache and neck-tension point). GB34 Yanglingquan (influential point of the sinews).
LV · Liver
14 points · paired with the Gallbladder · emotion: anger / frustration · season: spring
Pathway. Starts at the big toe, ascends the inner leg, circles the genitals, enters the lower abdomen and liver, with internal branches reaching the eyes and crown.
Classical functions
- Ensures the smooth flow of qi through the whole body — the master regulator
- Stores blood; rules the sinews; opens into the eyes
- Houses the Hun — planning, vision, direction
Classical imbalance patterns
- Irritability, tension headaches, tight neck and shoulders
- Menstrual irregularities in classical patterns
- Waking between 1–3 AM in the classical clock reading
Signature points: LV3 Taichong (with LI4 forms the "Four Gates," the classic qi-moving pair). LV8 Ququan (classically nourishes Liver blood).
Beyond the twelve: the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) runs up the front midline and is called the "sea of the yin meridians"; the Du Mai (Governing Vessel) runs up the spine and over the crown as the "sea of the yang meridians." Together they form the "microcosmic orbit" of qigong practice.
The five elements
Every meridian belongs to one of five phases — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — locked in two cycles: the Shēng (generating) cycle, where each element nourishes the next like mother and child, and the Kè (controlling) cycle, where each keeps another in check. Five-element diagnosis reads which relationship has broken down. Click an element for its correspondences.
How it works — and how seriously to take it
The meridian map and organ clock come from classical Chinese medical texts, with the foundational ideas laid out in the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, roughly 2nd century BCE). The model ties each channel to an organ, an element, an emotion, a season, and a time of day — a complete diagnostic language that acupuncturists still train in today.
Here's the honest context: meridians have never been identified as physical structures. Dissection, imaging, and histology find no dedicated channels, and the two-hour organ schedule has no accepted physiological mechanism. Where acupuncture shows benefits in clinical trials (chronic pain, nausea), the effects generally don't depend on the classical point locations — sham points often perform similarly.
What the old model did get right is the observation underneath it: the body genuinely runs on a clock. Modern circadian biology — a Nobel Prize topic in 2017 — confirms that cortisol peaks in the early morning, digestion and insulin sensitivity are stronger earlier in the day, body temperature bottoms out before dawn, and alertness dips mid-afternoon. If the organ clock prompts you to notice when your symptoms happen, that's a genuinely useful habit; the timestamped pattern is real data you can bring to a doctor, whatever framework first got you paying attention.
FAQ
Why do I keep waking up at 3 AM, according to the Chinese body clock?
In the classical organ clock, 1–3 AM is Liver time and 3–5 AM is Lung time, so practitioners traditionally read 3 AM waking as a Liver–Lung transition issue — often framed as stress, frustration, or grief. The scientific picture is different: early-morning waking is commonly linked to cortisol rhythm, alcohol metabolism, blood-sugar dips, sleep apnea, or ordinary insomnia. The clock can be a useful prompt for reflection, but persistent 3 AM waking is worth discussing with a doctor.
Is the Chinese body clock scientifically proven?
No. Meridians have not been identified as anatomical structures, and the two-hour organ schedule has no accepted physiological evidence behind it. What IS well established is circadian biology — your body genuinely does run on ~24-hour cycles that affect hormones, digestion, and alertness. The organ clock is best understood as a pre-scientific model of that real observation: the body behaves differently at different hours.
What are the 12 meridians in TCM?
The twelve primary channels are the Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach, Spleen, Heart, Small Intestine, Bladder, Kidney, Pericardium, Triple Burner, Gallbladder, and Liver meridians. Each is classified yin or yang, assigned one of the five elements, paired with another channel, and given a two-hour daily peak. Two extra midline vessels — the Ren (front) and Du (back) — complete the map most people learn first.
What order does qi flow through the meridians?
The classical sequence starts with the Lung at 3–5 AM and moves every two hours: Lung → Large Intestine → Stomach → Spleen → Heart → Small Intestine → Bladder → Kidney → Pericardium → Triple Burner → Gallbladder → Liver, then back to the Lung. The full table is on this page.