We are not fluent in Chinese, but enjoy learning about the language (spoken and written), particularly as it relates to Tai Chi.

This website includes a number of Chinese language terms for important concepts in Tai Chi, since Chinese terms and ideas are nuanced & multi-layered. In addition, translations sometimes translate two different characters/concepts in Chinese to the same English term, which can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Many of the core texts of our style of Tai Chi were translated into English using the Wade-Giles romanization system still in use in Taiwan and elsewhere, so familiarity with the system is useful. Typically, terms will be presented in both Wade-Giles and the Hanyu Pinyin system, except when quoting other works, in which case the original text is not altered.

"P'eng, Lu, Chi, An are special terms in the martial arts. These terms are used differently in the Shuo Wen Chih, and the meanings are not related." – Cheng Man-ching, Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 76

Note: Some of the characters here are presented with meanings specific to Tai Chi, as they were adapted to the context of martial arts. So, the descriptions may be somewhat different than or augmented compared to their normal meaning.

Characters	Pinyin	Wade-Giles	Description
心静	xīn jìng	hsin ching	heart-mind still; calm, tranquil
不丢顶	bù diū dǐng	pu tiu ting	not disconnecting nor going against
抽丝劲	chōu sī jìn	ch'ou ssu chin	drawing silk skill; moving continuously and smoothly, integrating the movement & changes throughout the body to be connected and flowing internally as well as externally
右盼	yòu pàn	pan	Look Right; one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi; part of the idiom 左顧右盼 meaning 'look left and look right'
挒	liè	lieh	Split; Strike with an open palm; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
武当拳	Wǔ dāng quán	Wu-tang ch'uan	internal martial arts styles, named after the mountains where they are said to have originated
起式	qǐ shì	ch'i shih	Beginning Posture
劳宫	láo gōng	lao kung	"This refers to the eighth point on the pericardium meridian which is located on the middle of the palm of the hand." – Lo/Inn
静	jìng	ching	still, calm, quiet, not moving
内功	nèi gōng	nie kung	internal work; internal exercises
肘	zhǒu	chou	Elbow; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
提放	tí fàng	t'i fang	uprooting discharge
放劲	fàng jìn	fang chin	releasing/discharging energy
退步	tuì bù	t'ui {pu}	Step Back; one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
定劲	tīng jìn	ting chin	"This is the ability to be rooted and immovable as opposed to being hard and resistant to the opponent's attack."
貼	tiē	t'ieh	adhering horizontally
体	tǐ	t'i	form, substance
站宫	zhàn gōng	chan kung	standing practice of postures, for example the one-legged postures Lift Hands & Play Guitar and the 70/30 posture Single Whip
气	qì	ch'i	breath or breath energy
散手	sàn shǒu	san shou	free fighting
拳	quán	ch'uan	discipline, system of self-defense, boxing, fist
涌泉	yǒng quán	yung ch'uan	bubbling well; "The point on the foot where the root lies: on the center line, two-thirds forward from the heel." – Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe
十字手	shí zì shǒu	shih tzu shou	cross-shaped hands; Cross Hands posture
黏	nián	nien	adherance or sticking power; sticky, glutenous
大手履	dà lǚ	ta lu	long rollback; four corners push hands; literally 'great rollback'
神	shén	shen	soul, spirit, lively
灵	líng	ling	agile, lively, quick, alert
隨	suí	sui	adhering from the rear; follow
提合	tí hé	t'i ho	raise and bring together
走	zǒu	tsou	yielding by turning quickly; also known as tsou chin (zǒu jìn)
头悬	tóu xuán	t'ou hsüan	headtop suspended
靠	kào	k'ao	Shoulder; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
