103-form Yang family tai chi chuan
# 103-form Yang family tai chi chuan

103-form Yang family t'ai chi ch'uan, also called the Traditional Form (or, Long Form), is a prescribed sequence of moves used to practice Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan.

## T'ai chi forms

The different slow motion solo form training sequences of t'ai chi ch'uan are the best known manifestation of t'ai chi for the general public. In English, they are usually called the hand form or just the form; in Mandarin it is usually called ch'üan (Chinese: 拳; pinyin: quán; Wade–Giles: $ch'üan^2).$ They are usually performed slowly and are designed to string together an inventory of important techniques, and to promote relaxation, as well as other foundational principles.

## Duration

This sequence of moves, when performed at its prescribed speed, usually takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes to complete.

## Differences between schools

The following is an English translation from Chinese of the form list used by the current Yang family teachers. Other Yang style schools may have significantly different enumeration schemes. The moves can also add up to 85, 88, 108, 113 or 150 depending on how they are counted. The book called Yang Shi Taijiquan (Yang style T'ai chi ch'uan), by Fu Zhongwen, breaks the form into each of its discrete movements.

## Yang-style 103-Form list of Postures

The 103 postures of the Yang family style of t'ai chi ch'uan are as follows:

| | Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 第一段 | | Section 1 |
| 1. | 预 备 | Yùbèi | Preparation Form |
| 2. | 起式 | Qǐ shì | Beginning |
| 3. | 揽雀尾 | Lǎn què wěi | Grasp the Bird's Tail |
| 4. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 5. | 提手上势 | Tí shǒu shàng shì | Raise Hands and Step Forward |
| 6. | 白鹤亮翅 | Bái hè liàng chì | White Crane Spreads its Wings |
| 7. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 8. | 手挥琵琶 | Shǒu huī pípá | Hand Strums the Lute |
| 9. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 10. | 右搂膝拗步 | Yòu lōu xī ǎo bù | Right Brush Knee and Push |
| 11. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 12. | 手挥琵琶 | Shǒu huī pípá | Hand Strums the Lute |
| 13. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 14. | 进步搬拦捶 | Jìn bù bān lán chuí | Step Forward, Parry, Block, and Punch |
| 15. | 如封似闭 | Rú fēng shì bì | Apparent Close Up |
| 16. | 十字手 | Shí zì shǒu | Cross Hands |
| | 第二段 | | Section 2 |
| 17. | 抱虎归山 | Bào hǔ guī shān | Embrace the Tiger and Return to Mountain |
| 18. | 肘底捶 | Zhǒu dǐ chuí | Fist Under Elbow |
| 19. | 右倒撵猴 | Yòu dào niǎn hóu | Step Back and Repulse the Monkey, right |
| 20. | 左倒撵猴 | Zuǒ dào niǎn hóu | Step Back and Repulse the Monkey, left |
| 21. | 右倒撵猴 | Yòu dào niǎn hóu | Step Back and Repulse the Monkey, right |
| 22. | 斜飞式 | Xié fēi shì | Diagonal Flying |
| 23. | 提手上势 | Tí shǒu shàng shì | Raise Hands and Step Forward |
| 24. | 白鹤亮翅 | Bái hè liàng chì | White Crane Spreads its Wings |
| 25. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 26. | 海底针 | Hǎi dǐ zhēn | Needle at Sea Bottom |
| 27. | 扇通背 | Shàn tōng bèi | Fan Through the Back |
| 28. | 转身撇身捶 | Zhuǎn shēn piē shēn chuí | Turn Body and Chop with Fist |
| 29. | 进步搬拦捶 | Jìn bù bān lán chuí | Step Forward, Parry, Block, and Punch |
| 30. | 上步揽雀尾 | Shàng bù lǎn què wěi | Step Forward and Grasp the Bird's Tail |
| 31. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single whip |
| 32. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (1) |
| 33. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (2) |
| 34. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (3) |
| 35. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 36. | 高探马 | Gāo tàn mǎ | High Pat on Horse |
| 37. | 右分脚 | Yòu fēn jiǎo | Right Separation Kick |
| 38. | 左分脚 | Zuǒ fèn jiǎo | Left Separation Kick |
| 39. | 转身左蹬脚 | Zhuǎn shēn zuǒ dēng jiǎo | Turn Body and Left Heel Kick |
