There are several schools of Tai Chi

There are several theories about the origin of Tai Chi

There are different opinions about the origin and founder of Tai Chi. There are roughly five theories: Xu Xuanping in the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng in the Song Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Ting and Wang Zongyue in the Qing Dynasty. different sayings.

In the Tang Dynasty, Xu Xuanping was a native of She County, Anhui Province. When Li Bai traveled east, he saw a poem written by Xu Xuanping and passed it down to his family. He thought it was an "immortal poem" and visited She County many times without success. Song Ji Yougong's "Chronicles of Tang Poetry" said that "he lived without food and walked like a galloping horse. In the Tang Dynasty, he was sold in the market with a salary. Li Bai visited him but did not meet him, so he wrote a poem on Wangxian Bridge." There is no other proof that he is the founder of Tai Chi.

There is no historical data to support the theory that Zhang Sanfeng of the Song Dynasty was a Wudang alchemist in the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties. In the early Qing Dynasty, Huang Lizhou wrote "Wang Zhengnan's Epitaph" for Wang Zhengnan, a Ming Dynasty internal boxer. It was based on Wang Zhengnan's words and deeds written by Gao Chensi. He believed that internal boxing was "founded by Zhang Sanfeng in the Song Dynasty. Sanfeng was Wudang Danshi and Huizong. If you call him, the Taoists will not be able to get in. In the night, Emperor Xuan taught him the boxing skills, and he was able to kill more than a hundred thieves by himself." His words are absurd and unbelievable.

In the Ming Dynasty, there was a so-called Wudang Danshi named Zhang Sanfeng as the founder during the Huizong era of the Song Dynasty. This had nothing to do with Tai Chi created in the early Qing Dynasty.

Zhang Sanfeng, according to the "History of the Ming Dynasty·Fang Ji Biography", "was born in Yizhou, Liaodong. His first name is Quanyi, and he is also known as Junbao. His nickname is Sanfeng. Because of his unkempt appearance, he is also nicknamed Zhang Sloppy." However, the "History of the Ming Dynasty" also says: "It may be said that Sanfeng was born in the Jin Dynasty. He was the same teacher as Liu Bingzhong in the early Yuan Dynasty, and later learned Taoism in the Taiqing Palace in Luyi." As for Zhang Sanfeng's creation of Tai Chi, it is just an attachment after the Revolution of 1911 (1911).

Wang Zong and Wang Zongyue were from two eras. According to available information, Wang Zongyue was born during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and wrote "Tai Chi Theory". Wang Zongyue’s life will be detailed later.

Chen Wangting is the founder of Tai Chi

Chen Wangting is the ninth generation of Chenjiagou. His father's name is Fumin, and his ancestor's name is Sigui. They are both good at boxing and martial arts. "Chen's Genealogy" says that Wang Ting is also known as Zuo Ting, "Wu Xiang was born in the late Ming Dynasty, and Wen Xiang was born in the early Qing Dynasty. He is known as a famous hand in Shandong... He is also the founder of Chen's boxing swords and guns." But the genealogy, tombstones, and "Wen County Chronicles" all read "Wang Ting" "Ting", so it should be called Chen Wangting.

Chen Wangting was born into a landlord family. According to the "Wen County Chronicles", in the 14th year of Chongzhen, Sizong of the Ming Dynasty (1641), he served as a "township garrison" in Wen County. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he lived in seclusion in his hometown. In his later years, he made boxing for himself. Entertainment, teaching disciples and grandchildren. For example, the first half of "The Last Words" says: "I lament that in those days, I wore strong armor and carried out raids on bandits. I was in danger several times. I received gifts in vain. Now, I am old and dying, and only have a volume of "Huang Ting" with me. Companion. Make boxing when you are bored, plow the fields when you are busy, take advantage of your spare time to teach your disciples and grandchildren, and let them become dragons and tigers at your convenience..." Chen Wangting was in the prime of life when the Ming Dynasty fell. Even though he was "disabled from old age", he was still able to "plow fields" and "make boxing". It can be presumed that he created Tai Chi in the 1770s, that is, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644. thirty years. "Huang Ting Jing" is the Taoist method of "breathing in and out of the hut, entering and exiting the Dantian". From the "Chen's Boxing Manual" we can see that Tai Chi routines include Tai Chi (Thirteen Postures in one name) and the Five Ways. There are one hundred and eight movements of boxing all the way, and hammering all the way with cannons. Combining Daoyin and Tuna, it becomes a school of Neigong boxing. His "General Song of Boxing Sutra" summarizes the principles of the boxing gloves he created, which is recorded at the end:

