Objective: To verify the accuracy and clinical value of the ancient proportional and body inch measurement.

Methods: The measurement was performed in the room under normal temperature, men and women were in different rooms. The person being tested took the anatomical erect standing posture, the anatomical landmarks to be tested were exposed as much as possible. The height and weight were measured with standard height and weight balance. The extremities measured were the left ones, and the mathematics was taken to measure the length with major and minor scores, the corresponding numbers of the scores on the mathematics T-shaped ruler was recorded. During the measurement, the questionnaire was filled in detail. Metrological units: The domestic legal measurement unit had been applied with kilogram (kg) as the one for weight measurement and centimeter (cm) the one for length measurement. To make it easy for recording and statistics, the English letters of M and F were used to show the genders of man and woman.

Surveying standards: The surveying standards of the proportional and body inch measurement were in accordance with the one included in the fifth edition of the unified compiled teaching materials used in high learning TCM colleges and universities of the whole country. The unusual standards were in accordance with what had been introduced in "Research on Bone Standard Measurement" written by professor Li Chu of Nanjing Traditional Chinese Medical College.

Conclusion: (1) The way to select points according to traditional body proportional measure is lack of accuracy; (2) The reliable basis to choose points in the practice is to select points according to the proportions of the extremities' length of different individuals; (3) The actual one cun (to someone of 1.75 meter high) measured was 2.14cm, the result was basically the same with the ones concluded in other scholar's textual research.

By Zhao Hongming, Wang Yigang, Zhou Chaoyu, Gao Yaohua