| 40. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 41. | 右搂膝拗步 | Yòu lōu xī ǎo bù | Right Brush Knee and Push |
| 42. | 进步栽锤 | Jìn bù zāi chuí | Step Forward and Punch Down |
| 43. | 转身撇身锤 | Zhuǎn shēn piē shēn chuí | Turn Body and Chop with Fist |
| 44. | 进步搬拦锤 | Jìn bù bān lán chuí | Step Forward, Parry, Block, and Punch |
| 45. | 右蹬脚 | Yòu dēng jiǎo | Right Heel Kick |
| 46. | 左打虎式 | Zuǒ dǎ hǔ shì | Left Strike Tiger |
| 47. | 右打虎式 | Yòu dǎ hǔ shì | Right Strike Tiger |
| 48. | 回身右蹬脚 | Huí shēn yòu dēng jiǎo | Turn Body and Right Heel Kick |
| 49. | 双峰灌耳 | Shuāng fēng guàn ěr | Twin Fists Strike Opponents Ears |
| 50. | 左蹬脚 | Zuǒ dēng jiǎo | Left Heel Kick |
| 51. | 转身右蹬脚 | Zhuǎn shēn yòu dēng jiǎo | Turn Body and Right Heel Kick |
| 52. | 进步搬拦锤 | Jìn bù bān lán chuí | Step Forward, Parry, Block, and Punch |
| 53. | 如封似闭 | Rú fēng shì bì | Apparent Close Up |
| 54. | 十字手 | Shí zì shǒu | Cross Hands |
| | 第三段 | | Section 3 |
| 55. | 抱虎归山 | Bào hǔ guī shān | Embrace the Tiger and Return to Mountain |
| 56. | 斜单鞭 | Xié dān biān | Diagonal Single Whip |
| 57. | 右野马分鬃 | Yòu yě mǎ fēn zōng | Parting Wild Horse's Mane, Right |
| 58. | 左野马分鬃 | Zuǒ yě mǎ fēn zōng | Parting Wild Horse's Mane, Left |
| 59. | 右野马分鬃 | Yòu yě mǎ fēn zōng | Parting Wild Horse's Mane, Right |
| 60. | 揽雀尾 | Lǎn què wěi | Grasp the Bird's Tail |
| 61. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 62. | 玉女穿梭 | Yù nǚ chuān suō | Fair Lady Works at Shuttles |
| 63. | 揽雀尾 | Lǎn què wěi | Grasp the Bird's Tail |
| 64. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 65. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (1) |
| 66. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (2) |
| 67. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (3) |
| 68. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 69. | 下势 | Xià shì | Snake Creeps Down |
| 70. | 左金鸡独立 | Zuǒ jīn jī dú lì | Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, Left |
| 71. | 右金鸡独立 | Yòu jīn jī dú lì | Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg, Right |
| 72. | 左倒撵猴 | Zuǒ dào niǎn hóu | Step Back and Repulse the Monkey, Left |
| 73. | 右倒撵猴 | Yòu dào niǎn hóu | Step Back and Repulse the Monkey, Right |
| 74. | 左倒撵猴 | Zuǒ dào niǎn hóu | Step Back and Repulse the Monkey, Left |
| 75. | 斜飞势 | Xié fēi shì | Diagonal Flying |
| 76. | 提手上势 | Tí shǒu shàng shì | Raise Hands and Step Forward |
| 77. | 白鹤亮翅 | Bái hè liàng chì | White Crane Spreads its Wings |
| 78. | 左搂膝拗步 | Zuǒ lōu xī ǎo bù | Left Brush Knee and Push |
| 79. | 海底针 | Hǎi dǐ zhēn | Needle at Sea Bottom |
| 80. | 扇通背 | Shàn tōng bèi | Fan Through the Back |
| 81. | 转身白蛇吐信 | Zhuǎn shēn bái shé tǔ xìn | Turn Body and White Snake Spits out Tongue |
| 82. | 进步搬拦捶 | Jìn bù bān lán chuí | Step Forward, Parry, Block, and Punch |
| 83. | 上步揽雀尾 | Shàng bù lǎn què wěi | Step Forward and Grasp the Bird's Tail |
| 84. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 85. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (1) |
| 86. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (2) |
| 87. | 云手 | Yún shǒu | Cloud Hands (3) |
| 88. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 89. | 高探马穿掌 | Gāo tàn mǎ chuān zhǎng | High Pat On Horse with Palm Thrust |
| 90. | 十字腿 | Shí zì tuǐ | Cross Kick |
| 91. | 进步指裆锤 | Jìn bù zhǐ dāng chuí | Step Forward and Punch Groin |
| 92. | 上步揽雀尾 | Shàng bù lǎn què wěi | Step Forward and Grasp the Bird's Tail |
| 93. | 单鞭 | Dān biān | Single Whip |
| 94. | 下势 | Xià shì | Snake Creeps Down |
| 95. | 上步七星 | Shàng bù qī xīng | Step Forward Seven Stars |
| 96. | 退步跨虎 | Tuì bù kuà hǔ | Step Back and Ride the Tiger |
| 97. | 转身摆莲 | Zhuǎn shēn bǎi lián | Turn Body and Swing Over Lotus |
| 98. | 弯弓射虎 | Wān gōng shè hǔ | Bend the Bow and Shoot the Tiger |
| 99. | 进步搬拦捶 | Jìn bù bān lán chuí | Step Forward, Parry, Block, and Punch |
| 100. | 如封似闭 | Rú fēng shì bì | Apparent Close Up |
| 101. | 十字手 | Shí zì shǒu | Cross Hands |
| 102. | 收式 | Shōu shì | Closing |
| 103. | 还原 | Huán yuán | Return to Normal |
