The San Jiao, usually translated as the Triple Burner, is the strangest of the twelve. It is paired with the Pericardium, belongs to the Fire element, and it is the one organ in the system that the classical texts openly say has a name but no shape.
What it describes is not a structure but a set of relationships. Chinese medicine divides the torso into three sections and the San Jiao is the passage that connects them, moving qi and fluids from one to the next. The texts call it the official in charge of ditches and waterways, which gives a fair sense of the job.
You will see it written San Jiao, Sanjiao, Triple Burner, Triple Heater, Triple Warmer or Triple Energizer, and the points written as TE, SJ or TB. All the same channel.
On this page. At a glance · The three burners · The meridian · Common patterns · Herbs · Questions
At a glance
The San Jiao is a yang organ of the Fire element, paired with the Pericardium. In the twelve channel cycle it comes tenth, immediately before the Gallbladder.
| Chinese name | 三焦 (Sān Jiāo) |
| Element | Fire |
| Yin or yang | Yang (fu) |
| Paired organ | Pericardium (Xīn Bāo) |
| Season | Summer |
| Color | Red |
| Climate | Heat |
| Flavor | Bitter |
| Emotion | Joy, shared with the rest of the Fire organs |
| Governs | The movement of qi and fluids through the body's three divisions |
| Qi moves | Through and downward |
| Peak hours | 9 to 11 p.m. |
| Meridian | Hand Shaoyang, 23 points (TE1 to TE23) |
The three burners
The whole idea rests on dividing the torso into three, top to bottom, and giving each division a character.
| Burner | What it covers | Classical image |
|---|---|---|
| Upper | Above the diaphragm. Heart and Lung. | A mist, because everything here is fine and spreading |
| Middle | Between the diaphragm and the navel. Spleen and Stomach. | A fermenting vat, because this is where things are broken down |
| Lower | Below the navel. Kidney, Bladder, Intestines. | A drainage ditch, because this is where things separate and leave |
Those three images are close to a thousand years old and they still do the work. Each one describes what that part of the body is supposed to be doing with fluid, and the San Jiao is the route between them. When a practitioner talks about fluid not moving, the San Jiao is usually the frame they are using even when they do not say so.
The San Jiao meridian
The channel begins at TE1, at the outer corner of the ring fingernail. It runs up the back of the hand, then straight up the middle of the back of the forearm between the two bones, past the point of the elbow and up the back of the upper arm.
It crosses the shoulder, goes up the side of the neck, curves around the back of the ear, and ends at TE23 at the outer end of the eyebrow.
Twenty-three points. With the Gallbladder channel it makes up the Shaoyang, the level the classical texts describe as the hinge between the outside of the body and the inside.
Where it falls in the organ clock
| Hours | Organ |
|---|---|
| 7 to 9 p.m. | Pericardium |
| 9 to 11 p.m. | San Jiao |
| 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. | Gallbladder |
Common San Jiao patterns
The San Jiao is unusual in that its patterns are usually described by burner rather than by the organ as a whole. These are traditional pattern descriptions, not diagnoses.
| Pattern | Traditional signs |
|---|---|
| Fluid not moving in the upper burner | A full or tight sensation in the chest, a cough that feels wet, puffiness in the face |
| Fluid not moving in the middle burner | Fullness after eating, a heavy feeling through the middle, a greasy tongue coating |
| Damp heat in the lower burner | Heaviness below the navel, scanty dark urine, a yellow greasy coating at the back of the tongue |
| Shaoyang pattern | Alternating sensations of cold and warmth, fullness at the side of the ribs, a bitter taste |
Herbs and formulas traditionally associated with the San Jiao
Very little in the materia medica is described as entering the San Jiao specifically. What exists tends to be formulas that work at the Shaoyang level or that move fluid between the burners.
| Product | Traditional description |
|---|---|
| Xiao Chai Hu Tang Wan (Bupleurum Pills) | The classical Shaoyang formula, from the Shang Han Lun. Works on the level the San Jiao shares with the Gallbladder. |
| Warm the Gall Bladder (Wen Dan Tang) | Also a Shaoyang formula, traditionally used where phlegm and heat sit in the middle. |
This is a short list and it should be. Rather than stretch it, the page sends people to the organs the San Jiao actually moves things between.
Questions people ask
What is the San Jiao? It is one of the twelve organs of Chinese medicine, and the only one the classical texts describe as having a name but no physical form. It is the passage that moves qi and fluids between the three divisions of the torso.
What are the three burners? The upper burner is above the diaphragm and holds the Heart and Lung. The middle burner sits between the diaphragm and the navel and holds the Spleen and Stomach. The lower burner is below the navel and holds the Kidney, Bladder and Intestines.
Is San Jiao the same as Triple Burner? Yes. San Jiao is the Chinese term. Triple Burner, Triple Heater, Triple Warmer and Triple Energizer are all translations of it, and the points get written TE, SJ or TB depending on the text.
Where does the San Jiao meridian run? It starts at the outer corner of the ring fingernail, runs up the back of the hand and forearm between the two bones, past the elbow, up the back of the upper arm, over the shoulder, up the neck, around the back of the ear, and ends at the outer end of the eyebrow. Twenty-three points.
Which organ is paired with the San Jiao? The Pericardium. They are the yang and yin organs of the second Fire pair.