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 (Zhan Zhuang, 站樁) is the foundational stillness practice of the internal martial arts. Its method, posture requirements, and Wuji theory.
Theory Concept
Push Hands
Push hands (推手, Tuishou) is the two-person practice of Tai Chi that trains sticking, neutralizing, and issuing. Its method, four classical errors, and competition.
Classical Concept
Four-Character Secret
The Four-Character Secret of Wu Yuxiang names four verbs — spread, cover, confront, swallow — as the fighting method of Tai Chi. Text, translation, and application.
Screen Three
A short reading order
Three documents, read in sequence, carry a reader from concept to text to practice.