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 |
---|---|---|---|
既濟 | jì jì | After Completion | After Completion, the 63rd hexagram of the Book of Changes |
未濟 | wèi jì | Before Completion | Before Completion, the 64th hexagram 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 |
乾 | qián | ch'ien | heaven trigram (☰) of the Book of Changes |
震 | zhèn | chen | thunder trigram (☳) of the Book of Changes |
坎 | kǎn | k'an | water trigram (☵) of the Book of Changes |
坤 | kūn | k'un | earth trigram (☷) of the Book of Changes |
艮 | gèn | ken | mountain trigram (☶) of the Book of Changes |
离 | lí | li | fire trigram (☲) of the Book of Changes |
八卦 | bā guà | pa kua | the eight trigrams of the I Ching ("Book of Changes") |
巽 | xùn | sun | wind trigram (☴) of the Book of Changes |
兑 | duì | tui | lake trigram (☱) of the Book of Changes |
少林 | Shào lín | Shaolin | Shaolin; external martial arts styles, named after the Shaolin monestary where they are said to have originated |
太极 | Taì jí | T'ai Chi | great polarity, supreme ultimate |
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 |
按 | àn | an | Push; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
长拳 | cháng quán | ch'ang ch'uan | long boxing |
沉 | chén | ch'en | sink |
气 | qì | ch'i | breath or breath energy |
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 |
气功 | qì gōng | ch'i kung | ch'i development practices. |
气势 | qì shì | ch'i shih | an adventageous/powerful position |
起式 | qǐ shì | ch'i shih | Beginning Posture |
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 |
拳 | quán | ch'uan | discipline, system of self-defense, boxing, fist |
粘 | zhān | chan | adhering and lifting from above; also just adhering in some circumstances |
粘劲 | zhān jìn | chan chin | adhering to strength |
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 |
着 | zháo | chao | to touch |
挤 | jǐ | chi | Press; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
脊 | jǐ | chi | the spine; the back |
夹脊 | jiā jǐ | chia chi | second of the Taoist 'gates', located between the shoulder blades. |
接劲 | jiē jìn | chieh chin | receiving energy |
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. |
筋 | jīn | chin | the sinews and muscles of the body, though primarily referring to the ligiments, tendons, and fascia. |
进步 | jìn bù | chin {pu} | Step Forward; one of the 'five steps' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
静 | jìng | ching | still, calm, quiet, not moving |
经 | jīng | ching | classics; classic text; scripture |
精 | jīng | ching | essence of the internal organs |
精神 | jīng shén | ching shen | spirit, mind, vitality, drive, spiritual |
九曲珠 | jiǔ qū zhū | chiu ch'u chu | pearl with nine bends/passages; literally: nine bend pearl/bead |
借劲 | jiè jìn | chìeh chin | borrowing energy |
截劲 | jié jìn | chíeh chin | intercepting energy |
肘 | zhǒu | chou | Elbow; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
转劲 | zhuàn jìn | chuan chin | rolling energy |
中 | zhōng | chung | center, central |
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 |
中文 | Zhōng wén | chung wen | Chinese written language, Chinese writing |
中庸 | zhōng yōng | chung yung | golden mean; Doctrine of the Mean; immutable straightness |
发 | fā | fa | discharging; to send out; to issue |
发劲 | fā jìn | fa chin | to release the internal force (chin) |
发放 | fā fàng | fa fang | discharging release |
放 | fàng | fang | to release |
放劲 | fàng jìn | fang chin | releasing/discharging energy |
封 | fēng | feng | seal |
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 |
工夫 | gōng fu | gung fu | practice or discipline |
浩然之气 | hào rán zhī qì | hao jan chih ch'i | Great Ch'i |
先天 | xiān tiān | hsien tien | inborn; innate; prenatal |
心 | xīn | hsin | heart, heart-mind; "The essential mind which produces the I (idea or will)" – Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe |
心静 | xīn jìng | hsin ching | heart-mind still; calm, tranquil |
虚 | xū | hsu | insubstantial, empty or unoccupied |
化 | huà | hua | neutralize an opponents incoming energy/push by returning it back to them. |
化劲 | huà jìn | hua chin | neutralizing energy |
意 | yì | i | mind, thought, idea, to think |
一家 | yī jiā | i chia | one family; one group |
入 | ru | ju | to entter |
入劲 | ru jìn | ju chin | entering energy |