劲	jìn	chin	internal energy/strength; one of the main objectives of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is the development of chin and the ability to sense it in others.
搬	bān	pan	deflect
老師	lǎo shī	laoshi	teacher
长拳	cháng quán	ch'ang ch'uan	long boxing
少林	Shào lín	Shaolin	Shaolin; external martial arts styles, named after the Shaolin monestary where they are said to have originated
手履	lǚ	lu	Rollback; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
夹脊	jiā jǐ	chia chi	second of the Taoist 'gates', located between the shoulder blades.
拨	bō	po	parry
尾闾	wěi lǘ	weilu	the lowest of the three Taoist gates, in the sacral area of the spine
中文	Zhōng wén	chung wen	Chinese written language, Chinese writing
气势	qì shì	ch'i shih	an adventageous/powerful position
精神	jīng shén	ching shen	spirit, mind, vitality, drive, spiritual
泥丸	ní wán	ni wan	an energetic point in/on the head, sometimes considered to be at the crown of the head, sometimes inside the head on the centerline. It was considered to be one of the [[Three Taoist Gates]] by [[Cheng Man-ch'ing (Zhèng Mànqīng)|Cheng Man-ch'ing]].
发劲	fā jìn	fa chin	to release the internal force (chin)
腰	yāo	yao	waist, really the lower torso including the waist, the tan t'ien (dān tián) and ming men (mìng mén)
无极	wú jí	wu chi	everlasting; unbounded; primordial void in Taoist philosophy
左顧	zuǒ gù	ku	Look Left; one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi; part of the idiom 左顧右盼 meaning 'glancing to left and right' or 'to look all around'
凝神	níng shén	ning shen	pay attention; with rapt attention
心	xīn	hsin	heart, heart-mind; "The essential mind which produces the I (idea or will)" – Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe
动	dòng	tung	to set in motion; start to change
进步	jìn bù	chin {pu}	Step Forward; one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
两仪	liǎng yí	liang i	the two primordial powers, heaven and earth, yin and yang
棚	péng	p'eng	Wardoff; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
浩然之气	hào rán zhī qì	hao jan chih ch'i	Great Ch'i
精	jīng	ching	essence of the internal organs
闭	bì	pi	close
提	tí	t'i	uproot
懂劲	dǒng jìn	tung chin	interpreting energy
提劲	tí jìn	t'i chin	uprooting strength
力	lì	li	external, hard strength
工夫	gōng fu	gung fu	practice or discipline
转劲	zhuàn jìn	chuan chin	rolling energy
丹田	dān tián	tan t'ien	field of elixir
先天	xiān tiān	hsien tien	inborn; innate; prenatal
阳	yáng	yang	hard, positive, active, light, male
太极	Taì jí	T'ai Chi	great polarity, supreme ultimate
气功	qì gōng	ch'i kung	ch'i development practices.
粘劲	zhān jìn	chan chin	adhering to strength
实	shí	shih	substantial, real, solid
入劲	ru jìn	ju chin	entering energy
不丢不顶	bù diū bù dǐng	pu tiu pu ting	not to lose (connection) not go against; to not lose adherence nor resist
中定	zhōng dìng	chung ting	Central Equilibrium; one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi; stable middle point
客气	kè qi	k'e ch'i	polite, courteous; acting with the 'air of the guest'
气海	qì hai	ch'i hai	"Sea of ch'i or tan t'ien. Located in the abdomen, this point is critical for the development of the ch'i. It corresponds to the sixth point on the jen channel of the body." – Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe
发	fā	fa	discharging; to send out; to issue
中庸	zhōng yōng	chung yung	golden mean; Doctrine of the Mean; immutable straightness
连	lián	lien	adhering and supporting from below
九曲珠	jiǔ qū zhū	chiu ch'u chu	pearl with nine bends/passages; literally: nine bend pearl/bead
拦	lán	lan	parry
顶	dǐng	ting	the crown of the head; to go against
走劲	zǒu jìn	tsou chin	yielding energy
粘	zhān	chan	adhering and lifting from above; also just adhering in some circumstances
放	fàng	fang	to release
顺	shùn	shun	to follow
听	tīng	t'ing	to listen, to hear, to obey
胯	kuà	k`ua	hip, hipbone
采	cǎi	ts'ai	Pull; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
