Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail
Available from Amazon as an eBook (£7.99) and horrifyingly as a paperback for £198.17! I bought a used copy for £2.
Introduction
A short article today, as something struck me when I was reading the Glossary from Dan Docherty’s book, Complete Tai Chi Chuan (1997, The Crowood Press Ltd.).
Yes, I was reading a glossary. Of a book. A real book.
Do I get nerd points for that? 🤓
We already know the moves in this piece of the form…
Ward off Left (Peng)
Ward off Right (Peng)
Roll Back (Lu)
Press (Ji)
Push (An)
Revelation
But what I didn't really grasp intellectually, (pun fully intended!) were the vectors of movement in each move. I think I knew them physically.
Silly me.
Every day is a school day!
The old chestnut of conscious competence.
The vectors of movement are clear when you read the definitions in the glossary…
Peng — Upwardly directed force, e.g. to divert a push upward
Lu — Diverting an oncoming force to the side and into emptiness
Ji — A straight push
An — Downward directed push / press
[Emphasis is mine: Steffan]
As emoji
⬆️ and ⬆️
↙️ or ↘️
➡️
⬇️
Update 06-Feb-2026: adding this video which I had already referenced in my Taiji Application article.
Turns out a lot of tai chi is intended to be used against wrestlers / grapplers. Tai chi was often practiced in imperial palaces where the guards were experienced in Manchurian wrestling, or Shuai Jiao.
I have never done any wrestling, so the terms and the moves are new to me, but the the vectors shown above have a pretty good match for what the techniques are used for…
Ward off (Peng) ⬆️
Raising the arm to defend a snap down or collar tie
A variant where the palm presses upward under the point of the applied elbow completely shifting and neutralising the leverage of the attacker
Roll Back (Lu) ↙️ or ↘️
Slipping and diverting round and to the side to counter a single leg grab from a tie-up
Press (Ji) ➡️
Counter for an arm drag
The press is in the horizontal plane, but also with a bit of a diagonal vector
Push (An) ⬇️
Counter for a double leg grab
Sinking, pushing forward and down (➡️ + ⬇️)on the opponents shoulders or upper chest
Note: video is from Phoenix Mountain Tai Chi, which is not a Wutan International school. Please get advice on application from your instructor.
Additional Material
Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan, Fu Zhongwen, translated by Louis Swaim, 1999, Blue Snake Books
Related Posts
Credits
Featured Image: White Crowned Sparrow
