Drunken Monkey Posted July 26, 2004 Posted July 26, 2004 As far as I'm concerned..I'm done with this...... really? so that's why you went as far as finding and linking the page you quoted from (without referencing in the first place i might add). anyway. i could've sworn i was just pointing out bad translating. which i might add, was a result of your posting of an excerpt from an article that expalins itself earlier on (regarding what 'fist' means in chinese terminlogy). here we have the perfect example of what happens when you quote from an article without any sense of context. the beginning of the article nicely explains the confusion to the different spellings of tai chi. it then goes to explain what 'chaun' means and what it actually means (as in being a short form of 'chuan fa' or 'fist art') which is another reference term for 'kung fu' in general. which is how the article points to tai chi chuan to mean tai chi kung fu (which is still 'grammatically' wrong i should add). what it should really say is that tai chi is a form of kung fu in the same vein as hung gar is kung fu and wing chun is kung fu. if you know the language like i do, or if you actually know of the chinese martial arts like i do, you will know what i am talking about. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
JerryLove Posted July 26, 2004 Posted July 26, 2004 the word, 'chuan' as seen in tai-chi chuan, means 'fist' when directly translated into english. Correct.the literal translation of 'tai chi chuan' is quite complex. 'tai' can mean grand (as in tai-gung=grand father) or it can be taken to mean 'extreme/very' (tai-ho=very good)I actually believe these are variations on the same meaning... a meaning denoting an apex point or far distance.not sure how to translate 'chi'....but it isn't that important with regards to what i'm explaining. "ji" is a nexus point or point of conjunction.am i wrong? please, tell me if i am. i mean, what have i said that is incorrect? No, you are correct. https://www.clearsilat.com
Guest Posted July 26, 2004 Posted July 26, 2004 Well, I hate internet disagreements....they can cause animosity. Drunkmonkey....I am a man and Am humble...I was experiencing a personal dilema last nite and today..I agree...I was pretty cocky and offensive...and for that I offer an apology to you. Sometimes we react the wrong way. I found your starting the topic by "actually" repeating my thread beginning...as snide. I know next to nothing about tai ji..just what I'm picking up here and there. To everyone else...I'm a brat sometimes..... Peace.
Drunken Monkey Posted July 27, 2004 Posted July 27, 2004 "ji" is a nexus point or point of conjunction i've heard of this before but i've never 'read' it. what i mean is, the only version of 'chi' i know in cantonese has a similar meaning to 'tai'. there's a term that is roughly 'chi-to' that roughly means 'very very' (usually in the negative manner) again, the 'chi' part being the actual bit that means 'extreme/very' kinda explains why some people translate 'tai chi' into 'grand ultimate'. apart from being quite cool sounding, it is also quite a good, if maybe too literal a translation of the words. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
Guest Posted July 28, 2004 Posted July 28, 2004 "ji" is a nexus point or point of conjunction i've heard of this before but i've never 'read' it. what i mean is, the only version of 'chi' i know in cantonese has a similar meaning to 'tai'. there's a term that is roughly 'chi-to' that roughly means 'very very' (usually in the negative manner) again, the 'chi' part being the actual bit that means 'extreme/very' kinda explains why some people translate 'tai chi' into 'grand ultimate'. apart from being quite cool sounding, it is also quite a good, if maybe too literal a translation of the words. I can relate to that!!
Drunken Monkey Posted August 2, 2004 Posted August 2, 2004 "ji" is a nexus point or point of conjunction hey hey, i've asked about this. as i said before, "tai" is a superlative in the same vein as 'very. as i thought "chi" is also a superlative in the same vein as 'most'. the nexus point of conjunction is an implied meaning that comes from the combined use of tai+chi. what i mean is, by itself "chi/ji" doesn't mean anything like that. the meaning only is there when talking about "tai-chi". so, it isn't a case of tai=grand chi=nexus. it is "tai-chi"=grand nexus. make sense? post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
The Hammer Posted August 22, 2004 Posted August 22, 2004 I would suggest that those interested in learning more about Taijiquan visit some of the excellent websites available. A good start would be https://www.chenzhonghua.com Good luck The Hammer
Shorin Ryuu Posted August 22, 2004 Posted August 22, 2004 Yes, the characters literally mean "Grand Ultimate"...really, it is a matter of personal preference in how you translate it, as it the characters can also mean "plump poles" but I doubt you'd be able to go around teaching that... Just some added insight: in one of Sun Lutang's books (founder of Sun style Taiji) he refers to Taiji as being the original qi that can be either yin or yang as needed. Therefore I think it is supposed to mean a whole that doesn't have two halves, but rather an essence that becomes whatever is needed. Sadly, any understanding I have of Taiji is academic at best and quite limited, as I have only read some books and have been unable to find teachers (that seem legit to me). For now, I'm just trying to find ways that I can get fresh perspectives on the internals in my system. Martial Arts Blog:http://bujutsublogger.blogspot.com/
Doughboy Posted September 2, 2004 Posted September 2, 2004 Hello Everyone, I am new to the forum. This is my first post. I have studied taiji for several years. My emphasis is on Chen style. As for "temple taiji", there are people out there teaching Wudang taiji, but I don't know how genuine that is. Often times, the name Wudang is added to a style or form to simply attract outsiders and to create a false sense of authenticity. Chinese philosophy describes "taiji" as the mother of ying and yang, which are of two opposite extremes. Simply put, "taijiquan" is a martial art that blends the two opposites together, forming harmony and balance. Even though taiji is commonly regarded as very soft, there is also a hard aspect to it as well.
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