No one knows how to bend and stretch as much as I want, I rely on everything to wrap around me, and I can make progress by chopping and pushing. , It’s hard to beat even if you move and leave Hengcai. Who knows how to force everyone to know the hook shed, but to take advantage of surprise? Whoever pretends to lose and cheats will lose, and whoever seduces him to rush back will win. ...

This song formula can be found in the "Boxing Pu" of Chen's Liangyi Hall. The lyrics were deeply influenced by Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese general in the Ming Dynasty. Qi Jiguang was an outstanding figure who organized folk boxing in the Ming Dynasty. He summarized and organized the ten martial arts of the Ming Dynasty. There are six famous folk boxing styles, and thirty-two of them are absorbed into the boxing gloves, which are included in the "New Book of Jixiao" and are called the source of martial arts training. Qi's "Boxing Classic" has the function of linking the previous and the following. It is as far as Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's thirty-two styles of long boxing. It uses long boxing and short strikes to remove the waste and retain the essence, use hardness and softness, and incorporate all aspects. Its boxing techniques "inherit the same styles, win when encountering the enemy, and have endless changes", which greatly corrected the shortcomings of the flashy flower boxing that was popular at that time and became a new boxing school.

Qi Jiguang and Chen Wangting were separated by more than half a century, and they had a great influence on Chen Wangting's creation of Tai Chi. Qi's "Thirty-two Forms of Boxing Sutra" was absorbed by Chen Wangting and incorporated into the Tai Chi routine. For example, the "Boxing Classic" uses "lazily tying clothes" as the starting position, and the seven-way boxing gloves made by Chen Wangting all use this starting position. Even the diction of Chen Style's "Boxing Manual" and "Boxing Classic General Song" are imitated from Qi's "Boxing Classic", which shows the deep influence. However, this is just about inheritance and influence. It does not mean that Chen Wangting copied Tai Chi from Qi Jiguang, nor can it be said that Qi Jiguang created Tai Chi. Chen Wangting's achievement lies in inheriting Qi Jiguang's boxing legacy, innovating and creating a new boxing school, which is Tai Chi. For example, in Chen-style Tai Chi, the two-person pushing hands and two-person sticking gun methods, which specifically practice the sensitivity of the whole body's skin touch and internal body sensations, are not recorded in boxing works such as Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, Tang Shunzhi, and Chen Chongdou. This training method is not found in other boxing schools, but is a unique competitive method of Chen Style Tai Chi.

Five Characteristics of Chen Style Tai Chi

Looking at the Tai Chi created by Chen Wangting, it has the following five characteristics:

1. Combining boxing skills with guidance, Combine breathing and breathing.

Guidance and guidance in ancient my country have a long history. They have appeared in Laozi, Mencius, Zhuangzi and other works hundreds of years ago. In the early Han Dynasty, Huainanzi Liu An compiled it "Six-animal play" was changed to "five-animal play" by Hua Tuo, a famous medical scientist in the later Han Dynasty. It is the forerunner of qigong and internal strength in later generations and the foundation of Taoist health care. Chen Wangting organically combined the coordinated movements of hands, eyes, body and footwork in boxing with guidance and breathing, which made Tai Chi a unified internal and external movement. This is indeed a creative development for enhancing people's physical fitness and improving boxing skills.

