Taijijian () is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the
Chinese martial art
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
Taijiquan
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Ta ...
. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for upper body conditioning and martial training in traditional Taijiquan schools. The different family schools have various warmups, forms and fencing drills for training with the
jian
The ''jian'' (pronunciation （劍）, English approximation: ) 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 Spring and ...
.
Historical use of jian in Taijiquan
The
Yang
Yang may refer to:
* Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy
* Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902
* YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration ...
and
Wu families were involved in
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
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 taijiquan, 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 "taijiquan" routines of
wushu curriculum. The wushu sword is a narrow, double-edged Chinese
jian
The ''jian'' (pronunciation （劍）, English approximation: ) 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 Spring and ...
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'' (pronunciation （劍）, English approximation: ) 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 Spring and ...
*
Taijiquan
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Ta ...
*
Dao (sword)
*
Qiang (spear)
''Qiang'' (pronunciation: , English approximation: , ) is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield. It is known as one of the four m ...
References
External links
Ma Yueliang
Ma Yueliang or Ma Yueh-liang (1 August 1901 – 13 March 1998) was a famous Manchu people, Manchu teacher of taijiquan. He was the senior disciple of Wu Chien-ch'uan, the founder of Wu-style taijiquan, and married Wu's daughter Wu Ying-hua i ...
Wu style 108 Taijijian form YouTube video
Tai chi
Chinese swords
Chinese martial arts
Chinese melee weapons
Weapons of China
Chinese swordsmanship
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