<p>It's most likely a Taoism's <a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%89%8B%E8%AF%80" rel="nofollow noreferrer">手訣</a> (I'd say that the word 手印 is reserved to Buddhism). <img src="https://i.sstatic.net/R9Uij.jpg" alt="2" /></p>
<p>It probably comes from this book.</p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lh1TA.jpg" alt="3" /> <img src="https://i.sstatic.net/kfXjN.jpg" alt="4" /></p>
<p>Apparently, there is a more famous 手訣 called 靈官訣, using by <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E7%8E%8B%E5%A4%A9%E5%90%9B" rel="nofollow noreferrer">王靈官</a>, similar to 小泰山訣. <img src="https://i.sstatic.net/IUoNj.jpg" alt="6" /></p>
<p><strong>Bonus</strong>: this is how it works in practice.</p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/6hyGR.gif" alt="7" /></p>
<p>Source:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.izhct.com/xiushen/dao/11095.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.izhct.com/xiushen/dao/11095.html</a></li>
<li><a href="https://kknews.cc/culture/5ojavp3.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://kknews.cc/culture/5ojavp3.html</a></li>
<li><a href="https://kknews.cc/news/6pgk2lq.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://kknews.cc/news/6pgk2lq.html</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-25T11:55:20.180Z
Is mūdra an acceptable translation for Taoist gestures?
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-25T13:51:21.497Z
@Mo. I'd say no because AFAIK they don't have exactly the same function. 手印 is employed in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism for spiritual practice while 手訣 is used when Taoist priests perform an exorcism with [符籙](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulu). Since Taoism is mainly developed in China, I think that a word of Sanskrit origin is not suitable.
Firmin Martin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-25T09:36:56.483Z
2020-07-25T09:36:56.483Z
Firmin Martin
<p>This children's(?) book is using mūdra (手印) to make some eastern vs. western jokes:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/E4Lle.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/E4Lle.png" alt="little tarzan" /></a></p>
<p>The guy says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>小泰山！</p>
<p>Little Tarzan!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and sticks up his middle finger.</p>
<p>Is &quot;Little Tarzan!&quot; a real mūdra? What does it mean? What's it's usage?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-08T15:45:54.973Z
why the downvote?
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-21T20:18:14.137Z
Need a little more detail to answer this. How about showing the full page?
moiaussi06
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-19T13:27:31.797Z
While I don't know the answer, it might be helpful to note that, it's not just sticking up middle finger... the other four fingers are touching in a funny way.
Zuoanqh
<meaning>
Is the mūdra "little tarzan" a real thing? what does it mean?
# Is the mūdra "little tarzan" a real thing? what does it mean?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-08)

This children's(?) book is using mūdra (手印) to make some eastern vs. western jokes:

[![little tarzan](https://i.sstatic.net/E4Lle.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/E4Lle.png)

The guy says:

> 小泰山！
>
> Little Tarzan!

and sticks up his middle finger.

Is "Little Tarzan!" a real mūdra? What does it mean? What's it's usage?

**Tags:** meaning

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: why the downvote?  
> **username_1**: Need a little more detail to answer this. How about showing the full page?  
> **username_2**: While I don't know the answer, it might be helpful to note that, it's not just sticking up middle finger... the other four fingers are touching in a funny way.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-07-25. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

It's most likely a Taoism's [手訣](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%89%8B%E8%AF%80) (I'd say that the word 手印 is reserved to Buddhism). ![2](https://i.sstatic.net/R9Uij.jpg)

It probably comes from this book.

![3](https://i.sstatic.net/lh1TA.jpg) ![4](https://i.sstatic.net/kfXjN.jpg)

Apparently, there is a more famous 手訣 called 靈官訣, using by [王靈官](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E7%8E%8B%E5%A4%A9%E5%90%9B), similar to 小泰山訣. ![6](https://i.sstatic.net/IUoNj.jpg)

**Bonus**: this is how it works in practice.

![7](https://i.sstatic.net/6hyGR.gif)

Source:

* <http://www.izhct.com/xiushen/dao/11095.html>
* <https://kknews.cc/culture/5ojavp3.html>
* <https://kknews.cc/news/6pgk2lq.html>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Is mūdra an acceptable translation for Taoist gestures?  
> **username_3**: @Mo. I'd say no because AFAIK they don't have exactly the same function. 手印 is employed in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism for spiritual practice while 手訣 is used when Taoist priests perform an exorcism with [符籙](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulu). Since Taoism is mainly developed in China, I think that a word of Sanskrit origin is not suitable.  

---