2. The spiral winding movement is arc-shaped, coherent and flexible, which is very consistent with the principles of meridian theory.

Meridians refer to the channels of qi and blood throughout the human body. Meridians originate from the internal organs and flow to the limbs. If the Qi and blood of the internal organs and meridians are out of harmony, the organs will be abnormal and diseases will occur. If the Qi and blood are in harmony, the Qi and blood will flow smoothly and the body will be strengthened and prolong life. Tai Chi combines the theory of meridians, which requires that "the mind guides the qi, and the qi moves the body", "the qi should be blown up", and "the qi spreads throughout the body". The internal qi originates from the Dantian, with the waist as the axis, and rotates slightly to move the two kidneys left and right. , by rotating the waist and spine, winding movement, spread all over the body, connecting Ren and Du (Ren Vessel, Du Vessel), Liandai and Chong (Dai Vessel, Chong Vessel), reaching the four tips and returning to the Dantian. The four schools of Tai Chi, Chen, Wang, Wu and Li, successively developed their subtleties. These are based on the theory of meridians, making Tai Chi a genre of "internal strength boxing".

3. Created the competitive sport of double push hands

Push hands, formerly known as thugs, is a comprehensive practice method of martial arts in Chinese martial arts. Since ancient times, there have been five partial training methods of kicking, hitting, throwing, holding and falling, but they have their own characteristics. In ancient times, they were called "South Fist and North Leg" and "Long Fist and Short Fight", which illustrates this difference. At the same time, because the four methods of kicking, hitting, grabbing, and dropping are very harmful in practice, most of them have always been practiced only imaginatively or symbolically. This opens the door to the use of false techniques. It is difficult to improve the level of martial arts with the bits of experience that people have painstakingly accumulated, and due to lack of practice.

The Push Hands method created by Chen Wangting takes winding, sticking and following as the core content, and integrates competitive skills such as catching, grabbing, falling, throwing, and hitting, and it is still developing. For example, the holding method is not limited to holding a person's joints, but focuses on the strength of the person, which is higher than the general holding method.

The emergence of push hands method has solved the problems of venue, protective gear and special clothing during martial arts practice, and has become a competitive sport that can be practiced by two people anytime and anywhere. , hit, throw, take, fall) a new content is injected into it - push.

4. Created the basic training method of stabbing spear that sticks to the hair and does not come off.

Based on the "listening to Jin" method when pushing hands, he then created the double stick gun method, which is also one of Chen Wangting's original achievements. This equipment sparring method solves the problem of practicing actual thrusting without protective gear.

When practicing Tai Chi to stick to the gun, the principle of sticking, sticking and following is adopted, winding forward and retreating, as fast as the wind and clouds, sealing the force, throwing it, and reciprocating, which opens up a simple and easy way for the spear technique to improve the technique. way.

5. Developed a boxing theory based on the essence of Tai Chi

The seven words and twenty-two sentences of Chen Wangting's "General Song of the Boxing Classic" are the original theory of Tai Chi and are A boxing theory that summarizes ancient martial arts. It explains the strategies and tactics of attack and defense, so it can be called a general boxing theory of the seven gloves of Tai Chi. Comparing the "General Song of the Boxing Classic" with Qi Jiguang's "Thirty-two Styles of the Boxing Classic", it is not difficult to see how Chen Wangting absorbed the essence summarized by his predecessors in boxing theory. However, Chen Wangting was not satisfied with absorbing the boxing theories of famous masters at that time. Instead, he made a series of creative uses on the basis of comprehensive understanding.

