First-Ever Classical Chinese Dance Glossary
Introducing Shen Yun’s Classical Chinese Dance Terms Glossary. This groundbreaking bilingual list, posted on the official Shen Yun website, lists dance terms in both Chinese and English.
Here you will find everything from “archer leap” (射雁跳) to “wheel of wind and fire” (風火輪). Whether you want to know the name for “orchid palm” in Chinese, or you’d like a glimpse of the numerous technical moves in classical Chinese dance—this is the list to consult.
We hope this glossary will be an interesting and valuable guide for Shen Yun fans, dance students and enthusiasts, and all inquisitive minds. Be sure check for periodic updates as we work to make the list more comprehensive and precise. And if there’s a new term you’d like to see included, please leave a comment in the box below.
B
ba-zi-bu 八字步 Character-eight feet
bai-lian 擺蓮 Lotus kick jump
ban-pang-tui 搬旁腿 Side-leg hold
ban-qian-tui 搬前腿 Front-leg hold
ban-tui 搬腿 Leg hold
ban-tui-zhuan 搬腿轉 Leg hold turn
ban-zi-jin-guan 搬紫金冠 Back leg hold
beng-jiao 繃腳 Pointed foot
bian-shen-shuang-fei-yan 變身雙飛燕 Split leap into straddle
bian-shen-si-cha-tiao 變身撕叉跳 Switch leap with turn
bian-shen-zi-jin-guan 變身紫金冠跳 Turning firebird leap
C
ce-shou-fan 側手翻 Cartwheel
chao-tian-deng 朝天登 Leg hold
chuai-yan 踹燕 Flying swallow
chuan-fan-shen 串翻身 Traveling windmill
chuan-mao 串毛 Jump into front roll
D
da-beng-zi 大蹦子 Barrel jump
da-gai-tui 大蓋腿 Extended barrel leap
da-rou-qiu 大揉球 Rolling the orb
da-she-yan-tiao 大射雁跳 Grand archer leap
dan-tui-dun 單腿蹲 Single knee bends
dao-ti-zi-jin-guan 倒踢紫金冠 Firebird jump
dian-di-fan-shen 點地翻身 Tapping windmill
diao-yao 吊腰 Illusion turn
ding-zi-bu 丁字步 T step
duan-tui 端腿 Lotus leg
duan-tui-zhuan 端腿轉 Outward lotus turn
dun 蹲 Knee bends
duo-zi-man-zi 跺子蠻子 Round-off side aerial
da-tiao 大跳 Grand leap
da-tiao-zi-jin-guan 大跳紫金冠 Firebird leap
da-wu-zi 大舞姿 Grand postures
F
fan-kua-fan-shen 反跨翻身 Lotus windmill
fan-shen 翻身 Windmill
fan-xi-tui-fan-shen 反吸腿翻身 Outward crane windmill
feng-huo-lun 風火輪 Wheel of wind and fire
G
gai-tui 蓋腿 Inward crescent kick
gong-jian-bu 弓箭步 Bow-and-arrow lunge
gou-jiao 勾腳 Flexed foot
gun-mao 滾毛 Front roll
H
hou-fei-yan 後飛燕 Double ring jump
hou-qiao 後橋 Back walkover
hou-ti 後提 Back tuck
hua-bang-bu 花梆步 Tiptoes
huan-dong 還動 Leg circles
J
jian-zhi 劍指 Sword fingers
jian-zi 踺子 Round off
jiao-tui-beng-zi 絞腿蹦子 Windmill hop
jiao-wei 腳位 Feet position
K
kong-zhi 控制 Hold, control
kua-dai-tui 胯帶腿 “Hips lead the legs”
kua-tui-fan-shen 跨腿翻身 Inward lotus windmill
kua-tui-zhuan 跨腿轉 Inward lotus turn
kuai-jiao 擓腳 Sickle foot
L
la-la-ti 拉拉提 Layout step out
la-tui-beng-zi 拉腿蹦子 Extended barrel jump
lan-hua-zhang 蘭花掌 Orchid palm
lu-xian 路線 Movement path
M
man-bu 漫步 Gliding steps
man-zi 蠻子 Side aerial
mao-xiao-fan 冒小翻 Back handspring step out
N
na-da-ding 拿大頂 Handstand
P
pan-shou 盤手 Hand spiral
pang-tui-tang-shen 旁腿躺身 Standing side split
pian-tui 片腿 Outward crescent kick
pi-tui-tiao 劈腿跳 Split jump
Q
qian-fei-yan 前飛燕 Pike jump
qian-kong-fan 前空翻 Front tuck
qian-pu 前撲 Front tuck
qian-qiao 前橋 Front walkover
qian-ting 前挺 Front aerial
qing-long-tan-zhua 青龍探爪 Dragon claw perch
quan-xiao-fan 圈小翻 Circle back handspring
S
sao-tang 掃堂 Sweeping turn
sao-tang-jie-tan-hai-zhuan 掃堂接探海轉 Sweeping sea-gaze turn
she-yan 射雁 Archer pose
shen-dai-shou 身帶手 “Body leads the hands"
shuang-fei-yan 雙飛燕 (In-place) straddle jump
shuang-qi-dan-luo-tiao 雙起單落跳 Two-to-one jump
shou-wei 手位 Hand position
si-cha-tiao 撕叉跳 Switch leap
si-cha-zi-jin-guan-tiao 撕叉紫金冠跳 Switch firebird leap
T
ta-bu 踏步 Ta bu step
ta-bu-dun 踏步蹲 Ta bu knee bend
ta-bu-fan-shen 踏步翻身 Ta bu windmill
tan-hai 探海 Sea gaze
tan-hai-fan-shen 探海翻身 Sea gaze windmill
tan-zi-gong 毯子功 Tumbling, flipping techniques
tiao 跳 Jump, leap
W
wu-zi 舞姿 Pose, posture
wu-zi-kong-zhi 舞姿控制 Posture hold
wu-zi-nian-zhuan 舞姿碾轉 Posture pivot
X
xi-tui-fan-shen 吸腿翻身 Inward crane windmill
xi-tui-zhuan 吸腿轉 Crane turn
xing-jing-shuang-fei-yan 行進雙飛燕 Straddle leap
xiao-fan 小翻 Back handspring
xian-shen-tan-hai 掀身探海 Tilted sea gaze
xiao-she-yan-tiao 小射雁跳 Small archer jump
xiao-tiao 小跳 Small jump
xie-tan-hai 斜探海 Diagonal sea gaze
xuan-zi 旋子 Butterfly kick
Y
yuan-bao-tiao 元寶跳 Ingot jump
yuan-chang 圓場 Circular steps
yun-jian-zhuan-yao 雲肩轉腰 Cloud circuit
yun-men-da-juan 雲門大卷 Cloud gate twist
yun-shou 雲手 Cloud hands
Z
zan-bu 趱步 Jump front kick
zhi-ti-hou-kong-fan 直體後空翻 Salto backward straight
zhong-tiao 中跳 Medium jump
zhuan 轉 Turn, spin
zhuan-ti-san-bai-liu 轉體三百六 Back twist
zi-jin-guan-tiao 紫金冠跳 Firebird jump
zi-jin-guan-zhuan 紫金冠轉 Firebird turn
