The routine consists of preparation, eight main parts, and closing. The parts include reaching upward, hands forward and back, opposite presses, drawing a bow, two looking-back sequences, wing-like arm movements and bends, and heel raises.
Find a part by the movement you remember
Hands behind the back are in Part 2; one hand up and one down is Part 3; the phoenix’s three nods are in Part 7; heel raises are in Part 8. The English labels below describe the movement, followed by the traditional name in pinyin. They are editorial labels, not a claim of one official English naming standard.
The parts identify the order of the routine. Nine steps in Part 1 or thirteen in Part 2 are internal breakdowns. Learning the routine means connecting those changes, not holding eight poses.
Part 1: Upward Reach (Shuang Shou Cha Ding Li San Jiao)
Start by extending the arms down, then raise them sideways and turn the palms upright. Move the hands above the head, reach upward, lower the arms sideways, and return the hands to the abdomen.
Notice the transitions between palms outward, palms up, and backs of hands together. The upward reach is only one point in the sequence.
Part 2: Hands and Feet Forward and Back (Shou Zu Qian Hou Gu Shen Yao)
Extend joined palms forward, open the arms sideways, and move into the forward stance as the hands travel behind the back. Lift, press down, open, and bring the hands forward again.
Distinguish leaning the body forward from bending the waist and dropping the head. Page 8 of the illustrated guide explicitly cautions against the latter. A rear view helps show the hands behind the back.
Part 3: Single-Hand Raise (Tiao Li Pi Fu Xu Dan Ju)
Move both fists to one side of the body. One hand rises while the other presses down; then draw the fists back and change sides.
The two hands change together, with coordinated footwork. The pinyin retains Pi Fu from this manual rather than substituting the similar Baduanjin name.
Part 4: Drawing the Bow (Zuo Gan You Fei Ru She Diao)
Circle the arms before one side pushes a palm and the other draws back a fist, as if drawing a bow. Then change direction.
Keep the circling actions before the bow shape. The traditional references to left liver and right lung describe the source’s cultural framework, not modern anatomical positions.
Part 5: Looking Back Toward the Foot (Hui Tou Wang Zu Qu Xin Ji)
One hand reaches backward while the other pushes forward and upward. The body turns and leans forward as the head looks back toward the foot, then returns.
The forward push and backward reach occur together. Notice the diagonal relationship of arms and body; Part 6 uses a different hand position and body shape.
Part 6: Looking Behind (Wu Lao Qi Shang Xiang Hou Qiao)
Bring the hands together and cross them, lift and press down, then slowly look back to each side. Return to face forward and draw the hands in.
The guide describes the hand preparation and the head-and-body turns separately. Looking behind does not mean a sudden forceful twist of the neck.
Part 7: Phoenix Spreads Its Wings (Feng Huang Zhan Chi Zhou Shen Li)
Circle the arms, turn to one side, and let the waist lead the arms into a bend toward the opposite toes. Repeat the wing-spreading sequence on the other side.
The sequence includes circles, turns, and the three nods of the phoenix. A still image of a bend omits these connections. Touching the toes is not a required range for everyone.
Part 8: Raising and Lowering the Heels (Liang Zu Dun Dun Yin Shi Xiao)
Cross the hands, lift and press down in preparation, then raise and lower the heels before returning the hands.
The illustrated guide gives the first two heel movements a different rhythm from the next three. This identifies the teaching sequence; its counts are not a personal exercise prescription.
Connecting one part to the next
Learn preparation and closing separately. Returning the hands to the abdomen does not always mean bringing the feet together, and does not necessarily end the routine. Follow each part’s instructions for stepping out and drawing a foot in.
Check the counting unit too: Parts 2–5 count the two sides together; Part 6 combines left and right turns into a round; Part 8 uses five heel raises and lowers as a section. First identify the actions, then their repetition count.
References and sources
- Mi Jing Zi: Babu Jingang Gong, numbered steps and instructions
Editorial reference scan of Babu Jingang Gong (Chinese title transliterated), credited to Mi Jing Zi: 147 scanned pages, without a text layer. Introduction: printed pages 4–5; preparation: 6–9; Part 1: 13–21. PDF page numbers are 13 higher in these ranges. No public original, publisher, year, edition, or ISBN has been verified for this copy. This link identifies the copy and its pages; it is not an original-file download or clinical evidence.
- Illustrated Babu Jingang Gong: Zhang Zhishun demonstration, 33 pages
Editorial reference scan of Tujie Babu Jingang Gong (Chinese title transliterated), crediting Zhang Zhishun as demonstrator: 33 pages. Preparation: page 2; parts: pages 3–32; closing: page 33. No public original, editor, or publication details have been verified, including its status as an official companion to the manual. This link is a copy-identification note, not an original-file download.
