XingyiquanXingyiquan is classified as one of the internal styles of Chinese martial arts. The name of the art translates approximately to "Form-Intention Fist", or "Shape-Will Fist". Also known as "Xingyi", it is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power that's most often applied from a short range. A practitioner of Xingyi uses coordinated movements to generate bursts of power intended to overwhelm the opponent, simultaneously attacking and defending.
BaguazhangBaguazhang or Pakua chang () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being tai chi and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or neijia). Bāguà zhǎng literally means "eight trigram palm", referring to the bagua "trigrams" of the I Ching, one of the canons of Taoism. The creation of Baguazhang as a formalized martial art, is attributed to Dong Haichuan, who is said to have learned from Taoist and Buddhist masters in the mountains of rural China during the early 19th century.
Taoist meditationTaoist meditation (ˈdaʊɪst, ˈtaʊ-), also spelled Daoist (ˈdaʊ-), refers to the traditional meditative practices associated with the Chinese philosophy and religion of Taoism, including concentration, mindfulness, contemplation, and visualization. The earliest Chinese references to meditation date from the Warring States period (475–221 BCE). Traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese martial arts have adapted certain Daoist meditative techniques.
QiIn traditional Chinese culture and the East Asian cultural sphere, qi, also ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization (ˈtʃiː ) or chi, is believed to be a vital force forming part of any living entity. Literally meaning "vapor", "air", or "breath", the word qi is a polysemous word often translated as "vital energy", "vital force", "material energy", or simply as "energy". Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and in Chinese martial arts. The practice of cultivating and balancing qi is called qigong.
ZuowanglunThe Zuowanglun or Zuowang lun is a Taoist meditative text that was written by the Shangqing School patriarch Sima Chengzhen (647–735). Taoism incorporated many Buddhist practices during the Tang dynasty (618–907), and the Zuowanglun combined meditation techniques from Taoism (e.g., 坐忘 zuòwàng "sitting forgetting", and 觀 guān "observation"), Buddhism (śamatha "calm abiding", and vipaśyanā "insight") and Confucian concept (正心誠意).
Xingqi (circulating breath)Chinese (行氣, "circulating / breath") is a group of breath-control techniques that have been developed and practiced from the Warring States period (c. 475-221 BCE) to the present. Examples include Traditional Chinese medicine, Daoist meditation, breathing calisthenics, embryonic breathing, internal alchemy, internal exercises, deep-breathing exercises, and slow-motion martial art. Since the polysemous keyword can mean natural "breath; air" and/or alleged supernatural "vital breath; life force", signifies "circulating breath" in meditational contexts or "activating vital breath" in medical contexts.
ZuowangZuowang () is a classic Daoist meditation technique, described as "a state of deep trance or intense absorption, during which no trace of ego-identity is felt and only the underlying cosmic current of the Dao is perceived as real." According to Louis Komjathy, this is one term for Daoist apophatic meditation, which also goes by various other names in Daoist literature, such as "quiet sitting" (靜坐 jìngzuò), "guarding the one" (守一 shǒuyī), "fasting the heartmind" (心齋 xīnzhāi), and "embracing simplicity" (抱朴 bàopǔ).
Taiji (philosophy)In Chinese philosophy, Taiji or Tai chi () is a cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of the world and affairs - the interaction of matter and space, the relation of the body and mind. While Wuji is undifferentiated, timeless, absolute, infinite potential, Taiji is often portrayed as differentiated, dualistic, and relative. Yin and yang originate from Wuji to become Taiji. Compared with wuji (, meaning 'without limit'), Taiji describes movement and change wherein limits do arise.
