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Taiji
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Tai chi has practitioners worldwide from Asia to the Americas. Early practitioners such as Yang Chengfu and Sun Lutang promoted the art for its health benefits beginning in the early 20th century. Its global following may be attributed to overall benefit to personal health. Many forms are practiced, both traditional and modern. Most modern styles trace their development to the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu, and Sun. All trace their historical origins to Chen Village. Concepts ''Yin'' and ''Yang'' The concept of the ''taiji'' ("Supreme Ultimate"), in contrast with '' wuji'' ("without ultimate"), appears in both Taoist and Confucian philosophy, where it represents the fusion or mother of yin and yang into a single ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chen-style T'ai Chi Ch'uan
The Chen family-style (陳家、陳氏、陳式 太極拳) or Chen-style Taijiquan is a Northern Chinese martial art and the original form of Taiji. Chen-style is characterized by silk reeling (纏絲勁; chán sī jìn), alternating fast and slow motions, and bursts of power (發勁; fa jin). Traditionally, Taijiquan is practiced as a martial art but has expanded into other domains of practice such as health or performances. Some argue that Chen Style Taijiquan has preserved and emphasized the martial efficacy to a greater extent. History Origin theories As for the origin and nature of modern Chen-style taijiquan, documents from the 17th century indicate the Chen clan settled in Chenjiagou (Chen Village, 陳家溝), Henan province, in the 13th century and reveal the defining contribution of Chen Wangting (陈王庭; 1580–1660). It is therefore not clear how the Chen family actually came to practise their unique martial style and contradictory "histories" abound. What ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taijitu
In Chinese philosophy, a ''taijitu'' () is a symbol or diagram () representing Taiji () in both its monist ('' wuji'') and its dualist (yin and yang) aspects. Such a diagram was first introduced by Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhou Dunyi (; 1017–1073) of the Song Dynasty in his ''Taijitu shuo'' (). The modern Taoist canon, compiled during the Ming era, has at least half a dozen variants of such ''taijitu''. The two most similar are the "Taiji Primal Heaven" () and the "''wuji''" () diagrams, both of which have been extensively studied during the Qing period for their possible connection with Zhou Dunyi's ''taijitu''. Ming period author Lai Zhide (1525–1604) simplified the ''taijitu'' to a design of two interlocking spirals. In the Ming era, the combination of the two interlocking spirals of the ''taijitu'' with two black-and-white dots superimposed on them became identified with the ''He tu'' or "Yellow River diagram" (). This version was reported in Western literature of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chen Fake
Chen Fake or Ch'en Fa-k'e (陳發科; 1887–1957) was a Chinese martial artist who taught Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan. He was born and raised in Chen Family Village (Chenjiagou, 陳家溝) in Henan province. In 1928, Chen Fake moved to Beijing to teach his family's inheritance; Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan. After defeating all challengers, Chen attracted a group of students that included many already well known martial artists. Chen Fake was a martial artist and not a scholar and so he did not leave a written record of his achievements. His life story was recorded and told by his sons or students, notably Hong Junsheng. By the time of his death in 1957, Chen had established a martial arts tradition of Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan that is practiced worldwide. Background Early life Chen Fake (), courtesy name Fusheng (), was born in 1887, in the village known as Chen Jia Gou (), Wen County (), Henan Province (). This area was known for their martial arts expertise since the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wu (Hao)-style T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Wu (Hao)-style t'ai chi ch'uan, t'ai chi ch'üan was created by Wu Yuxiang (, birth name Wu Heqing, , 1812?