Dantian
丹田
“Field of elixir” in the lower abdomen, in Chinese tradition the store of qi and the body's center of gravity. Japanese tanden.
Quick Facts
Term typeAnatomy, target levels and striking surfaces
LanguageChinese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[dahn tyen]
Alternative Namesfield of elixir, center of gravity
Readings and romanizations
Pinyindāntián
Wade–Gilestan-t'ien
Word breakdown
丹dāncinnabar, elixir
田tiánfield
Definition
Dantian (丹田) literally means “field of elixir” (dan is cinnabar, the alchemists' elixir). The concept comes from Taoist inner alchemy, which distinguishes three dantians: lower (lower belly), middle (chest) and upper (between the eyebrows). In martial arts it usually means the lower one, roughly below the navel. In the internal styles and qigong the dantian is seen as the store of qi and the starting point of movement. Practitioners breathe into the lower belly and lead movement from the hips. Japanese arts took over the concept as tanden or seika tanden.