gift from Mr Jamie McPherson March 2026
Taijiquan Jing 太極拳經
See note [1][2][3]
一舉動周身俱要輕靈，尤須貫串，氣宜鼓盪，神宜內斂。
Once there is movement, the entire body should be nimble and alert. There especially needs to be connections (between different parts of the body and from movements to movements). Energy should be roused (move freely); spirit should be collected within.
無使有缺陷處，無使有凸凹處，無使有斷續處。
Do not allow there to be defects anywhere. Do not allow there to be indentations or protrusions. Do not allow there to be discontinuities.
其根在腳，發於腿，主宰於腰，形於手指，由腳而腿而腰，總須完整一氣。
Develop roots in the feet; issue through the legs; direct it at the waist; and express at the fingers. From feet, to legs, to waist, it must be a fully continuous process. [6]
向前退後乃能得機得勢，有不得機得勢處，身便散亂。其病必於腰腿求之，上下前後左右皆然，凡此皆是意，不在外面。
If one can do that, then whether advancing or retreating, one will then be able to catch the opportunity and gain the upper hand (in terms of position and one’s own posture). Otherwise, one’s body easily falls into disorder. The problem must be in your waist and legs, so look for it there. This is always so, regardless of the direction of the movement, be it up, down, forward, back, left, right. And in all of these cases, the problem is a matter of one’s intent and does not lie outside.
有上卽有下。有前則有後。有左則有右。如意要向上。卽寓下意。若將物掀起而加以挫之之意。斯其根自斷。乃壞之速而無疑。
When there is up, then there is down; when there is forward, there is backward; when there is left, there is right. If one wants to go up, then think downward. It is like when one lifts up an object, and then one applies a downward striking force. Thus the object breaks its own root, and is broken quickly and certainly.
虛實宜分清楚。一處有一處虛實。周身節節貫串。無令絲毫間斷耳。
Substantial and insubstantial should be distinguished clearly. In every part, there is substantial and insubstantial. Throughout the body, every section should be connected. There shall not be the slightest break in the connections. (Neither shall there be breaks between movements when interacting with opponents.)
長拳者。如長江大海。滔滔不絕也。
The meaning of Long Fist is that it is like a long river flowing into the wide ocean, on and on ceaselessly.
掤、捋、擠、按、採、挒、肘、靠。此八卦也。
The thirteen postures are:
Ward off (Peng),
Roll back (Lu),
Press (Ji),
Push (An),
Pluck (Cai),
Tear (Lie),
Use of elbow use (Zhou),
Use of the shoulder or body (Kao).
These above relate to the eight trigrams (Bagua) [4]; and
進步、退步、左顧、右盼、中定。此五行也。
Moving forward,
Moving backward,
Looking back (moving) to the left,
Looking forward (moving) to the right,
staying in the centre
These above relate to the five elements (Wuxing) [5] - metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
掤、捋、擠、按。卽乾、坤、坎、離。四正方也。
Ward off, roll back, press, and push correspond to
乾 Qian (☰) Heaven - strong, persisting
坤 Kun (☷) Earth - yielding
坎 Kan (☵) Water - dangerous
離 Li (☲) Fire - radiance
in the four principle compass directions (meaning that these are the basic techniques).
採、挒、肘、靠。卽巽、震、兌、艮。四斜角也。
Pluck, tear, use of elbow, and use of shoulder correspond to
巽 Xun (☴) Wind/Wood - penetrating
震 Zhen (☳) Thunder - inciting movement
兌 Dui (☱) Lake
艮 Gen (☶) Mountain
in the four corner directions (i.e. are the specialised techniques).
進、退、顧、盼、定。卽金、木、水、火、土、也。合之則為十三勢也。
Moving forward, backward, to the left, to the right and staying in the centre correspond to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. These combined are called the Thirteen Postures.
原注云。此係武當山張三丰祖師遺論。欲天下豪傑延年益壽。不徒作技藝之末也。
In the original writing, it says: “This relates to the writings of Zhang Sanfeng of Mt. Wudang. He wanted all the brave martial artists in the world to live long and healthy lives, and not merely to be good at martial arts.”
Some Questions
1. What is 'sōng' (鬆) in Tai Ch? How is that compared to Karate training?
The concept of 'song' in Tai Chi is very important. 'Song' means being able to relax, and not tense up, when performing a movement or activity. 'Song' also means being flexible.
At the Sydney Olympics, Cathay Freeman won the 400 metres race. After the race, she described her run as being calm, at ease, and at home. To be able to perform at their best, athletes cannot tense up. That is the meaning of 'song' in Tai Chi.
Some good Tai Chi practitioners, often younger champions, are able to perform spectacular jumps and landings that require strength, flexibility and ability to relax when performing those moves. This is also the meaning of 'song' in Tai Chi.
In push hand practice, when one can relax and move different parts of the body and deflect an opponents force, without tensing up, this is also the meaning of 'song'.
'Song' does not mean being flabby or weak. Muscle is still required for Tai Chi practitioners. For seniors, muscles are important to protect joints and maintain mobility.
The concept of 'song' should apply to Karate and other sports too. I believe the difference between Karate and Tai Chi in this area are their starting points. A Karate practitioner would train hard as a beginner and then adopt a more relaxed approach as training progresses. A Tai Chi practitioner would adopt a more relaxed approach at the start and build strength and fitness as training progresses. The goal should be the same.
2. Please comment on the statement that 'Jǐ ' (擠) is restricting opponent's space and squeeze the hands and apply force at a single point.
Different styles and traditions may perform 'Ji' differently. For my teacher's tradition, which is the Chen style, 'Ji' is used when the opponent pull my hand typically when performing 'lu' (捋). I would then follow the opponent's force and add to it using my own force, attempting to control and restrict the opponent's movement, and then off balance the opponent.
In our push hand practice, the aim is to either off balance the training partner or to apply force such that the partner would bounce up. Force is not applied at a single point. Force is often applied around the partner's body and transmitted to their feet (or roots). Since the partner has developed their body structure into one that is like a spring, the partner would bounce up when force is applied correctly.
Certainly, in some martial arts practice, one can apply force at a single point and cause injuries to the opponent. An analogy could be like a bullet fired from a gun. Great force is applied very quickly and concentrated at a single point. That has not been part of my training tradition.
Note:
1. Taijiquan classic writings on Wikisource: https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%A4%AA%E6%A5%B5%E6%8B%B3%E7%B6%93
2. Taijiquan classic writings on Chinese Text Project: https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=133202
3. Taijiquan classics on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi_classics
4. Bagua on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagua
5. Wuxing on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxing_(Chinese_philosophy)
6. While it may be true at times, e.g. in training, that force starts in the feet up through the body to the fingers, it would be incorrect to say that is the case all the time. The first sentence in the essay says "Once there is movement, the entire body should be nimble and alert". This means that once any part moves, the whole body should be involved. Furthermore, in the fifth paragraph, it says: "When there is up, then there is down". Thus if the feet use some force, the hands should use some force. If the upper body uses some force, the lower body should use some force and so on.
