Principles
Theory of the Internal Arts
The internal arts rest on a small set of concepts: the movement from stillness (wuji) into taiji, the standing postures that train the body to find that stillness, and the paired exercises that test it against a partner. Each study defines its concept, traces its sources, and connects it to the forms and texts where it appears.
- 4
- Concept Studies
- 17th c.
- Textual Roots
- 2
- Lineages Cited
- 0
- Speculations
Screen One
Start at the root
Every internal arts theory chain begins with wuji — the undifferentiated stillness from which taiji, and therefore movement, emerges. The concept study traces the term from its Song-dynasty source to its place in the Taiji curriculum.
Screen Two
The trained methods
From stillness the studies move to method: how the body stands, how it meets a partner, and how the classical formulae name the energies a practitioner is learning to feel.
Theory Concept
Standing Meditation
Standing meditation (站樁) — the post practice: Wang Xiangzhai's embrace posture, the Bajiquan two-powers post, and the stillness before Taiji.
Theory Concept
Push Hands
Push hands (推手, tuishou) is Tai Chi's two-person practice: listening energy, the eight gates, the classic Da Shou Ge, and the rules that govern contact.
Classical Concept
Four-Character Secret
The Four-Character Secret (四字秘诀) of Wu Yuxiang — spread, cover, match, swallow — with the Lianrangtang text, five generations of commentary, and practice.
Screen Three
A short reading order
Three documents, read in sequence, carry a reader from concept to text to practice.