Tai Chi Glossary > Lu (捋)

Lu (捋)

Definition: Lu (捋) is one of the eight foundational methods of tai chi, a yielding and redirecting force that follows an opponent’s incoming energy, drawing it past the centerline and creating the conditions for a counter.

There is a moment in every push hands exchange when the instinct is to push back. Lu is the disciplined refusal of that instinct. Rather than meeting force with force, Lu follows—tracking the opponent’s advance, borrowing its momentum, and guiding it into emptiness. It sounds passive. Done well, it is anything but.

Key points at a glance:

• Lu (捋) is often translated as “roll back”—the energy draws inward and around, like water curving around a stone
• Second of the four primary methods in Ba Fa , corresponding to the Kun (坤) trigram and the North direction
• Typically applied with both hands: one at the wrist, one at the elbow, controlling the opponent’s arm while redirecting its line of force
• Lu does not stop incoming force—it relocates it, drawing the opponent’s weight forward and off their root
• The quality of Lu determines the quality of what follows: poor Lu produces resistance; good Lu produces an opponent who has lost their center before they realize it

What the Character Says

捋 (lǚ) describes a stroking, smoothing motion—running fingers along a surface in one direction, the way you might smooth down a rope or stroke the length of a branch. There is nothing abrupt in the character. The motion is continuous, following the grain of whatever it touches rather than working against it.

This smoothing quality is exactly what Lu feels like from the inside. The practitioner’s hands make contact with the opponent’s incoming arm and simply continue its motion—extending it, curving it, drawing it further than the opponent intended. No collision. No stiffening. Just an extension of what was already happening, until the opponent finds themselves leaning into space with nothing to push against.

Classical texts describe Lu as the most direct expression of the principle “use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds” (四两拨千斤). The phrase is often cited but rarely examined carefully. Lu is where it becomes concrete: a light contact at the wrist and elbow, a slight curved draw, and an opponent’s committed force becomes their own liability.

The Mechanics of Lu

Lu is typically applied with both hands controlling the opponent’s arm at two points—one hand near the wrist, the other near the elbow. This two-point control is important. A single contact point gives the opponent too much freedom to adjust; two points define a lever, and a slight rotational draw along that lever redirects the entire arm with minimal effort.

The body’s role is as significant as the hands. As the opponent advances, the practitioner’s weight shifts backward—not retreating, but creating space for the opponent’s force to enter. The kua opens and turns, drawing the opponent’s line of force past the centerline. The hands follow this turning rather than driving it. When Lu is working correctly, it feels to the practitioner like almost no effort at all. The opponent is doing most of the work.

What the opponent experiences is different. They feel contact—light, yielding contact—and their advance continues. But its direction has changed slightly. By the time they notice their weight is forward and their root is compromised, the practitioner is already transitioning to Ji or An.

Lu and the Question of Timing

The most common failure in Lu is being too early or too late. Too early—beginning the redirection before the opponent has committed their weight—and they simply adjust their direction and re-attack. Too late—waiting until their force has fully arrived—and there is too much momentum to redirect smoothly; something closer to collision results.

Good Lu catches the opponent at the moment of commitment: weight forward, force invested, direction established—but not yet fully expressed. This is a subtle distinction that only develops through sustained push hands practice. Listening jing is the prerequisite. Without sensitivity to the opponent’s weight, timing Lu correctly is guesswork.

This is why the classic pairing of Lu with Ji is so instructive. Ji requires that Lu has genuinely emptied the opponent’s center—drawn their weight forward enough that a gap has opened. If Lu has only partially redirected, Ji meets residual resistance. When Lu is complete, Ji flows into the space it has created with almost no friction. The two methods reveal each other’s quality.

Lu in Solo Practice

In tai chi form practice, Lu appears in the rolling, curved drawing movements where the hands sweep inward and to the side while the body turns. Without a partner, it is easy to perform these movements as shape without content—pleasing curves with no internal logic. The correction is to practice them with the clear intention of following and redirecting: hands soft and tracking, body turning to open space, weight shifting to create the backward draw that makes Lu real rather than decorative.

Some teachers suggest practicing Lu movements while imagining a resistance—not to create tension, but to give the yielding quality something to yield against. The hands should feel like they are maintaining continuous light contact with something that is pressing forward, and the movement should feel like guiding that pressure into a curve rather than stopping it.

• Ba Fa — the eight methods of which Lu is one of the four primary
• Ji (擠) — the pressing method that follows Lu in the four-method cycle
• An (按) — the push method that completes the cycle Lu initiates
• Grasp Sparrow’s Tail — the foundational sequence in which Lu appears
• Listening Jing — the tactile sensitivity that makes good Lu possible
• Push Hands — the partner practice in which Lu is trained and refined
• Kua — the hip region whose turning drives Lu’s redirection
• Tai Chi Form — the solo practice context in which Lu movements are embedded
• Eight Gates — the directional framework within which Lu operates
• Jing (劲) — the trained force quality expressed through Lu

Have questions about Lu in practice? Our forum thread — [Masterclass] The Ultimate 62-Step Guide to Tai Chi’s 8 Methods & 5 Steps (Ba Fa Wu Bu) with Detailed Explanations — covers this and many more topics answered by experienced practitioners.