Wudang Sanfeng Tai Chi Sword (Jian) – Introductory Guide

Once a practitioner has made happy progress in the bare-handed Tai Chi forms, the natural next step is to start learning a weapon's form. We talk about this in a separate post, which you will find here.

In this post, let’s look into the sword form that Master Gu teaches at the WTWA in the Wudang Mountains. This is the same sword form that is also included in the Tai Chi courses at the Online WTWA: Wudang Sanfeng 64 Sword Form.

This tàijíjiàn (剑 jiàn means “straight sword”) form not only has its roots in the mystical Wudang Mountains. It also takes its name from the legendary Zhang Sanfeng (张三丰), the Taoist immortal who is credited with being one of the founding fathers of Tai Chi.  

To find out a bit more about the form, here is a brief introduction.

Sanfeng 64 Sword: a whole world to explore

Little is known about this almost mythical Zhang Sanfeng, but we know that for the sword form, he is said to have borrowed elements from various existing Tai Chi sword forms. He then combined these into the 64 movements and positions that make up what we now call Sanfeng 64 Sword Form.

As always, each of these has a name; you will find them rendered in both Mandarin, pinyin, and English at the end of this post. Once you start to learn the form, take some time to read them a few times. Even saying them out loud while practicing; the poetry of the names can really improve your embodied comprehension of what you are doing. What’s more, they are just beautiful and highly enjoyable, from

 “Part grass, seek snake”

 to

 “Wild horse leaps over ravine”.

Oh yes, in Sanfeng 64 Sword Form, you get to meet or even be a boy fishing, a rider on a powerful steed, a monkey, a tiger, a dragon…even the giant bird Peng, whom you may know from the beginning of Zhuangzi’s Inner Chapters!

“It is named the Peng, so huge no one knows how many thousand li he measures. Aroused, it soars aloft, its wings like clouds hung from the sky.”  (from chapter 1 of the Zhuangzi)

Some moments the martial roots of Tai Chi are clearly present and can be felt, for example when executing an attack or by contrast blocking one. At other times, there are slow, careful movements that reflect the way you would imagine a snake and a crane to prepare for their next tussle.

Sanfeng 64 Sword genuinely tells dozens of stories that take you on a journey as you practice it. Remember to stay present at the moment, though, lest your attention weakens and your imagined opponent gets the upper hand!

Take the next step in your Tai Chi practice

In short, this form uses an instrument other than your body alone; Sanfeng 64 Sword is quite a bit longer than any of the Wudang Tai Chi forms you may have learned so far. It will take between 6 and 10 minutes to perform, depending on the emphasis you choose: martial aspect, meditative aspect, or general health aspect. It will definitely signal the next step in your practice.

You will spend more time, therefore, to learn the form and then to hone it further; you’ll need that much more physical space for it, too, so find a good training area where you won’t hit anything or anyone as you wield your sword. Just take it one step at a time and build on what you learned from the previous training session. Rinse, repeat, block, thrust.

When you have learned it, it will take much practice, as always, to master it, and as always, this is time well spent and well enjoyed. Who knew there was a swordsperson in you!

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Eli Roovers, Taoist name: 丹宁资和

16th-generation Sanfeng Pai disciple and Taoist Wellness Instructor 

How to learn Wudang Taiji Sword with Master Gu Online

If you would like to learn Wudang Sanfeng 64 Tai Chi Sword Form with Master Gu, you are warmly invited to join the Online Wudang Taoist Wellness Academy. The academy is designed to help you live long and live well. It teaches Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Taoist philosophy from the Wudang Mountains, China.

In year 2 online academy students get in-depth tuition of the Sanfeng 64 Sword Form. You also can learn:

• Wudang 8, 33, 28 and 33 Taiji forms.
• Step-by-step tuition of 5 animal Qi Gong, Six-healing sound Qi Gong and Ba Duan Jin Qi Gong.
• A powerful morning meridian adjustment Qi Gong  
• “Tu Na” expelling the old and inhaling the new.
• How to stand strong like a tree.
• Linguistically guided Qi Gong meditations
• Immortal’s Waterfall breathing technique
• Taoist philosophy lectures
• +more!

Students also get to join Master Gu for a live Zoom Q&A every month to ask their questions. If you are interested in becoming a student, click here to learn more!

Please note: the Sanfeng Sword tuition is in your second year of being a student of the online academy. Tuition is released over time to replicate how you would learn if you came to the physical academy. This means you get to enjoy new content over the time you are a student with us and get deeper into your practice.

三丰太极剑

Sanfeng Tai Chi Jian

顾师宁演练

Gu Shining Practice