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Thirty-Two Words of the Ba Gua Jian (Sword)

The Thirty Two Words of the Ba Gua Jian (Chinese straight sword) traditionally refer to each weapon, describing a method of using and training that weapon. The “words” are the basic techniques and methods of usage. In Li Zi Ming’s Ba Gua Zhang there are 32 methods using the Jian.

Excerpted from: Ba Gua Three Harmony Sword – Ba Gua San He Jian (八卦三 合 剑) by Zhang Quan Liang. Master Zhang is a 3rd generation inheritor of Liang Style Ba Gua Zhang. He studied under the famous Li Zi Ming.

1. 崩 Bēng (burst; make the tip of the sword go up by pushing down the wrist suddenly).

2. 刺 Cì (thorn; sting; prick; pierce; stab; thrust; assassinate; murder)

3. 帶 (带) Dài (carry; lead; bring)

4. 截 Jie (Cut; Sever; Stop; Intercept)

5. 劈 Pi (split)

6. 格 Gé (Parry; check; resist; obstruct)

7. 扫 Sǎo (to sweep; sweep away (broom) eliminate)

8. 撩 Liao (move something up from the low to high position; hold up from the bottom

9. 切 Qiē (to cut; to slice; mince)

10. 捜 Sōu (search, seek; look for)

11. 拨 Bō (to push aside; to move; to set aside; to poke; to stir)

12. 捞 Lāo (to fish up; to dredge up; scoop up)

13. 托 Tuo (uphold)

14. 擊 (击) Jī (to hit; to strike; to break)

15. 扎 Zha (prick, or stick something into something, or make a hole violently; prick his thumb on a thorn; stick a needle into the skin)

16. 抹 Mǒ (to smear ; to wipe; to erase (Ma)

17. 削 Xiao (pare or peel with a knife; whittle, like peel an apple, whittle a wood; xiao implies to cut a thin piece of something very quickly with a sharp knife; to slice)

18. 点 Diǎn (spot; jot; dot; stroke (in Chinese characters); decimal point; point

19. 引 Yǐn (to draw (e.g. a bow); to pull; to stretch; to extend; to lengthen

20. 挑 Tiao (Push/Poke; Rising Calligraphy Stroke; Pick Up)

21. 穿 Chuān (to bore through; pierce; perforate; penetrate; pass through; to thread

22. 片 Pian ( slice a piece of something, in flat shape; it can also mean to cut something into pieces; “give me one pian (a slice)

23. 拉 Lā (to pull; to play, as in string instruments; to drag)

24. 抛 Pāo (to throw; to toss; to fling; to cast)

25. 攪 (搅) Jiǎo (to stir; to mix; to disturb; to annoy)

26. 提 Ti (to carry; to lift; to put forward; upward brush stroke in painting or calligraphy; lifting

27. 挥 Huī (to wave; to brandish; to wipe away; to command; to conduct; to scatter; to disperse)

28. 抽 Chōu (to draw out; to pull out from in between)

29. 挽 Wǎn (to pull; to draw (a cart or a bow) ; roll up (a scroll); to coil)

30. 插 Chā (to insert; stick in; pierce)

31. 壓 (压) Yā (to press; to push down; to keep under control)

32. 云 Yún (cloud)