After learning about Tung's Extra Points, many people ask another question:
How should Tung's Extraordinary Points actually be studied?
The more materials beginners find, the less certain they may become about where to start.
Some start memorizing points straight away.
Some people first look for practical mnemonic verses.
Others study several acupuncture systems simultaneously.
You may end up remembering a great deal without forming a complete framework of knowledge.
For systematic study of Tung's Extra Points, establishing a sensible learning sequence matters more than memorizing many points at the outset.
Beginners can think of the learning process as:
Acupuncture foundations → introduction to Tung's Extraordinary Points → points → location → theory → point selection → combinations → specialist study
1. Learn Acupuncture Fundamentals Before Studying Tung's Extraordinary Points
If you have never studied acupuncture, do not make Tung's Extraordinary Points your only starting point.
In earlier articles, we introduced What is acupuncture and moxibustion?, and further discusses How to study acupuncture and moxibustion.
These foundations are important for later specialist study.
Studying a specific acupuncture system requires understanding at least:
- What are acupoints?
- What are meridians?
- What is point location?
- What is acupuncture point location?
- What are acupoint combinations?
- What is an acupuncture system?
Without understanding these concepts, starting Tung's Extraordinary Points can turn into simply memorizing points.
Beginners can therefore start with What are acupuncture points? begin to establish a basic understanding.
2. What Is the First Step in Studying Tung's Extraordinary Points?
Step one is not memorizing acupoints.
Instead:
First become familiar with this system.
First, you need to understand:
- What are Tung's Extraordinary Points?
- Why it developed its own acupuncture-point system
- How it differs from other acupuncture systems
- Main topics to focus on during study
- Why you want to study this system
This step looks simple but is actually very important.
Understanding the overall framework prevents point study from becoming an unrelated list of names.
If you do not yet understand the differences between acupuncture systems, first read:
What schools of acupuncture are there?
This article provides a basic introduction to different directions in acupuncture study.
3. Step Two: Learn the Tung Point System
Once you have a basic understanding of Tung's Extra Points, you can begin studying its points.
However, there is a very important principle here:
Do not study too many points at once.
Beginners can start with a small amount of clearly structured content.
Create a study card for each point.
For example:
Acupoint study cards
Name:
A point within Tung's Extraordinary Points
Location:
Record basic location information.
Category:
Record which system or category it belongs to.
Theory:
Record relevant theories discussed in the course.
Point selection:
Record what is taught in the course.
Point combinations:
Record related combination approaches.
Compared with simply writing:
'Point name + location'
It becomes easier to develop a coherent knowledge framework.
4. Why is point location important when studying Tung's Extra Points?
Point study begins with a basic question:
Knowing a point's name does not mean you know where it actually is.
This is why we wrote How to Locate Acupuncture Points Accurately.
When studying acupuncture points, you can combine:
- Body atlas
- Acupoint illustration
- Written materials
- Learning point location on the body
Establish spatial concepts.
Study of Tung's Extraordinary Points should therefore connect names with locations.
Do not study point names only on a computer or phone.
Gradually establish:
Name → classification → location → theory → learning and application
the connections between them.
5. Must you memorize all of Tung's Extraordinary Points before studying them?
You do not need to make memorizing everything your first-stage goal.
A more reasonable approach is:
Memorize as you develop understanding.
As discussed earlier How to remember acupuncture points.
Memorization is necessary in any acupuncture system.
However, memorization is not the ultimate goal.
For example, when studying a point, also note:
Acupuncture point names
＋
Location
＋
Classification
＋
Related theory
＋
Point-location reasoning
When you encounter the point again, you recall a whole set of related information, not merely a name.
6. Step Three: Understand the learning logic of Tung's Extra Points
This is the key step from memorizing points to studying a system.
Beginners can gradually consider:
Why is it classified this way?
Why is it located this way?
How do different acupuncture points relate to one another?
What must be considered when selecting points?
What Should You Consider When Combining Points?
Answers to these questions develop gradually through systematic courses and professional study.
If you keep searching only for:
What does this particular Tung point do?
It is easy to encounter large amounts of fragmented information.
Structured study should place greater emphasis on:
Why does this system organize knowledge in this way?
This is what truly matters when studying an acupuncture system.
7. Step Four: Begin studying point selection
After becoming familiar with a group of points, you can study point selection.
In the preceding sections, we introduced:
What is acupuncture point location?
Point selection should not simply be understood as:
Find points near wherever there is discomfort.
As a subject of study, point selection involves theory, meridians, acupoints, and the particular reasoning of different acupuncture systems.
When studying Tung's Extraordinary Points, also note:
Understand the system before its specific point-selection logic.
rather than memorizing one fixed answer whenever you see a case.
8. Step Five: Deepen your understanding of point combinations
As your study of point selection deepens, you can move on to:
acupoint combinations.
We previously introduced What are acupoint combinations?.
Begin by understanding one basic concept:
Studying one point and studying several points together serve different learning purposes.
