In the present paper

the authors introduce their viewpoint about Ashi-points and the specificity of acupoints.According to the ancient literature of traditional Chinese medicine

Ashi acupoints refer to those which can produce a painful or comfortable sensation when pressed appropriately.Theoretically

some meridian acupoints and other commonly-used acupoints possessing functional specificity may also be Ashi points;and functionally

Ashi points are very similar to the locations of referred pain or referred hyperalgesia and allodynia due to visceral disorders.Therefore

Ashi points are the acupoints with functional specificity in two major functions of reflecting the pathological factors of the internal organs and treating relevant diseases.In addition

the authors also discuss some possible mechanisms of referred pain related to Ashi-points.