Tan Tui () may refer to a particular

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

Chinese Martial Arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. Th ...

(commonly called Kung Fu or Gung Fu (), but more accurately called Wushu () bearing the name Tantui, a form(s), set(s) or routine(s) – popularly known by the Japanese term

Kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

, but the Chinese term is () Taolu – bearing this Tantui name in many different styles, or perhaps a specific type of front snap kick – also bearing the Tantui name. As a form, routine or set, Tantui can be found in many Northern styles of Chinese martial arts. Its prevalence being so widespread, a common saying among Chinese martial artists has evolved: ''If your Tán Tuǐ is good, your kung fu will be good''. The term 'Tán Tuǐ' itself has been translated into English a variety of ways, with the most prevalent equating to "Springing Leg." Others are ''Pond Leg,'' ''Tam's (as in surname – used to represent name of a family style of Chinese Martial Arts) Kicks,'' ''Pond Kicks'' and others. The name has been translated several different ways, with the most prevalent being that of 'springing leg'. The term is made up of two Chinese words or characters. Everyone tends to agree on the second word or character: 腿. In standard

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

, this is represented by the

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

as Tuǐ, and literally means leg, thigh, shank, etc. However, in the world of martial arts, this has generally been accepted to mean 'kick,' or more specifically, a type of front snap kick. The first Chinese character or word that makes up the term, however, is the one that tends to bring some confusion. The exact reasoning for the variations is unknown, however may be tied-in with the varying accounts of the form and / or style's origins and history. Tán Tuǐ is deeply rooted in China's

Hui The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the n ...

ethnic group of people.Where Wushu Went Wrong
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Understanding Tan Tui as a form

Little is known of Tán Tuǐ as a complete style, however the routine bearing this name is wildly popular in various Northern styles. The two most common versions are known as 10 and 12 'road' Tán Tuǐ. The word "road" is used to refer to a piece of the form – a group of movements strung together – such that, road one will have its set of movements (perhaps executed once, but typically done three times) going in one direction, road two will have its movements going in the opposite direction and, road three going back in the other direction and so on... It continues this way through road 10 or 12. There are other varieties of this form as well, 14, 20, 24, paired or "two-man" Tán Tuǐ, etc. Styles that have incorporated a version of Tán Tuǐ into their curriculum usually use it as a beginner form or training form, however due to its large number of movements, could be used for intense study for many years, regardless of version.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan Tui Chinese martial arts Wushu (sport) Shaolin Temple