–1880?), a member of a wealthy and influential family in Yongnian, Hebei, China. Wu trained for approximately ten years with the founder of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Yang-style t'ai chi, and then for over a month with a Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Chen-style master. Wu also obtained a manual on internal martial arts that formed the core of what are now known as the Tai chi classics, T'ai Chi Ch'üan Classics and include Wu's own writing on the subject. From these sources Wu and his family developed their own style, and may also have developed much of the cultural and intellectual foundation of t'ai chi ch'üan as well. Hao Weizhen (, 1849–1920), birth name Hao He (), was a disciple of Wu's nephew and was the first person outside the family to master their t'ai chi. Hao's contributions — in developing and spreading the art, and in training the founders of all subseque ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wuji (philosophy)
In Chinese philosophy, ''wújí'' (, meaning 'without limit') originally referred to infinity but came to mean the "primordial universe" prior to the "Supreme Ultimate" state of being ( ''Taiji'', ) in the Neo-Confucianist cosmology of Song China. '' Wuji'' is also a proper noun in Modern Standard Chinese usage; for instance, Wuji County in Hebei. The word ''Wuji'' Chinese ''wuji'' "limitless; infinite" is a compound of the nothingness concept of wu and ''ji'' (ridgepole > limit, extremity, utmost). In analogy with the figurative meanings of English ', Chinese ''ji'' "ridgepole" can mean "geographical pole; direction" (e.g., ''siji'' "four corners of the earth; world's end"), " magnetic pole" ''Beiji'' "North Pole", ''Nanji'' "South Pole", ''yangji'' "positive pole; anode" ''yinji'' "negative pole; cathode"), (''baji'' "farthest points of the universe; remotest place"). Common English translations of the cosmological ''Wuji'' are "Ultimateless" (Fung and Bodde 195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wu-style T'ai Chi Ch'uan
The Wu family style () t'ai chi ch'uan (Taijiquan) of Wu Quanyou and Wu Chien-ch'uan (Wu Jianquan) is the second most popular form of t'ai chi ch'uan in the world today, after the Yang style, and fourth in terms of family seniority. This style is different from the Wu style of t'ai chi ch'uan (武氏) founded by Wu Yu-hsiang. While the names are distinct in pronunciation () and the Chinese characters used to write them are different, they are often romanized the same way. History Wu Quanyou was a military officer cadet of Manchu ancestry in the Yellow Banner camp (see Qing Dynasty Military) in the Forbidden City, Beijing and also a hereditary officer of the Imperial Guards Brigade. At that time, Yang Luchan was the martial arts instructor in the Imperial Guards, teaching t'ai chi ch'uan, and in 1850 Wu Ch'uan-yu became one of his students. In 1870, Wu Ch'uan-yu was asked to become the senior disciple of Yang Pan-hou, Yang Luchan's oldest adult son, and an instructor as well ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chen Changxing
Chen Changxing or Ch'en Chang-hsing (1771–1853) was a 14th generation descendant and 6th generation master of the Chen Family and was an influential martial artist and teacher of taijiquan (t'ai chi ch'uan). Chen Changxing is a slightly mysterious character and much controversy surrounds him. He is most known as the teacher of the great taijiquan master Yang Luchan, but there is much disagreement over which style of martial art Chen Changxing actually taught to the family outsider. Some schools of thought suggest that Chen Changxing was a maverick who practiced and taught a style of martial art that was not part of the Chen Family martial arts tradition, and that was passed to him either directly or indirectly from a taijiquan master known as Jiang Fa Jiang may refer to: * ''Jiang'' (rank), rank held by general officers in the military of China * Jiang (surname), several Chinese surnames **Jiang Zemin (1926–2022), as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party *Jian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhang Sanfeng
Zhang Sanfeng (also spelled Zhang San Feng, Chang San-Feng) refers to a legendary Chinese Taoist who many believe invented T'ai chi ch'üan. However, other sources point to early versions of Tai Chi predating Sanfeng. He was purported to have achieved immortality. History According to various accounts, he was born in Shaowu, Nanping, Fujian near the end of the Southern Song dynasty (around 1270 C.E.) and lived for over 211 years until the mid-Ming dynasty. His given name was Tong (通) and his courtesy name was Junbao (). He specialised in Confucian and Taoist studies, scholarly and literary arts. During the reign of Emperor Shizu in the Yuan dynasty, he was nominated as a candidate to join the civil service and held office as the Magistrate of Boling County (博陵縣; around present-day Dingzhou, Baoding, Hebei). While touring around the mountainous regions near present-day Baoji, Shaanxi, he saw the summits of three mountains and decided to give himself the Taoist name "S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun-style T'ai Chi Ch'uan