靠 | kào | k'ao | Shoulder; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
客气 | kè qi | k'e ch'i | polite, courteous; acting with the 'air of the guest' |
胯 | kuà | k`ua | hip, hipbone |
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' |
拦 | lán | lan | parry |
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 |
老師 | lǎo shī | laoshi | teacher |
力 | lì | li | external, hard strength |
两仪 | liǎng yí | liang i | the two primordial powers, heaven and earth, yin and yang |
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 |
连 | lián | lien | adhering and supporting from below |
灵 | líng | ling | agile, lively, quick, alert |
手履 | lǚ | lu | Rollback; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
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 |
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]]. |
内家 | nèi jiā | nie chia | inner school; internal martial arts |
内功 | nèi gōng | nie kung | internal work; internal exercises |
黏 | nián | nien | adherance or sticking power; sticky, glutenous |
凝神 | níng shén | ning shen | pay attention; with rapt attention |
棚 | péng | p'eng | Wardoff; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
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". |
搬 | bān | pan | deflect |
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' |
背 | bèi | pei | detach or become stuck; literally: the back of a body or object, to turn one's back |
闭 | bì | pi | close |
拨 | bō | po | parry |
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 |
不丢顶 | bù diū dǐng | pu tiu ting | not disconnecting nor going against |
散手 | sàn shǒu | san shou | free fighting |
神 | shén | shen | soul, spirit, lively |
神聚 | shén jù | shen chü | concentrated spirit |
实 | shí | shih | substantial, real, solid |
时中 | shí zhōng | shih chung | precise timing at the center |
十字手 | shí zì shǒu | shih tzu shou | cross-shaped hands; Cross Hands posture |
顺 | shùn | shun | to follow |
隨 | suí | sui | adhering from the rear; follow |
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 |
太极拳 | taìjíquán | t'ai chi ch'uan | supreme ultimate boxing; system of self-defense based upon the great polarity |
提 | tí | t'i | uproot |
体 | tǐ | t'i | form, substance |
提劲 | tí jìn | t'i chin | uprooting strength |
提放 | tí fàng | t'i fang | uprooting discharge |
提合 | tí hé | t'i ho | raise and bring together |
貼 | tiē | t'ieh | adhering horizontally |
听 | tīng | t'ing | to listen, to hear, to obey |
听劲 | tīng jìn | t'ing chin | listening to energy |
头悬 | tóu xuán | t'ou hsüan | headtop suspended |
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 |
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 |
大手履 | dà lǚ | ta lu | long rollback; four corners push hands; literally 'great rollback' |
丹田 | dān tián | tan t'ien | field of elixir |
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 |
顶 | dǐng | ting | the crown of the head; to go against |
定劲 | dìng jìn | ting chin | "This is the ability to be rooted and immovable as opposed to being hard and resistant to the opponent's attack." |
丢顶 | diū dǐng | tiu ting | losing the attachment |
抖擞 | dǒu sǒu | tou sou | enliven; invigorate; to shake out & shake |
抖擞劲 | dǒu sǒu jìn | tou sou chin | shaking out energy |
采 | cǎi | ts'ai | Pull; one of the 'eight gates' postures and part of the original thirteen postures of Tai Chi |
走 | zǒu | tsou | yielding by turning quickly; also known as tsou chin (zǒu jìn) |
走劲 | zǒu jìn | tsou chin | yielding energy |
动 | dòng | tung | to set in motion; start to change |
懂劲 | dǒng jìn | tung chin | interpreting energy |
尾闾 | wěi lǘ | weilu | the lowest of the three Taoist gates, in the sacral area of the spine |
无极 | wú jí | wu chi | everlasting; unbounded; primordial void in Taoist philosophy |
武德 | wǔ dé | wu te | martial virtue |
阳 | yáng | yang | hard, positive, active, light, male |
腰 | yāo | yao | waist, really the lower torso including the waist, the tan t'ien (dān tián) and ming men (mìng mén) |
阴 | yīn | yin | soft, negative, passive, dark, feminine |
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' |
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 |
☰ | qián | ch'ien | The 'heaven' trigram of the eight trigrams of the Pa Kua (bā guà) |
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.