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T'ai chi

T‘ai-chi ch‘üan / Taijiquan
(太極拳)
The lower dantian in taijiquan:yin and yang rotate, whilethe core reverts to stillness (wuji)
The lower dantian in taijiquan:
yin and yang rotate, while
the core reverts to stillness (wuji)
Yang Chengfu in a posture fromthe Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan solo formknown as Single Whip c. 1931
Yang Chengfu in a posture from
the Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan solo form
known as Single Whip c. 1931
Also known as Taijizhang;
t‘ai-chi; taiji
Focus Chinese Taoist
Hardness Forms competition,
Light contact (pushing hands, no strikes),
Full contact (strikes, kicks, throws, etc.)
Country of origin China
Creator Said to be Zhang Sanfeng
Famous practitioners Chen Wangting,
Chen Changxing,
Chen Fake,
Yang Luchan,
Yang Chengfu,
Wu Ch'uan-yu,
Wu Chien-ch'uan,
Wu Yu-hsiang,
Sun Lu-t'ang,
Wang Pei-sheng
Olympic sport Demonstration only
Tai chi
Taijiquan (Chinese characters).svg
"Taiji quan" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese 太極拳
Simplified Chinese 太极拳
Literal meaning "Supreme Ultimate Boxing"

T‘ai-chi (Mandarin: tàijí 太極, an abbreviation of tàijí quán 太極拳, literally "Supreme Ultimate Boxing") is an internal Chinese martial art 武术 practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. Though originally conceived as a martial art, it is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: competitive wrestling in the format of pushing hands (tui shou), demonstration competitions, and achieving greater longevity. As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims with differing emphasis. Some training forms of t‘ai-chi ch‘üan are especially known for being practiced with relatively slow movements.

Today, t‘ai-chi ch‘üan has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of t‘ai-chi ch‘üan trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu, and Sun. All of the former, in turn, trace their historical origins to Chen Village.

The concept of the taiji ("supreme ultimate"), in contrast with wuji ("without ultimate"), appears in both Taoist and Confucian Chinese philosophy, where it represents the fusion or mother of yin and yang into a single ultimate, represented by the taijitu symbol Taijitu - Small (CW).svg. T‘ai-chi ch‘üan theory and practice evolved in agreement with many Chinese philosophical principles, including those of Taoism and Confucianism.


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