Tai Chi Glossary
Eight Gates · Five Steps · Principles · Push Hands · Body Method · Stances
This page collects the core terms and concepts that appear throughout our book translations. Each entry gives the Chinese character, pinyin romanisation, its Vietnamese Han-Viet reading, and a plain-language definition. The Han-Viet readings are preserved as they appear in the Vietnamese texts, so you can match them directly against the books.
66 terms · 9 categories
Eight Gates · 八法 Bā Fǎ
掤
Ward-off. An expanding, upward-and-outward force, like water supporting a floating log. Not rigid resistance — it keeps contact while redirecting.
捋
Rollback. Yielding and drawing the opponent's force past you, emptying his attack by guiding it aside rather than meeting it.
挤
Press. Squeezing forward from close range, typically with the forearm grating against the opponent's arm.
按
Push. Pressing down on the opponent's arms and then driving forward to break his root.
采
Pluck. A sharp downward-and-sideways grasp, like picking fruit, used to break balance.
挒
Split. A spiralling, shearing wrench that splits the opponent's structure apart.
肘
Elbow. Striking with the elbow point at close range, where the hand can no longer be used.
靠
Bump. Striking with shoulder, back or hip, powered by the waist and legs, at the closest range.
Five Steps · 五步 Wǔ Bù
进
Advance. Moving the weight forward, stepping in to occupy the opponent's space.
退
Retreat. Withdrawing the weight rearward to yield and draw the opponent in.
顾
Look left. Awareness and movement toward the left flank.
盼
Look right. Awareness and movement toward the right flank.
定
Central equilibrium. Standing still with centred balance — the root from which all movement springs.
Core Principles · 核心原理
太极
The Supreme Ultimate — the source polarity from which yin and yang, movement and stillness, arise.
阴阳
Complementary opposites: hard/soft, full/empty, open/closed. Tai Chi skill is the ability to hold and switch between them.
气
Vital energy or breath. In practice, the felt sense of internal activation that follows correct alignment and relaxation.
丹田
The elixir field, about three finger-widths below the navel — the body's physical and energetic centre of gravity.
松
Relaxation with structure — letting go of unnecessary tension while staying connected and upright. The prerequisite for everything else.
沉
Sinking. Settling the weight and the qi downward so the stance roots and the upper body stays light.
意
Intent. Where the mind leads, the qi follows; in Tai Chi the movement is directed by intent, not by muscular effort.
劲
Trained, coordinated force — whole-body power released as a unit. Distinct from brute muscular strength.
力
Raw, local muscular strength. The classics treat relying on li as the beginner's error.
虚实
Empty and full. Weight distribution between the legs; the art of being empty where the opponent presses and full where he is open.
中定
Central equilibrium — the still centre that all thirteen postures depend on. Lose it and every technique fails.
刚柔
Hard and soft. Softness conceals hardness; hardness is released from softness. Neither exists alone.
开合
Opening and closing. The breath-like expansion and contraction running through every movement of the form.
Push Hands · 推手 Tuī Shǒu
推手
Push hands. The two-person sensitivity drill that turns solo form practice into a live test of timing, balance and listening.
听劲
Listening energy — reading the opponent's force, direction and intent through contact, before it becomes a visible move.
懂劲
Understanding energy. The stage after listening, where you can interpret what you feel and answer it correctly.
化劲
Neutralising force. Dissolving an incoming attack by redirecting it, so it arrives nowhere.
发劲
Issuing force. Releasing stored whole-body power in an instant, at the moment the opponent has lost his root.
粘黏连随
Stick, adhere, connect, follow. The four qualities of contact: never separate, never resist, always stay with the opponent.
不丢不顶
Neither letting go nor resisting. The central rule of push hands — stay in contact without opposing force with force.
引进落空
Lead him in, let him fall into emptiness. Draw the attack further than intended so the opponent's own momentum defeats him.
借力打力
Borrow the opponent's force to strike him. The core economy of Tai Chi: the answer comes from what he gives you.
四两拨千斤
Four ounces deflect a thousand pounds. The classic image of yielding overcoming force through correct timing and angle.
Body Method · 身法 Shēn Fǎ
虚领顶劲
Suspend the headtop. Lift the crown lightly, as if hung from above, so the neck is free and the spine extends.
含胸拔背
Hollow the chest, raise the back. Round the back slightly so the chest is not pushed out and force can pass through the spine.
沉肩坠肘
Sink the shoulders, drop the elbows. Removes tension from the upper body so the arms are powered by the back, not the shoulder muscles.
松腰松胯
Loosen the waist and hips. The waist is the commander of movement; if it is tight, nothing above or below it works.
气沉丹田
Sink the qi to the dantian. Breathe and settle into the lower abdomen, lowering the centre of gravity.
上下相随
Upper and lower follow one another. Hands, waist and feet move as one; nothing leads or lags.
内外相合
Inner and outer unite. Intent, breath and internal movement match the external shape of the posture.
连绵不断
Continuous, like a river. The form flows without break or pause; each posture grows out of the last.
用意不用力
Use intent, not strength. The classic instruction to direct movement with the mind and abandon muscular forcing.
Stances · 步法 Bù Fǎ
弓步
Bow stance. Front leg bent, rear leg straightened, weight mostly forward — the standard attacking stance.
马步
Horse-riding stance. Feet parallel and wide, knees bent, weight centred — builds leg power and roots the structure.
虚步
Empty stance. Weight on the rear leg, front foot lightly touching — ready to kick, step or yield.
半马步
Half-horse stance. An intermediate stance between bow and horse, weight shared but favouring one leg.
独立步
Single-leg stance. Standing on one leg with the other lifted — the test of balance and rootedness.
横裆步
Horizontal-crotch stance. A wide side-on stance with the knees opened, used in the paired routines.
Hand Forms · 手法 Shǒu Fǎ
掌
Open palm. The most-used hand shape in Tai Chi — relaxed, slightly cupped, fingers extended but soft.
拳
Fist. Loosely closed, not clenched hard; the fist is formed at the moment of striking.
勾
Hook hand. Fingers gathered and wrist bent downward, used in a few transitional postures.
虎口
Tiger mouth — the web between thumb and index finger. Kept rounded and open, never collapsed flat.
立掌
Vertical palm. Palm held upright with the thumb on top, used for pressing and parrying.
Training · 练法 Liàn Fǎ
站桩
Standing post. Holding a static posture to build structure, root, breath and patience before moving.
套路
The solo form — a fixed sequence of postures practised as one continuous movement.
对练
Paired practice. A choreographed two-person set that gives each technique its real combat meaning.
散手
Free-hand sparring. Applying the form's principles without a fixed sequence.
缠丝劲
Silk-reeling energy. The spiralling, screwing motion running through all Chen-style movement.
Family Styles · 五大流派
陈式
Chen style. The oldest documented style, from Chenjiagou. Low stances, spiralling silk-reeling, bursts of power alternating with slow movement.
杨式
Yang style. From Yang Luchan. Large, upright, even-paced and gentle — the most widely practised style in the world.
吴式
Wu style. Small, compact frame with a distinctive forward-leaning posture and soft, continuous pushing.
武式
Wu (Hao) style. Compact, internal, small-circle; emphasises internal cultivation and precise body alignment.
孙式
Sun style. Agile, with lively following steps and an open, high frame; blends Tai Chi with Xingyi and Bagua.