Wudang training uses many short Chinese words for the hands. A teacher may ask for a fist, palm, hook hand, sword fingers, pushing palm, threading palm, or seizing action. Some describe the shape of the hand, while others describe what the hand is doing.

This article gives the core vocabulary for hand shapes and hand methods used in empty-hand practice, forms, partner work, and weapons training. It is a language reference, not a combat manual. The goal is to understand whether a correction concerns the fingers, wrist, palm surface, direction of force, or whole-body method.

Shape and Method

Two terms are especially useful:

手型 (Shǒuxíng) describes the shape itself: fist, palm, hook, claw, or sword fingers. 手法 (Shǒufǎ) describes the action: pushing, pressing, chopping, threading, blocking, seizing, or changing. A correct hand shape is only useful when it is connected to correct method. A palm shape without body connection is empty; a powerful method with a collapsed wrist is unsafe and inefficient.

Basic Hand Shapes (基本手型 Jīběn Shǒuxíng)

拳 (Quán) is the closed fist. The fingers curl into the palm and the thumb closes outside the index and middle fingers. The fist is firm, but the shoulder remains relaxed and the wrist aligned.

掌 (Zhǎng) is the open palm. It can push, strike, ward, deflect, guide, or listen through contact. Palm methods are important in Tàijíquán, Bāguàzhǎng, Qìgōng opening and closing movements, and many Wudang forms.

勾手 (Gōu Shǒu) is the hook hand. The fingers gather and the wrist bends so the hand forms a hook-like shape. In form practice, the hook hand trains wrist control, gathering, and directional clarity. It should not be forced into stiffness; the wrist remains shaped but alive.

剑指 (Jiàn Zhǐ) means sword fingers. The index and middle fingers extend together while the remaining fingers close. It appears in sword practice, Daoist ritual gesture, and some empty-hand movements.

爪 (Zhǎo) means claw. In martial language it refers to a grasping or clawing hand shape. Wudang practice does not reduce this to finger strength alone. The claw shape must remain connected to the elbow, shoulder, waist, and stepping method.

Parts of the Hand

These words help clarify corrections. If the force reaches the 拳面 (Quánmiàn), the fist face must be aligned. If it reaches the 掌根 (Zhǎnggēn), the heel of the palm is active. If the 腕 (Wàn) collapses, the hand loses its connection to the forearm.

虎口 (Hǔkǒu) is the web between thumb and index finger. In gripping, seizing, and weapons work, the tiger's mouth must be alive: neither squeezed shut nor opened without control.

Common Hand Methods (常用手法 Chángyòng Shǒufǎ)

推 (Tuī) appears in 推掌 (Tuī Zhǎng, pushing palm) and 推手 (Tuīshǒu, push hands). It should not mean arm-only pushing. In correct practice, the push is supported by the feet, directed by the waist, and expressed through a relaxed shoulder and aligned wrist.

按 (Àn) is pressing with a sinking quality. In Tàijíquán it is one of the familiar hand energies and is often translated as "push" or "press." The body settles, the elbows drop, and the palms connect to the center.

穿 (Chuān) means to thread through. A threading palm may pass through the centerline, through a gap, or around an incoming force. The word suggests precision and continuity rather than collision.

劈 (Pī) means to split or chop downward. It appears in fist methods and weapons language. The important point is a connected downward line guided by the body.

拿 (Ná) means to take, hold, or seize. In Qínná (擒拿), it becomes part of the vocabulary of joint control and capturing. The hand does not act alone; seizing requires position, angle, timing, and body structure.

缠 (Chán) means to wrap or coil. It is useful for spiral contact, controlling an arm, and changing from defense to control. In internal practice, wrapping is guided by the waist rather than by the wrist alone.

Fist, Palm, and Hook Examples

冲拳 (Chōng Quán) is a direct fist action. The fist travels forward with the wrist aligned, the shoulder relaxed, and the body rooted.

推掌 (Tuī Zhǎng) is a pushing palm. The contact surface may be the palm center or palm heel depending on the method. It teaches the student to keep the palm connected to the elbow and waist.

穿掌 (Chuān Zhǎng) is a threading palm. It appears when the hand passes through the center or changes angle without breaking continuity.

云手 (Yún Shǒu), cloud hands, is a familiar Tàijíquán movement name. The hands change in circular alternation, but the waist turns, weight shifts, and the arms follow the body.

换手 (Huàn Shǒu) means to change hands. It can refer to switching the leading hand, changing contact in partner work, or exchanging one hand shape for another inside a form.

Corrections Heard in Practice

松手 (Sōng Shǒu) does not mean the hand becomes limp. It means unnecessary gripping tension releases so the hand can change quickly while keeping clear shape.

坐腕 (Zuò Wàn) means the wrist settles into the correct angle. This is common in palm work and sword work. A settled wrist supports force; a collapsed wrist leaks force.

手随腰转 (Shǒu Suí Yāo Zhuǎn) is one of the most important training ideas. The hands follow the waist. If the hand moves by itself, the technique becomes local and disconnected. If the waist turns first, the hand becomes the final expression of whole-body movement.

Practice Method

When learning a form, identify the hand shape first: fist, palm, hook, sword fingers, or claw. Then identify the method: push, press, thread, chop, lift, block, seize, wrap, or change. This separates what the hand is from what the hand does.

The next step is to connect the hand to the body. A fist connects to the wrist and forearm. A palm connects to the elbow and shoulder. A hook hand connects to the waist and stepping direction. In Wudang practice, the hand is the visible end of the whole structure.

Students should listen for these words during corrections. If the correction names a body part, adjust the structure. If it names a method, adjust the action. If it names a direction, adjust the line of force. Over time, the terms become practical cues: the shape becomes clear, the wrist remains alive, the waist leads, and the hands move without excess tension.