Please refer to this Tai Chi Glossary for names and terms featuring in this blog, as well as in other web pages, about Tai Chi Chuan. A great tip is to bookmark this page (CMD/ Command + D) so that you can always reach it when you encounter a Tai Chi term that you haven’t seen before, or is uncertain of its meaning.
A
An – One of the “8 jins” or energies.
Anjing – Stillness, calmness
B
Ba Bei – “pluck the back”, see: Ba bei han xiong
Bang – Taiji stick (practicing tool, compare with chi or “ruler”)
Bagua – The 8 Hexagrams, can also mean gossip.
Baguazhang, also known as Baguaquan – A Chinese Internal Martial Art
Ba men – the eight ”gates” or energies. The eight basic methods in Tai Chi
Bajiquan – A traditional Kung Fu style
Bei – Back
Bow stance, also known as Bow and arrow stance – A long & low, forward positioned posture with the weight on the front foot
Bu – Stance, posture (as in “mabu”: Horse stance)
C
Cai (採)- “pluck”, one of the 8 gates or 8 energies.
Cat stance
Chang – “long”
Changjin – “Long energy“
Changquan – “long fist”, one of Taijiquan’s earlier names
Chen – see Chen style
Chen – Sink (as “Qi chen”, let the Qi sink)
Chenjiagou – The Chen village
Chen Style, or Chen shi Taijiquan – The source of modern Tai Chi Chuan.
Chen Wangting (1580–1660) – A local officer and Chen clan member. By many believed to be the inventor of Tai Chi Chuan.
Chi – ruler / Tai Chi ruler (太極尺)
Ch’i – see: Qi
Ch’i Kung – See: Qigong
Crane’s beak – Hand formation
Crane stance – A one legged stance with the front leg raised high
Cross stance – A stance with the legs crossed, seldom practiced in Tai Chi. Also known as “Tou bu” – stealing step”
D
Dan – Essence or elixir
Dantian – “elixir field” three different areas inside the body that stores and refines the Qi. The top dantian is in the head, the middle Dantian is in the solar plexus, and the lower dantian is located a little below the navel.
Dao – The Tao as in Taoism
Dao – “Knife”, The Chinese Broadsword or Chinese saber. Comes in many different executions and variations.
Daojia – Taoist filosophy
Daojiao – Taoist religion
Dim mak – see: Dianxue
Dongjin – Understanding jin
Ding shi – “Holding postures”, a way to practice by using postures as stationary stance practice or as “Zhang zhuang”. Also see Zhan Zhuang
Dianxue – “Pointing arteries”, more known by the name of Dim Mak. Vulnerable points to attack in combat.
Duanjin – Short Jin, or short energy, short force
F
Fangsong – See: Song
Fen – Split, separate (as in: yema fen zong, separate the wild horse mane)
Fo – Buddha
Fojiao – Buddhism. Chinese Buddhism has 8 main schools where Zhan (Zen) and Tibetan Buddhism are the most well known in the West.
Fo shi Taijiquan – Buddha style, a very rare form of Taijiquan
Fu shi Taijiquan – Fu style Tai Chi
G
Gang – hard / hardness
Gou “hook” – A hand position often confused with “Crane’s beak”
H
Ha – a sound, mostly mentioned together with “heng” as in “heng ha”
Han xiong – Contain the chest
Hao – See Wu / Hao style
He – Close or connect.
Heng – Horizontal energy, as in Hengquan in Xingyiquan
Hu – Tiger
Hu – see: He
J
Ji – “Press”, one of the 8 jins. Actually means “squeeze”
Jia – “frame”
Jian – Narrow, double bladed straight sword
Jin – “energy” or intrinsic strength. In Taiji, we speak about Taiji jin.
K
Kai – “open” as in “kai he”
Kou – “lean” mostly referred to as “shoulder strike”, one of the eight ”Jins” or gates.
Kong – Empty
Kongjin – “Empty force”
L
Lengjin – “cold energy”
Li – Stupid force/muscular effort
Li – Fire
Li style – A lesser known Taiji Style
Lie – “split”, one of the “8 gates” or “8 energies”
Lu – “walk” or “road”
Lü – “Roll back”, one of the “8 gates” or “8 energies”
Luohan – “Arhat”, a common name for different old Shaolin systems.
M
Mabu – “Horse Stance”
Mian – Cotton or continuous.
Mianquan – Continuous boxing or Cotton Fist, an older name of Taijiquan as well as om a contemporary “semi-soft” Kung Fu style.
N
Na – grip or grasp
Nei – inner, on the insider or internal
Neijiaquan – Internal School of Boxing arts, or Internal Arts Boxing
Neijin – Internal skill or Internal Power, Sometimes written “neijing”
Neijing – Internal medicine
Neigong – Internal skill practicing methods
P
Pakua – See: Bagua
Pa Kua Chang – See Baguazhang
Pai – School or style
Peng – “Ward-off”, one of the “8 gates” or “8 energies”.
Pengjin – “Ward-off energy“, or “Ward-Off skill”, the round quality found in Peng
Ping – flat or levelled
Pung – See Peng
Q
Qi – You know what
Qigong – “Qi practice“
R
Rou – soft, weak
Roushou – “Soft hands”, a partner exercise also known as “spinning hands”.
Ruan – soft
Ruanquan – soft fist/boxing
Rujia – Confucianism
S
Sheshou – “Snake hand”
Shi – ten
Shi – “style”
Shizishou – “ten figure hand”, the arms kept in a cross, as in the end posture of Taiji forms.
Song – “relax” – keeping the integrity of structure and posture with as little effort as possible and without forcing
Song chen – “relax and sing”, internal sinking through whole body relaxation
Spearhand – Using the stretched index finger used for point striking
Sung – See: Song
Swordhand – the two index fingers are stretched while the other three are kept together. The fingers are used to put against the wrist of the hand holding a jian, the Chinese narrow blade sword, for stability. Sometimes used for applications. Seldom seen in barehanded forms.
T
Taijiquan – The pinyin romanisation of Tai Chi Chuan.
Taolu – “form” a set of physical movements (compare with the japanese “kata”)
Ti – “lift”
Ti feng – “Lift and let go”/ “lift and place”. To uproot an opponent’s balance and issue fajin on the unbalanced body. Sometimes fajin and tifeng are used interchangeable
Ting – To listen or listening
Tingjin – “Listening skill”or “sensitivity”
Tui – “Push”
Tudi – Disciple
Tuina – Chinese deep tissue massage
Tuishou – Pushing Hands
W
Wei wuwei – action by non-action
Wu – Nothingness
Wubu – The 5 steps
Wuji – the undifferenced state that turns into Taiji
Wuwei – non-action
X
Xin – Heart, Heart-Mind
Xiong – Chest
Xia – Downwards, lower
Xia – Wandering knight
Xu – Empty
Y
You – Being
Yang – The positive pole or bright side of Yin-Yang
Yi – “intent” or “idea”
Yin – The negative or dark side of Yin-Yang
Z
Zhou – Elbow
Zhan – Zhan Buddhism, or Zen
Zhan “stretch”
Zhan – stand/stance
Zhanzhuang – “Standing post”, Stationary posture practice
Zhai – “Pluck”
Zhaobao – A village next to the Chenjiagou, the Chen village
Zhaobao Taijiquan – Zhaobao Style Taijiquan
Zhong – center
Zhong ding – centreline or central equilibrium
Zhou – Elbow
Zuan – Twist/screw
Thoughts On Tai Chi 