抖擞劲	dǒu sǒu jìn	tou sou chin	shaking out energy
玉枕骨	yù zhěn gǔ	yu chen ku	occiptial bone, where the skull sits on the neck; literally 'jade rest-your-head bone' or 'jade occipital bone'
听劲	tīng jìn	t'ing chin	listening to energy
神聚	shén jù	shen chü	concentrated spirit
入	ru	ju	to enter
化劲	huà jìn	hua chin	neutralizing energy
化	huà	hua	neutralize an opponents incoming energy/push by returning it back to them.
命门	mìng mén	ming men	gate of life, a point in the lower back located at the lower border of the second lumbar vertebrae and an important ch'i cultivation area
柔	róu	jou	supple, yielding, soft, flexible
阴	yīn	yin	soft, negative, passive, dark, feminine
虚	xū	hsu	insubstantial, empty or unoccupied
根	gēn	gen	root, rooted; the quality of being relaxed, and sinking (ch'en, chén) to be well-connected to the ground and with good equilibrium
丢顶	diū dǐng	tiu ting	losing the attachment
背	bèi	pei	detach or become stuck; literally: the back of a body or object, to turn one's back
借劲	jiè jìn	chìeh chin	borrowing energy
封	fēng	feng	seal
着	zháo	chao	to touch
太极拳	taìjíquán	t'ai chi ch'uan	supreme ultimate boxing; system of self-defense based upon the great polarity
截劲	jié jìn	chíeh chin	intercepting energy
工架	gōng jià	gong jia	task framework - a name for the Tai Chi solo form
中	zhōng	chung	center, central
接劲	jiē jìn	chieh chin	receiving energy
脊	jǐ	chi	the spine; the back
按	àn	an	Push; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
挤	jǐ	chi	Press; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
沉	chén	ch'en	sink
琵琶	pí pá	p'i p'a	A traditional Chinese musical instrument with a pear-shaped body, four strings, and frets on the fingerboard; sometimes called the "Chinese lute".
推手	tuī shǒu	t'ui shou	Push Hands; a two person exercise for exploring and refining one's ability to embody the principles of T'ai Chi
意	yì	i	mind, thought, idea, to think
经	jīng	ching	classics; classic text; scripture
内家	nèi jiā	nie chia	inner school; internal martial arts
缠丝劲	chán sī jìn	ch'an ssu chin	silk reeling skill
一家	yī jiā	i chia	one family; one group
武德	wǔ dé	wu te	martial virtue
筋	jīn	chin	the sinews and muscles of the body, though primarily referring to the ligiments, tendons, and fascia.
发放	fā fàng	fa fang	discharging release
松	sōng	sung	"To relax and sink. A distinction should be made between the relaxation of the whole body and a limp or flaccid condition of the body." – Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe
抖擞	dǒu sǒu	tou sou	enliven; invigorate; to shake out & shake
时中	shí zhōng	shih chung	precise timing at the center
定	dìng	ting	equilibrium; short version of chung ting (zhōng dìng) and one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi
兑	duì	tui	lake trigram (☱) of the Book of Changes
四象	sì xiàng	Sze Hsiang	four symbols/manifestations/images which generate the eight trigrams of the Book of Changes
震	zhèn	chen	thunder trigram (☳) of the Book of Changes
坤	kūn	k'un	earth trigram (☷) of the Book of Changes
未濟	wèi jì	Before Completion	Before Completion, the 64th hexagram of the Book of Changes
既濟	jì jì	After Completion	After Completion, the 63rd hexagram of the Book of Changes
乾	qián	ch'ien	heaven trigram (☰) of the Book of Changes
坎	kǎn	k'an	water trigram (☵) of the Book of Changes
八卦	bā guà	pa kua	the eight trigrams of the I Ching ("Book of Changes")
艮	gèn	ken	mountain trigram (☶) of the Book of Changes
巽	xùn	sun	wind trigram (☴) of the Book of Changes
离	lí	li	fire trigram (☲) of the Book of Changes
☰	qián	ch'ien	The 'heaven' trigram of the eight trigrams of the Pa Kua (bā guà)

Questions?

To learn about Tai Chi, start with our introduction to Tai Chi. To learn more about our style, you can read about the lineage of the school. You may find answers to other questions in the Frequently Asked Questions. Or you can email us.