Taijijian

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Taijijian, meaning "tai ji sword," is a straight, double-edged sword used to train in tai chi. It may have a tassel and is used to condition the upper body and practice martial skills in traditional tai chi schools. Different lineages teach their own warmups, forms, and drills with the sword. The Yang and Wu families helped develop jian technique during the Qing dynasty for military officers. Traditional taijijian forms focus on practical martial use and were designed around the swords available at the time—with the right weight, balance, sharpness, and durability. There was no sword created specifically for tai chi; the forms fit a functional jian of that era. In modern wushu, lighter or more theatrical swords are used to look and sound impressive, but these can be less suited to historical combat. Taijijian has 32 forms (32式 太極劍).