32-Form Taiji Straight Sword

Quick Facts

About the kata

The 32-movement jian form was issued in 1957 by the Chinese state physical culture committee. According to the Chinese State General Administration of Sport, it was prepared as teaching material by Li Tianji, main author of the simplified taijiquan textbook. The movements come from the traditional Yang-style sword: tjqworld.com says the form shortens the traditional set while keeping its classic sword techniques; the Tai Chi Notebook adds that it also reorders some movements and performs them slightly differently. Besides the opening and closing, it has 32 movements in four groups of eight. Each carries a technical and a pictorial name: the thrust in the closed stance is Dragonfly Touches the Water, the final straight thrust from the lunge is Pointing South. The Shanghai Community Sports Association lists its main sword techniques: drawing back, pulling, a low sweep, thrusting, pecking with the tip, and chopping. The free hand holds the sword fingers and, per Michael Garofalo, releases them only when supporting the sword hand. The 2024 IWUF rules list it among the compulsory forms, timed at three to four minutes. Held vertically in the left hand, the sword's tip must reach at least the top of the ear, per the same rules.

The kata in different styles

Creator and history

According to the Chinese State General Administration of Sport, Li Tianji led the coaching group of the first Chinese national wushu team from 1954, and in 1955 wrote the simplified taijiquan textbook for the state physical culture committee. After it, he gradually prepared further teaching materials: the eight pieces of brocade baduanjin, the 88-movement taijiquan form, the tuishou paired exercise, and the 32-movement sword. Tai Chi Notebook names him directly as the form's creator and places its origin in the same period as the 24-movement form. The Shanghai Community Sports Association writes that its creation was organised by the state committee, and Michael Garofalo (egreenway.com) lists it as the committee's standard 1957 form.

The hardest part

The IWUF rules describe eight taijijian techniques, among them the peck dian jian: blade on edge, wrist lifting, tip pecking forward and down. It appears in the first movement and again in the peck from the empty stance, Celestial Horse Gallops Across the Sky. For the chop from the empty stance in the fourth group, the Shanghai Community Sports Association notes it must not be confused with the peck. For the pulls right and left, it gives a step of about 30 degrees from the centreline and a palm turn: down on the right pull, up on the left.

In competition

At the 4th Taijiquan World Championships in Singapore in 2024, the form was practised in the main competition only in age group A (14–17 years); adults in groups B (18–39) and C (40–65) performed it in the demonstration competition. The three-to-four-minute time limit applied to both. For comparison, Michael Garofalo lists recorded times ranging from 2 minutes 22 seconds to 4 minutes 31 seconds.

Competition status

• IWUF (International Wushu Federation) – Tai Chi — Compulsory routine ↗