What is the Diagram and Course of the Spleen Meridian?

The spleen meridian begins at the foot and ascends along the medial side of the lower limb into the abdomen. It then passes through the diaphragm and connects with the root of the tongue, with branches connecting to the heart meridian. The spleen meridian starts at Yinbai (SP1), located on the medial side of the big toe, approximately 1 millimeter beside the toenail. This is the first acupoint of the spleen meridian. Starting from Yinbai, the spleen meridian ascends along the red and white fleshy area on the medial side of the foot, passing behind the first metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe, where acupoints such as Taibai (SP3) and Gongsun (SP4) are located. It then moves upward to the front of the medial malleolus, passes through Shangqiu (SP5), and continues upward along the posterior border of the tibia on the medial side of the lower leg. It crosses in front of the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, passes through the knee joint and the anterior border of the medial thigh, enters the abdomen, belongs to the spleen, and connects with the stomach. Internally, the spleen meridian ascends through the diaphragm, runs upward along both sides of the esophagus, connects with the root of the tongue, and spreads under the tongue. A branch of the stomach meridian ascends through the diaphragm and empties into the heart, connecting with the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian. There are a total of 21 acupoints on the spleen meridian, with 11 located on the medial side of the lower limb and the foot, and the remaining 10 distributed on the lateral chest and abdomen. Some commonly used acupoints include Yinbai (SP1), Taibai (SP3), Gongsun (SP4), Shangqiu (SP5), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Diji (SP8), Yinlingquan (SP9), Xuehai (SP10), Chongmen (SP12), etc. Understanding the direction and distribution of acupoints of the spleen meridian is of great significance for acupuncture treatment and body conditioning in traditional Chinese medicine.