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Written by Master Wong · 15 years of Tai Chi & Qigong practice · Reviewed by WikiQigong Editorial Team

Weilu

What it is: Weilu (尾閭, wěi lǘ), the "tail gate," is the lowest of the spine's three gates in classical internal practice — the coccyx (tailbone) at the base of the spine, where the body's central channel was said to begin and qi to rise.

Literal meaning

  • Wei (尾) — "tail."
  • Lü (閭) — "gate," "door," "village gate."

So 尾閭 is literally "tail gate."

The imagery transfer is in the pairing: 尾 pictures the tailbone (the body's "tail"), and 閭 pictures a gate — originally the gate of a village, an archway through a wall. Together they name the coccyx as a gate at the tail: the lowest doorway of the spine. In the traditional map, this is where the upward path of the microcosmic orbit begins — the first pass the breath and attention must move through on the way up.

Historical context

Weilu is one of the three gates (see San Guan) of Daoist inner-alchemy (neidan) and its descendants — the map of three narrow points along the spine: weilu (the tailbone), jiaji (between the shoulder blades), and yuzhen (the base of the skull). The terms appear in internal-cultivation literature over centuries, with the precise systematization varying by school; the map is a teaching device, not a medical anatomy, and individual text dating is often uncertain.

Traditional interpretation

Traditionally, weilu was understood as the first gate — the place where rising qi, drawn up from the lower dantian, could be obstructed. A tucked but relaxed tailbone was described as "opening" the gate, allowing qi to pass upward along the spine. The instruction to "drop the tailbone" (尾閭下沉, wěilǘ xiàchén) — gently tucking the coccyx under — became a standard posture cue precisely to keep this lowest gate open.

Modern explanation

Read without metaphysics, weilu is simply the coccyx and its alignment. "Dropping the tailbone" is a real and useful postural cue: a gently tucked, relaxed coccyx levels the pelvis and lengthens the lower spine — the same neutral-pelvis idea modern posture and movement teaching emphasizes. This supports grounded stance (rooting), lets the hips (kua) settle, and takes strain off the lower back. The "gate" is a poetic name for a real anatomical region where habit and tension commonly concentrate.

Common misunderstandings

  1. "Weilu is a physical opening in the tailbone." It is a map of a transition zone — the coccyx and its alignment — not an anatomical valve.
  2. "You must force qi up through it." Traditional teaching emphasizes release and a relaxed tuck, not effort; forcing recreates the tension that "closes" the gate.
  3. "Tucking the tailbone means clenching the buttocks." The cue is a gentle, relaxed tuck — clenching creates rigidity, the opposite of the goal.
  4. "It only matters in esoteric practice." As a posture cue for a level pelvis and long lower spine, it matters in ordinary standing and movement for everyone.