Point combinations involve further study of:
How combinations connect acupoints.
After reaching this stage in Tung's Extraordinary Points, you can begin organizing:
- Studying individual points
- Acupoint combinations
- The reasoning behind combinations
- Combination characteristics in different learning systems
These topics should be grounded in systematic courses and professional teaching, rather than conclusions drawn independently from scattered online cases.
9. Why is studying several acupuncture systems simultaneously not recommended?
If you have just begun studying Tung's Extra Points and also start studying:
- Traditional meridian-based acupuncture
- Balance Acupuncture
- Zhou Family Liuti Acupuncture
- Other specialist acupuncture systems
In the short term, it may feel as if you have learned a lot.
In practice, this can easily mix up different bodies of knowledge.
Different systems may differ in:
- Theoretical focus
- Acupoint systems
- Classification method
- The reasoning behind acupoint selection
- Approaches to combining acupoints
A more sensible approach is therefore:
Focus on one system at each stage.
Once you have grasped the basic structure, compare different systems.
This generally makes learning more efficient.
10. How should you take notes when studying Tung's Extraordinary Points?
Do more than copy the instructor's notes.
You can create your own structured notes.
For example, create five sections:
1. Acupoints
Record names and locations.
2. Theory
Record relevant theory and key facts.
3. Classification
Record where this point fits within the system.
④ Point location
Record related course content.
5. Point combinations
Record the combination principles discussed in the course.
As you continue organizing, your notes move from:
A large body of knowledge
Gradually becomes:
Your own knowledge structure.
11. How can overseas Chinese learners study Tung's Extraordinary Points?
Location is a major practical issue for overseas Chinese students of TCM and acupuncture.
Students may live in:
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Europe
- Southeast Asia
It may not be possible to attend in-person courses in China regularly.
Online courses can therefore serve as one way to acquire knowledge.
For example:
Watch the Course
↓
Organize your notes
↓
Repeated Study
↓
Course review
↓
Questions and Discussion
↓
Further practical study
This suits learners without fixed study hours.
Still, note:
Online courses do not automatically replace professional practical training.
Study involving actual procedures such as needling should follow local laws, practice requirements, and professional training standards, with practical guidance meeting the relevant requirements.
12. Who is suited to further study of Tung's Extraordinary Points?
Consider three areas.
Group One: People with an acupuncture foundation
After learning meridians, points, location, selection, and combinations, you can explore specialized systems.
Group 2: People Interested in Specialized Acupuncture Systems
Want to understand the knowledge structures of different traditional acupuncture systems.
Group Three: People Seeking Systematic Study in One Area
These learners are better served by complete courses than by fragmented materials alone.
13. How to Plan Your Study of Tung's Extraordinary Points
You can organize the overall process as:
Step One
Learn about What is acupuncture and moxibustion?.
Step Two
Learning How to study acupuncture and moxibustion.
Step Three
Understand meridians and acupoints.
Step Four
Learn acupoint location.
Step Five
Understand acupuncture point selection.
Step Six
Understand point combinations.
Step Seven
Learn about different acupuncture schools.
Step Eight
begin specialist study of Tung's Extraordinary Points.
Step Nine
Study acupoints, theory, location, selection, and combinations systematically.
Step 10
Continue learning through professional courses and standardized practice.
Tung's Extraordinary Points can then be studied within the wider acupuncture framework, rather than in isolation.
14. How can Zhongyu Education support continued study of Tung's Extra Points?
For overseas Chinese learners, finding an introductory article about Tung's Extraordinary Points is often not the real difficulty.
Instead:
What should you study after reading it?
Knowledge articles help learners develop an understanding.
A course then helps you take your learning further in a systematic way.
Zhongyu Education's current course framework includes acupuncture courses in several directions, such as Tung's Extra Points, Chai Family Balance Acupuncture, and Zhou Family Liuti Acupuncture — Heritage Tradition.
You can therefore follow:
SEO knowledge article
↓
Acupuncture Foundations
↓
Introduction to Acupuncture Systems
↓
A specific acupuncture system
↓
Related courses
such a learning path.
15. Three Key Principles for Studying Tung's Extraordinary Points
Finally, beginners' study methods can be summarized in three principles.
Principle One: Build foundations before specialist study
Do not skip TCM and acupuncture fundamentals entirely.
Principle Two: Understand the System, Not Just Point Names
Remembering points matters, but understanding relationships matters more.
Principle Three: Progress Gradually Rather Than Studying Too Many Systems at Once
Study one system clearly before comparing others.
Conclusion
How can you study Tung's Extraordinary Points?
Beginners can follow:
Acupuncture foundations → points → location → selection → combinations → traditions → Tung's Extraordinary Points → systematic specialist study
this sequence for gradually deeper study.
Do not rush to memorize many points at once or study several systems simultaneously simply because so much material is available online.
Effective study continually turns disconnected information into your own knowledge structure.
Online courses can address some location and scheduling difficulties for overseas Chinese learners, while professional practice still requires standardized study according to local requirements.