Tai Chi Glossary > Upper Dan Tian (上丹田)

Upper Dan Tian (上丹田)

Definition: The Upper Dan Tian (上丹田) is one of the three dan tian of the Daoist internal tradition. It is generally placed in the head, is traditionally described as the residence of shen, and the classical sources do not agree on exactly where in the head it lies.

It belongs to a set of three — the upper, middle and lower dan tian — which are a traditional framework of attention rather than three organs.

Key points at a glance:

• One of the three dan tian. Its place in the set is the upper: 上丹田藏神, the middle holds qi, the lower holds jing
• Generally placed in the head, and called 藏神之府, the residence of shen
• The sources do not agree on the position. The usual placement is the area between the brows; the classical texts also give a depth inside the skull, a placement at the crown, and a general reference to the whole brain
• A point, a region, and a palace are three different things. Yintang (印堂) is an acupoint; the upper dan tian is a region; Niwan Gong (泥丸宫) is one of the nine palaces of the head
• Niwan Gong is a related name, not a synonym. The two should not be used interchangeably in English
• Mei Chong (眉冲) is not an alias. It is an acupoint of the bladder meridian and belongs to a different system entirely
• “Third eye” is a Daoist and health-cultivation term, and no physiological claim belongs with it
• What can be observed: the position of the crown, the eyes, and where attention is placed

Where the sources place it

The disagreement is the substance of this entry, so the variants are given side by side rather than resolved.

1. Between the brows, at Yintang. The commonest and most widely taught placement; the surface reference is the midpoint between the inner ends of the eyebrows.
2. “Three inches in, between the brows.” The classic formulation: “两眉间却入一寸为明堂，二寸为洞房，三寸为上丹田也” — one inch in is the Bright Hall, two inches the Cave Room, three inches the Upper Dan Tian. This places it inside the skull rather than on the surface.
3. At the crown, at Baihui (百会). Some writers place it there.
4. The brain as a whole. “上元丹田，脑也” — the upper original dan tian is the brain.

The usual way to write this is to give the between-the-brows placement first, and then say plainly that the classical texts also give a depth inside the head, the crown, and the brain generally, and that the accounts differ.

A point, a region, and a palace

These are different levels of the same framework, and an English entry that treats upper dan tian, yintang, niwan gong and baihui as four words for one thing loses the structure.

Should Niwan Gong be an alias?

It can be listed as a related name, but it should not be equated with the term.

The upper dan tian is called 泥丸宫、泥丸、紫府、祖窍 and by many other names, and some of those names are used for the same place. But in the nine-palace system of 《云笈七签》, Niwan Gong is one of the nine — a more specific name within the upper region rather than another word for the whole thing.

So: the entry lists them among the alternative names, and the body says that in some texts Niwan Gong denotes one of the nine palaces of the head specifically.

Its connection to shen

The three dan tian correspond to the three treasures: the upper holds shen, the middle holds qi, the lower holds jing. This is the single most important link on this page, and it is why the entry has to point at Shen.

The upper dan tian matters in this tradition because it is where shen is said to reside. Tai chi texts speak of 神为主帅 — shen as the commander — and of 神贯顶, shen reaching the crown, which is adjacent to where this centre is placed. But the tai chi concept of shen has its own entry, and this page should not restate it.

Its relationship to the other two

The three are 一身三窍 — three openings in one body, not three organs. Classical practice moves attention between them, and there is a formulation that gathers shen in the upper, regulates the breath in the middle, and gathers qi in the lower. That formulation comes from a text traditionally attributed to Zhang Sanfeng, and the “three dantians as one” reading is a modern internal-martial interpretation; both belong to the 流传说法 layer.

One point has to be made plainly, because English-language searchers run into it constantly: 气沉丹田 — sinking qi to the dan tian — refers to the lower dan tian. It is the opposite direction from the upper centre, which is about lifting shen. See Sinking Qi to the Dan Tian and Lower Dan Tian.

The “third eye” association

English searches for “upper dan tian” surface “third eye” and “third eye opening” almost immediately. That association is real in the literature — 天目 and “the third eye” appear in Daoist and health-cultivation texts, and Niwan Gong is described in such writing as the place where a third eye opens.

It belongs in the entry as an association with a label, not as a mechanism. No physiological or neurological claim should be attached to it, and no steps for “opening the third eye” belong here.

The same applies to 眉冲 (Mei Chong). It is an acupoint of the bladder meridian, located 0.5 cun above the hairline between 攒竹 and the line joining 神庭 and 曲差. It is part of the Chinese acupuncture system, not of the Daoist centre system, and it should not be presented as an alias of the upper dan tian. The entry does not need it at all; if mentioned for readers who arrive through “third eye”, it must be marked as belonging to a different system.

What can be observed

• The position of the crown. 虚灵顶劲 — the crown lightly lifted, the chin slightly tucked, the head neither raised nor lowered. This is a structural requirement of tai chi body method, and it is visible.
• The eyes. A level gaze and a focused expression are outward signs of shen, and they sit near the area this centre is placed in.
• Where attention is placed. The classical 意守 practice of holding attention on a part of the body is teachable as an attention exercise. It comes with no promise about internal sensations.

What must not be written: any claim about qi rising to the crown, any description of what can be felt there, and any instruction for cultivating the upper dan tian that no public source documents.

Sources

• 《抱朴子·地真篇》 (Ge Hong), quoting the 《仙经》 — “两眉间却入一寸为明堂，二寸为洞房，三寸为上丹田也.” One of the earliest explicit accounts of the three dan tian.
• 《云笈七签·三一九宫法》 — “两眉间却入一寸为明堂宫，却入二寸为洞房，却入三寸为丹田.” The source of the nine palaces of the head.
• 《上清黄庭内景经》 — “脑神精根字泥丸.”
• 《延陵君修养大略》 — “上元丹田，脑也.”
• 《东医宝鉴》 quoting the 《仙经》 — “上丹田，藏神之府也.”
• 《道言浅近说》 (traditionally attributed to Zhang Sanfeng) — the gathering of shen in the upper dan tian. A transmitted attribution; mark as 流传说法.
• 《千金要方》 and the acupuncture literature — the location of 眉冲, and the point that it belongs to the meridian system.
• 杨澄甫《太极拳十要》 — 虚灵顶劲, the observable requirement of the crown.

A note for anyone citing these: they are Daoist cultivation texts, and their transmission, dating and authorship are all subjects of scholarly discussion. Check the edition and the page before quoting.