Have you ever experienced this: despite getting enough sleep, you yawn all day long and tears stream down uncontrollably? This state of "yawning all day and tears streaming down your face"—what exactly is going wrong in the body? From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these seemingly unrelated symptoms may share a common hidden health concern.
First, we need to understand the basic TCM understanding of "yawning" and "tearing." The classic TCM text Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "The kidney governs yawning," meaning that frequent yawning is often related to kidney qi deficiency. When kidney qi is depleted, the body's yang qi cannot properly rise and disperse, making it easy to experience listlessness and constant yawning. On the other hand, "tears are the fluid of the liver," and excessive tearing usually indicates liver qi stagnation or liver blood deficiency. If the liver's function of governing free flow and dispersion is disrupted, fluid metabolism becomes abnormal, which may manifest as easy tearing, dry eyes, or tearing in the wind.
Taichong, also known as Dachong, is located on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression anterior to the junction of the first and second metatarsal bones, belonging to the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. It is the Yuan-Source point and Shu-Stream point of the Liver Meridian. The Lingshu: Jiu Zhen Shi Er Yuan states: "When the five zang organs are diseased, one should select from the twelve Yuan-Source points." Taichong is where the qi and blood of the Liver Meridian converge, and it is closely related to liver qi stagnation patterns; the local anatomical layers are skin → subcutaneous tissue → first dorsal interosseous muscle, etc. In acupuncture clinical practice, it is often used as a diagnostic reference for the state of liver qi free flow and dispersion, with specific procedures performed by licensed TCM practitioners.
So why do many people simultaneously experience "yawning all day" and "tears streaming down their face"? From the holistic view of TCM, there exists a "liver and kidney share the same source" relationship between the liver and kidney. Kidney essence can transform into liver blood, and liver blood can nourish kidney essence. When kidney qi is insufficient, liver blood is also prone to deficiency, leading to dysfunction of the liver's free flow and dispersion, thereby producing the coexisting symptoms of yawning and tearing. In addition, spleen deficiency with exuberant dampness may also aggravate this state—the spleen governs the transformation and transportation of water-dampness; when the spleen is deficient, water-dampness accumulates internally, clear yang fails to rise, causing drowsiness, while dampness rises to disturb the eyes, triggering excessive tearing.
Zusanli, also known as Xialing and Sanli, is located on the anterolateral aspect of the lower leg, 3 cun below Dubi (ST35), one finger-breadth from the anterior crest of the tibia, belonging to the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian. It is the He-Sea point of the Stomach Meridian and the lower He-Sea point of the stomach. The Lingshu states: "When pathogenic factors are in the spleen and stomach... all are regulated through Zusanli." This point is where the meridian qi of the Stomach Meridian converges deeply, and it is closely related to the spleen and stomach's function of transforming and transporting water-dampness; the local anatomical layers are skin → subcutaneous tissue → tibialis anterior muscle → interosseous membrane of the leg. In acupuncture clinical practice, it is often used as a diagnostic reference for regulating the spleen and stomach and supporting healthy qi, with specific procedures performed by licensed TCM practitioners.
In addition to dysfunction of the zang-fu organs, factors such as seasonal changes, emotional stress, and lifestyle habits can also trigger or aggravate this state. For example, in spring, liver qi rises and disperses; if one already has insufficient liver blood or liver qi stagnation, it becomes easy to experience mood swings, eye discomfort, and increased yawning. Chronic late nights, excessive eye use, and overthinking can similarly deplete liver blood and kidney essence, causing "yawning all day and tears streaming down the face" to recur.
For this state, what daily care methods can be tried? TCM advocates "medicine and food share the same origin." In terms of diet, one may appropriately increase intake of ingredients that tonify the liver and kidney and nourish blood to brighten the eyes, such as goji berries, mulberries, black sesame seeds, Chinese yam, and red dates. However, it should be noted that dietary therapy can only serve as auxiliary regulation,