27/04/2026
Ā 圆 夺 造化 Sān yuán duó zào huà
Three treasures / the circle contains all Three Treasures (Sān Bǎo 三宝) or Three Jewels are theoretical cornerstones in traditional Chinese Taijiquan. They immediately reveal their importance and the close connection between them. The ideas and practices associated with each term, and with the three terms as a whole, are complex and vary widely in different historical contexts and periods.
In the Chinese tradition, the "three treasures" are the essential energies that sustain human life.
The Three treasures are:
精 Jing Essence
氣 Qi Energy
神 Shen Spirit
For Essence we mean the main essential subject.
Qi is energy, the flow between Yin and Yang.
The Spirit is what defines itself as indefinable, the Dao.
Everything is formed and influenced by the Three Treasures. They are also called Sān cùn 三寸 Three Powers, and they represent the three Daoist keys which are at the same time three stages in the "Xiü liàn" (Daoist culture of practice of the improvement of body, mind and spirit). At the beginning we commit ourselves to "refine" the essence to turn it into Qi, and finally transform it into spirit.
In Chinese, this is known as the process of "Liàn jïng huà qì liàn qì huà shén". Jïng essence is associated with male seminal fluid and female menstrual fluid.
The Qi energy is like a "bioelectric" energy that invigorates the body.
The Shen spirit is the essence of our true being, beyond our personality or character.
The Three Treasures teach us that we need to cultivate our body (Jing), our internal flow (Qi) and our inner body (Shen).
Everything is divided into three levels, so we will have:
地 Say Earth
人 Rén Man
天 Tiān Heaven
The Chinese mentality says that heaven, earth and man had to be united.
The Yellow Emperor (Huang Di), in his "Yïn Fù Jïng", said "Guän tiän zhï give, zhí tiän zhï xíng, jìng yî", that is: "The Dao of Heaven must be observed (how the sky-universe works) , and we must act according to its laws ". In the human body the part corresponding to the sky is the upper part, while the lower part corresponds to the earth. In the Tàijíquán one must join the Qi of heaven and earth, with that of man.