''Taijijian'' ( zh, t=太極劍, s=太极剑, p=tàijíjiàn, l=
''taiji'' sword) is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the
Chinese martial art
Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
tai chi
is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for upper body conditioning and martial training in traditional tai chi schools. The different family schools have various warmups, forms and fencing drills for training with the double-edged sword known as ''
jian
The ''jian'' (Mandarin Chinese: , , English approximation: , Cantonese: ) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the ''jian'' date to the 7th century BCE, during the S ...
''.
Historical use of ''jian'' in ''taijiquan''
The
Yang and
Wu families were involved in
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
military officer training, and taught ''jian'' technique to their students. Traditional ''taijijian'' forms are rooted in martial application, and are thus originally designed to make use of the weapons available at the time of their development. As there was no historical ''jian'' type created specifically for tai chi, the forms were designed around the use of a functional ''jian'' of the day, being of appropriate weight, balance, sharpness and resilience to be effective in armed combat.
Modern wushu
A lighter version of the traditional sword and theatrical versions of traditional sword forms are also used in the tai chi routines of
wushu
Wushu may refer to:
Martial arts
* Chinese martial arts, the various martial arts of China
* Wushu (sport)
Wushu () (), or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern ...
curriculum. The wushu sword is a narrow, double-edged Chinese ''
jian
The ''jian'' (Mandarin Chinese: , , English approximation: , Cantonese: ) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the ''jian'' date to the 7th century BCE, during the S ...
'' with a thin blade designed to make noise when it is shaken by the competitor during competition and a tassel is always attached to the pommel. The ''jian'' variants used for ''taijijian'' wushu display or as training tools in modern-day martial arts schools often have properties that render them unsuitable for historically accurate combat. These properties, such as extreme blade thinness or a high degree of flexibility compared to historical battlefield-quality ''jian'', are intended to add auditory and visual appeal to a wushu performance.
32 forms
''Taijijian'' 32 sword forms (32式 太極劍)
[(Sword forms:32-Form ,video)http://taiji.de/taiji/head4e/index2.htm]
:1. Point Sword with Feet Together (并步点剑) – Beginning (起势)
:2. Stand on One Leg and Thrust (独立反刺)
:3. Sweep Sword in Crouch (仆步横掃)
:4. Carry Sword to the Right (向右平带)
:5. Carry Sword to the Left (向左平带)
:6. Stand on One Leg and Cut with Armswing (独立掄劈)
:7. Step Back and Withdraw Sword (退步回抽)
:8. Stand on One Leg and Thrust (独立上刺)
:9. Plunge Sword Downward in Empty Stance (虚步下截)
:10. Thrust in Left Bow Stance (左弓步刺)
:11. Turn Round and Carry Sword (转身斜带)
:12. Retreat and Carry Sword (缩身斜带)
:13. Lift Knee and Hold Sword with Both Hands (提膝捧剑)
:14. Hop and Thrust (跳步平刺)
:15. Swing Up Sword in Left Empty Stance (左虚步撩)
:16. Swing Up Sword in Right Bow Stance (右弓步撩)
:17. Turn Round and Withdraw Sword (转身回抽)
:18. Thrust with Feet Together (并步平刺)
:19. Parry in Left Bow Stance (左弓步攔)
:20. Parry in Right Bow Stance (右弓步攔)
:21. Parry in Left Bow Stance (左弓步攔)
:22. Step Forward and Plunge Backward (弓步反刺）
:23. Turn Round to Cut (反身回劈)
:24. Point Sword in Right Empty Stance (虚步点剑)
:25. Stand on One Leg and Hold Sword Level (独立平托)
:26. Cut in Bow Stance (弓步挂劈 )
:27. Cut with Armswing in Empty Stance (虚步掄劈)
:28. Step Back to Strike (撤步反擊)
:29. Step Forward to Thrust (进步平刺)
:30. Withdraw Sword in T-Step (丁步回抽)
:31. Circle Sword Horizontally (旋转平抹)
:32. Thrust Forward in Bow Stance (弓步直刺) – Closing Form (收势)
See also
* ''
Jian
The ''jian'' (Mandarin Chinese: , , English approximation: , Cantonese: ) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the ''jian'' date to the 7th century BCE, during the S ...
''
*
Tai chi
is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
References
External links
Ma Yueliang
Ma Yueliang or Ma Yueh-liang (1 August 1901 – 13 March 1998) was a famous Manchu teacher of tai chi. He was the senior disciple of Wu Jianquan, the founder of Wu-style tai chi, and married Wu's daughter Wu Yinghua in 1930.
Biography
Ma ...
Wu style 108 Taijijian form YouTube video
{{Wushu (sport)
Tai chi
Chinese swords
Chinese martial arts
Chinese swordsmanship