Yijinjing
01 · Historical Records
It originated in the Ming dynasty and was passed down from generation to generation among the Daoist priests of Tongbai Palace, the ancestral temple of the Southern School of Daoism, before later spreading into society.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Yijinjing is the method of transforming the tendons and bones. Tiantai Mountain Yijinjing originally belonged to the Daoist tradition. It is a method that, based on the characteristics of the human body's meridians, works through breathing exercises that move qi, extension of the limbs, and guiding the tendons and relaxing the pulse, cultivating both interior and exterior, in order to strengthen the body, eliminate illness, and prolong life. Tiantai Mountain Yijinjing is represented by the Eight Postures of Zining from Tongbai Palace. The first posture, Bathing and Guarding the Center, joins the hands in prayer and stills the mind; the second, the Iron Ox Plowing the Earth, closes both hands into fists with the thumbs forcefully extended; the third, Returning to the Origin at the Sea Bottom, pushes both hands downward with true intent filling through; the fourth, the Two Modes Merging in Clarity, pushes both hands level, opening the chest and loosening the joints; the fifth, the Divine Elephant Flying Essence, pushes both palms forward, freeing the three yang channels; the sixth, Plucking Stars and Gazing at the Moon, extends one palm toward the moon while the other guards the Gate of Life; the seventh, the Tripod Standing Between Heaven and Earth, scoops up the seas below while pushing toward the heavens above; the eighth, Returning to the Origin in the Dantian, joins both palms and returns to embrace the dantian. According to the requirements of ancient practice methods, it demands long-term arduous cultivation from the inside out. Practitioners focus on the use of intent, so that intent follows the form and intent and qi accompany each other. The Yijinjing transmitted in modern times, by contrast, mostly takes only the guiding and pulling (daoyin) content, and has spawned many versions. Its postures are not fixed; depending on one's level of practice, physical condition, and insight, they may be expanded and deepened in the course of training. It emphasizes cultivating both interior and exterior and nourishing body and mind together; it can both strengthen the body and has strong ornamental appeal, with good efficacy in eliminating illness and prolonging life. According to the compilation of Tongbai Palace on Tiantai Mountain, each of the Eight Postures of Zining is paired with specific breathing requirements: Bathing and Guarding the Center requires stilling the mind and dissolving intent; the Iron Ox Plowing the Earth requires forceful extension of the thumbs; Returning to the Origin at the Sea Bottom requires true intent to fill through; the Two Modes Merging in Clarity requires opening the chest and loosening the joints; the Divine Elephant Flying Essence requires the three yang channels to flow freely; Plucking Stars and Gazing at the Moon requires the palm to guard the Gate of Life; the Tripod Standing Between Heaven and Earth requires scooping up the seas below and pushing toward the heavens above; and Returning to the Origin in the Dantian returns to a single embrace of the dantian. The Yijinjing transmitted in modern times mostly takes only its guiding and pulling content and has spawned many versions; the postures are not fixed, and practitioners may expand and deepen them according to their own level of practice, physical condition, and insight.
The eight Zining postures
The representative sequence of eight postures, from bathing in the centre to returning to the dantian.
The opening two postures
The first posture joins the palms and stills the mind, the second fists the hands with thumbs braced, setting the body upright.
Reaching the star and steadying the world
The sixth posture reaches for the moon with one palm guarding the gate of life; the seventh scoops the sea and pushes the sky, the widest extensions of the set.
Breath, tendon and channel work
The core method works breath, extension and tendon stretching along the channels, the mind leading the form throughout.
Tongbai Palace and the Southern Daoist school
Originating in the Ming, the art passed down among the priests of Tongbai Palace, seat of the Southern Daoist school, which safeguards it today.
Twenty-eight generations
Handed down priest to priest across twenty-eight identifiable generations, with master-disciple transmission among lay practitioners.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
It is now mainly transmitted in Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province, and is also distributed throughout China, including Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Anhui. Tiantai Mountain Yijinjing originally belonged to the Daoist tradition and was passed down from generation to generation among the Daoist priests of Tongbai Palace, the ancestral temple of the Southern School of Daoism, before later spreading into society. It is now mainly transmitted in Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province, and is also distributed throughout China, including Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Anhui. Its documented lineage has reached twenty-eight generations to the present; as a cultivation method of the Southern School of Daoism, it has been transmitted from generation to generation by Daoist priests, while among the people master-to-disciple transmission is the main mode. It trains the five internal organs internally and the tendons and bones externally, combining interior and exterior and interconnecting yin and yang, and it embodies in concentrated form the Southern School of Daoism's thought of cultivating the body and nourishing the nature. It also integrates Buddhist meditation, the Confucian cultivation of character and nurturing of qi, and the medical tradition of daoyin, among China's many paths of health preservation, providing an invaluable living textbook for the study of folk cultural fusion and the development of qigong.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Tiantai Mountain Yijinjing has a deep foundation of transmission. As a cultivation method of the Southern School of Daoism, it has been transmitted from generation to generation by Daoist priests, while among the people master-to-disciple transmission is the main mode. Its documented lineage has reached twenty-eight generations to the present. Tiantai Mountain Yijinjing trains the five internal organs internally and the tendons and bones externally, combining interior and exterior and interconnecting yin and yang, and embodies in concentrated form the Chinese Southern School of Daoism's thought of cultivating the body and nourishing the nature. It integrates Buddhist meditation, the Confucian cultivation of character and nurturing of qi, and the medical tradition of daoyin, among China's many paths of health preservation, and provides an invaluable living textbook for the study of folk cultural fusion and the development of qigong.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。