Chen Wangting's original achievements in the theory of boxing are reflected in the first two sentences of "The General Song of Boxing Classic":

"Let me bend and stretch without anyone knowing, and all the dependencies will surround me." "Yi." "Zhu Lean" refers to the eight methods of pushing hands. Two people rely on each other's arms and use the eight methods of pushing hands to stick and wrap them to practice the skills of understanding and releasing energy. Through strict and correct exercises, repeated practice, continuous improvement. The technical level has reached the advanced push hand technical level of "people don't know me, but I only know people". This Push Hands method and the theory of understanding strength are developed on the basis of traditional martial arts. It is of epoch-making significance in the history of Chinese martial arts to improve the technical skills from the external appearance to the advanced skills of "transforming strength from within", "submerging inner energy" and "gradually understanding the strength from familiarity, and from understanding strength to becoming a god". of. At the same time, it also laid the foundation for subsequent Tai Chi masters such as Wang Zongyue, Wu Yuxiang, Li Yishe, and Chen Xin to exercise methods and further develop martial arts theories.

Since Tai Chi adopts the exercise principle of relaxing the whole body and not using force, it must move from looseness to softness, move softness into hardness, and return from hardness to softness, so as to achieve both softness and hardness, and a balance between hardness and softness. The training method of boxing requires slowing down first and then going fast, going fast and then going slow, going so slow that others can’t keep up with me, and going so fast that the last move comes first. In other words, practicing Tai Chi requires being able to be slow or fast, soft or hard. This view of emphasizing both appearance and connotation also provides a valuable training method for improving the level of martial arts.

The emergence and development of various schools of Tai Chi

After Chen Wangting first created Tai Chi, it has been passed down from generation to generation in Chenjiagou. Chen style is known to all the descendants of women and children, and is practiced by both young and old. The population in Chenjiagou is becoming more and more prosperous, and the practice of Tai Chi is becoming more and more popular. The waves behind push the waves ahead, and there are famous boxers in the past dynasties.

Over the past three hundred years, through the continuous enrichment and development of Chen's descendants and his disciples, Tai Chi has become one of the important types of boxing in our country.

It can be seen from the "Chen Shi Family Tree" that the boxing skills of Chen Wangting's three sons and one grandson were average, while his great-great-grandson brother Jia's boxing skills were excellent, but there was no successor from then on. However, the three brothers Bingren, Bingwang, and Bingqi, the fourth generation of Chen Wangting's family, are famous Tai Chi boxers in Chenjiagou, known as the Three Heroes, and are as famous as Chen Gongzhao and Chen Daxing of the same clan. However, at this time, the seven types of boxing gloves created by Chen Wangting had been returned from Bo, and the original 108-style Changquan and Tai Chi (13 styles) from the second to the fifth path were already in Chenjiagou. Few people practice it, but the first step, Pao Chui (the second step of modern Chen-style Tai Chi), Push Hands and Nian Qiang are all about excellence. By the time of Chen Changxing and Chen Youben in the Fifth Tradition, in order to adapt to different learning objects, the First Path of Tai Chi was divided into the old frame and the new frame. In the Sixth Tradition, the Zhaobao Frame was derived.

The new frame is said to have been created by Chen Youben. The posture is as broad as the old frame, and some difficult movements have been gradually abandoned. Chenjiagou people call it "lue". Chen Qingping, Chen Youben's disciple and nephew, also created a set of stances, which are small and compact, with slow movements. After practice, he gradually added circles. Without changing the principle of the routine, he went from simple to complex, and even extremely complex, and gradually improved his boxing skills. As for the technical difficulty of the art, Chen Changxing, a Chenjiagou boxer who was at the same time as Chen Youben, inherited the old frame system from his ancestors. The frames were broad and difficult. Until his student Yang Luchan taught boxing in Beijing, in order to meet the needs of health care, some Gradually the movements of the gloves were changed, and Yang style Tai Chi was developed. Later, Wu style Tai Chi was derived from Yang style, and its founder was Wu Jianquan.

Wu Yuxiang, a native of Yongnian, first learned the old Chen style from Yang Luchan, and then learned the new style from Chen Qingping. Later, he created his own school, called Wu Style Tai Chi. Later, Sun Style Tai Chi was derived from the Wu family, and its founder was Sun Lutang.