Pushing handsPushing hands, Push hands or tuishou (alternately spelled tuei shou or tuei sho) is a two-person training routine practiced in internal Chinese martial arts such as Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, Taijiquan (tài jí quán), and Yiquan. It is also played as an international sport akin to Judo, Sumo and wrestling, such as in Taiwan, where the biannual Tai Chi World Cup is held. Pushing hands is said to be the gateway for students to experientially understand the martial aspects of the internal martial arts (內家 nèijiā): leverage, reflex, sensitivity, timing, coordination and positioning.
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.
Han ChineseThe Han Chinese or Han people are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They are the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population. Han Chinese people comprise various subgroups speaking distinctive varieties of the Chinese languages. The estimated 1.4 billion Han Chinese people worldwide are primarily concentrated in the People's Republic of China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau), where they make up about 92% of the total population.
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.
ZenZen (; ; ; ) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (Chánzong 禪宗), and later developed into various sub-schools and branches. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen. The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (chán), an abbreviation of 禪那 (chánnà), which is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word ध्यान dhyāna ("meditation").
Sun-style tai chiThe Sun-style tai chi () is one of the five primary styles of tai chi. It is well known for its smooth, flowing movements which omit the more physically vigorous crouching, leaping and fa jin of some other styles. Its gentle postures and high stances make it very suitable for martial arts therapy. Sun style tai chi was developed by Sun Lutang, who is considered expert in two other internal martial arts styles: xingyiquan and baguazhang before he came to study tai chi.
Chinese alchemyChinese alchemy is an ancient Chinese scientific and technological approach to alchemy, a part of the larger tradition of Taoist body-spirit cultivation developed from the traditional Chinese understanding of medicine and the body. According to original texts such as the Cantong qi, the body is understood as the focus of cosmological processes summarized in the five agents of change, or Wuxing, the observation and cultivation of which leads the practitioner into alignment and harmony with the Tao.
Styles of Chinese martial artsThere are hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts, each with their own sets of techniques and ideas. The various movements in kung fu, most of which are imitations of the fighting styles of animals, are initiated from one to five basic foot positions: normal upright posture and the four stances called dragon, frog, horse riding, and snake. The concept of martial arts styles appeared from around the Ming dynasty (13681644). Before the Ming period, martial skills were commonly differentiated mainly by their lineage.
Hard and soft techniquesIn martial arts, the terms hard and soft technique denote how forcefully a defender martial artist counters the force of an attack in armed and unarmed combat. In the East Asian martial arts, the corresponding hard technique and soft technique terms are 硬 (Japanese: , ) and 柔 (Japanese: , ), hence Goju-ryu (hard-soft school), Shorinji Kempo principles of go-ho ("hard method") and ju-ho ("soft method"), Jujutsu ("art of softness") and Judo ("gentle way").
LiuhebafaLiuhebafa quan () is an internal Chinese martial art. It has been called "xinyi liuhebafa" (心意六合八法拳) and is also referred to as "water boxing" () due to its principles. The Song Dynasty Taoist sage Chen Tuan is often credited with its origin and development. He was associated with the Taoist Monastery on Mount Hua in Shaanxi Province. The liuhebafa form zhu ji () was taught in the late 1930s in Shanghai and Nanjing by Wu Yihui (1887–1958).