The Sun style (孙氏) t'ai chi ch'uan is well known for its smooth, flowing movements which omit the more physically vigorous crouching, leaping and fa jin of some other styles. Its gentle postures and high stances make it very suitable for martial arts therapy. History Sun style t'ai chi ch'uan was developed by Sun Lutang, who is considered expert in two other internal martial arts styles: xingyiquan and baguazhang before he came to study t'ai chi ch'uan. Today, Sun-style ranks fourth in popularity and fifth in terms of seniority among the five family styles of t'ai chi ch'uan. He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar, especially in the Yi Jing and the T'ai chi classics. Sun learned Wu (Hao)-style t'ai chi ch'uan from Hao Weizhen, who was Li Yiyu's (李亦畬) chief disciple. Sun style t'ai chi ch'uan is considered to be part of the umbrella of Sun style internal martial arts developed by Sun Lu T'ang. Besides his earlier xingyi and bagua train ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun Lu-t'ang
Sun Lu-t'ang or Sun Lutang (1860-1933) was a renowned master of Chinese neijia (internal) martial arts and was the progenitor of the syncretic art of Sun-style t'ai chi ch'uan. He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar (especially in the I Ching), and was a distinguished contributor to the theory of internal martial arts through his many published works. Biography He was born in Hebei and was named Sun Fuquan () by his parents. Years later, his Baguazhang teacher Cheng Tinghua () gave him the name Sun Lutang. (It was common in old China for people to have multiple names). He continued to use his original name in some areas, including the publishing of his books. He was also well-versed in two other internal martial arts: xingyiquan (hsing-i ch'uan) and baguazhang (pa-kua chang) before he came to study taijiquan (t'ai chi ch'uan). His expertise in these two martial arts were so high that many regarded him as without equal. Sun learned Wu (Hao) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun Lutang
Sun Lu-t'ang or Sun Lutang (1860-1933) was a renowned master of Chinese neijia (internal) martial arts and was the progenitor of the syncretic art of Sun-style t'ai chi ch'uan. He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar (especially in the I Ching), and was a distinguished contributor to the theory of internal martial arts through his many published works. Biography He was born in Hebei and was named Sun Fuquan () by his parents. Years later, his Baguazhang teacher Cheng Tinghua () gave him the name Sun Lutang. (It was common in old China for people to have multiple names). He continued to use his original name in some areas, including the publishing of his books. He was also well-versed in two other internal martial arts: xingyiquan (hsing-i ch'uan) and baguazhang (pa-kua chang) before he came to study taijiquan (t'ai chi ch'uan). His expertise in these two martial arts were so high that many regarded him as without equal. Sun learned Wu (Hao) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheng Man-ch'ing
Cheng Man-ch'ing or Zheng Manqing (29 July 1902 - 26 March 1975) was a notable Chinese expert of t'ai chi ch'uan, Chinese medicine, and the so-called three perfections: calligraphy, painting and poetry. He was born in Yongjia (present-day Wenzhou), Zhejiang Province, Republic of China (ROC). His birthday was on the 28th year of the Guangxu emperor's reign, 6th month, 25th day, which corresponds to July 29, 1902. Cheng died March 26, 1975; his grave is near the city of Taipei in Taiwan. Because of his skills in the ''3 Perfections'' or "Excellences" – considered to be among some of the traditional skills and pastimes of a Confucian scholar – plus medicine and t'ai chi ch'uan, he was often referred to as the "Master of Five Excellences." Because he had been a college professor, his students in the USA called him "Professor Cheng." Early years Cheng's father died when Cheng was very young. Around the age of nine, Cheng was struck on the head by a falling object, and was in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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