The 12 muscle regions and 12 cutaneous regions are the sites where the qi and blood of meridians nourish muscles, tendons and skin. Similar to 12 main meridians, they are also divided into 3 hand yin and 3 hand yang, 3 foot yin and 3 foot yang. The muscle regions are deeply distributed under skin, while the cutaneous regions are located in the superficial layers of the skin. As cutaneous regions cover an extensive area, they are generally known as cutaneous regions of six meridians. The 12 muscle regions possess the function of connecting all the bones and joints of the body and maintaining the normal range of motion. The muscle regions originate from the extremities of the limbs and ascend to the head and trunk, but do not reach internal organs. The 12 cutaneous regions are the most superficial part of the body tissues; they have protective function of the organism. If this function is lost, the exogenous pathogen may penetrate the skin to invade the collaterals and meridians, then zang-fu organs. Conversely, internal illness can also be projected onto the skin through meridians and collaterals.
Key Words: 12 muscle regions, 12 cutaneous regions
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