An Exercise that Emphasizes the Center of Gravity of the Body

The Classics say, "Pay attention to the waist at all times;" "controlled by the waist;" and "the waist is like an axle." In other words, T'ai Chi Ch'uan could also be called an exercise that emphasizes the center of gravity of the body."

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 95-96

Benevolence

"Benevolence is the center and heart of all that heaven and earth create. To have searched for benevolence, come upon and possessed it, is to have hit precisely the target of all human seeking."

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Gateway to the Miraculous, 38

Ch'i is Transformation of Energy

Whenever there is a transformation of energy it is possible to characterize it as ch'i.

– Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe,
The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - The Literary Tradition; Annotated Edition, 122

Cheng Man-ch'ing's Desire

To share good things with others is my true heart's desire.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 87

Don't Move the Hands by Themselves

When Professor Yang taught students the form or push-hands, he would say, "In practicing T'ai Chi Ch'uan don't move the hands by themselves. If you move the hands, it is not Tai Chi Ch'uan."

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 105

Internal and External Unified

Tai Chi Ch'uan is T'ai Chi Ch'uan because the external and the internal become unified as one.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 105

Learn to Invest in Loss

Now when I say, "Learn to invest in loss," who is willing to do this? To invest in loss is to permit others to use force to attack while you don't use even the slightest force to defend yourself. On the contrary you lead an opponent's force away so that it is useless.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 22

Most Important Qualities of Tai Chi

The most important qualities of T'ai Chi Ch'uan are suppleness, quietness, and lightness [...]

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 98

Not Receiving Force is up to Me

Not using force means not receiving the force of another's attack. Not receiving force is controlled by me and is the substance of the art.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 25

On Shifting the Weight

T'ai Chi Ch'uan practitioners must place their weight on one foot and change from one foot to the other without using force.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 76

On breathing

The requisite principle of sinking the ch'i is that the breathing must be fine, long, quiet, and slow.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 77

On sweating

"Sweating," [Professor] said, "is a sign that the ch'i is being dissipated. It comes from tension and it's as if you are depleting your bank account. Doing Tai Chi, you want to accumulate ch'i, not spend it. So, if you sweat, you should stop and rest."

– Wolfe Lowenthal,
Gateway to the Miraculous, 52

Open hand, 'Sit the Wrist', 'Beautiful Lady's Wrist'

To "sit the wrist" is the most difficult of the three [stages of the first level of Tai Chi], as it requires that the veins and tendons do not appear on the back of the hand in order to be correct. This is traditionally called "beautiful lady's hand." The fingers are neither closed nor open, and neither bent nor straight.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 106

Practice Slowly

T'ai Chi Ch'uan uses stillness to control movement. Although one moves, there is also stillness. Therefore in practicing the form, slower is better.

– Li I-yu,
"Five Character Secret" from The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - The Literary Tradition; Annotated Edition, 99

Principles Lead to Application

Practitioners of T'ai Chi Ch'uan must first of all understand the essential [meaning] of its substance and application. To understand the application you must work on the substance. The substance is the root while the application is the branches. When the substance is completed the application is already there.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 95

Progress From Softness Alone

Do not use any force. From softness alone will you gradually progress.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 75

Proper Instruction is Direct and In Person

To enter the door and be shown the way, you must be orally taught.

– Unknown Author,
"Song of the Thirteen Postures" from The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - The Literary Tradition; Annotated Edition, 75

Push Hands is a Core part of Tai Chi

The practitioner should begin from push hands and practice until mastery is achieved. Then you can gain something.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 189

Regarding Preparation Posture

Most people neglect [Preparation] posture. Who would have thought that the way to practice and the applications are all based on this one? When you begin to study, you must be very clear about this.

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 144 & 116

Tai Chi Fosters Overall Life Balance

Being good at Tai Chi Chuan does not mean being prepared for the one time in ten years that someone may actually physically attack you, while you allow yourself to be constantly battered and thrown by the daily challenges at work, in your family, in your life.

– Wolfe Lowenthal,
Gateway to the Miraculous, 105

Tai Chi cannot be done using Force

People using force cannot benefit from Taichi. Their external postures may appear acceptable, but they have failed to internalize the art.

– Yang Cheng-fu,
rom *T'ai Chi Ch'uan Ta Wen - Questions and Answers on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 42

Tai Chi has Specialized Terminology

P'eng, Lu, Chi, An are special terms in the martial arts. These terms are used differently in the "Shuo Wen Chih" [the first Chinese Dictionary], and the meanings are not related."

– Cheng Man-ch'ing,
Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan, 76

Tai Chi only works through softness

If your energy toward your opponent is not soft, is not "play", you had better call a cab in a hurry, because your Tai Chi will not work.

– Wolfe Lowenthal,
Gateway to the Miraculous, 74

The Body must be Upright and Stable

The upright body must be stable and comfortable to be able to support (force from) the eight directions.

– Wu Yu-hslang,
"Expositions of Insights into the Practice of the Thirteen Postures" from The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - The Literary Tradition; Annotated Edition, 62

The Final Purpose of Tai Chi

Think over carefully what the final purpose is: to lengthen life and maintain youth.

– Unknown Author,
"Song of the Thirteen Postures" from The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan - The Literary Tradition; Annotated Edition, 76

Why Study Tai Chi

Professor Cheng was once asked, "What is the most important reason to study Tai Chi Chuan?"
"The most important reason is that when you finally reach the place where you understand what life is about, you'll have some health to enjoy it," was his answer.

– Wolfe Lowenthal,
Gateway to the Miraculous, xvi