The Dantian in Chinese Martial Arts

When practicing Chinese martial arts, especially the Neijia (Internal Styles)and Qi Gong, you become acquainted with the Dantian. You will hear instructions such as “Concentrate on your Dantian” and “Sink Your Qi to the Dantian” For a practitioner of the Neijia, as well as other Chinese martial arts, it is imperative to know what the Dantian is and where in the body it is located.

The Dantian is often cited in Daoist Qi Gong practice and Internal Alchemy or Daoyin, and it is from the Daoists that Chinese martial arts have drawn this concept. Dantian is made up of two Chinese characters 丹田. The first character 丹 – Dan, has several English translation; Cinnabar and Elixir are the most common. The second character 田 – Tian is less complex and simply means Field. A widely accepted English rendering of Dantian is Energy Field.

Note: Cinnabar (a mineral common in Chinese medicine) was used by Daoists in transformation practices in their quest to seek immortality. You can learn more by searching “Daoists and Cinnabar” on Google.

In Daoist Qi Gong there are three Dantians: the Upper Dantian 上丹田 – Shang Dantian; the Middle Dantian 中丹田 – Zhong Dantian; and the Lower Dantian 下丹田 – Xia Dantian.

As it pertains to Chinese martial arts, and more specifically the Neijia, the Upper and Middle Dantians are not the focus of practice. The Upper Dantian is in the area of the third eye (around the middle of the forehead) and the Middle Dantian is in the mid-chest area.

The Lower Dantian is our focus here; it is what we referred to in the opening paragraph of this post. The precise location of the Lower Dantian varies somewhat among different schools. My teachers have been consistent in describing its location as being three finger-widths below the navel and about the same distance inward. It corresponds to the Ming Men, or Life Gate. In acupuncture, in the front is the acupoint known as Dan Zhong and to the rear is the acupoint known as Shen Dao. These points, Dan Zhong and Shen Dao, can be used to determine the location of the Middle Dantian.

Where is the Middle Dantian located?

If you place your fingers on your belly below the navel and make the sound aha loudly, it is possible that you can sense the Lower Dantian. You will certainly experience a sensation of fullness. What is important to understand is that the Lower Dantian, as with the Upper and Middle Dantian, is not a point but an area. If you practice Zhan Zhuang Gong (Post Standing Qi Gong) regularly, you will certainly feel the Xia Dantian.

In a future post, I will discuss the feeling of Qi in your Dantian in greater detail.

Note: Refer to the post on Zhan Zhuang Gong for more information on the prerequisites of this practice.