Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 154

Pào Chuí 砲捶 – Part 2

The principle of Tàijí 太極 actually comes from the Yìjīng 易經 – Book of Changing. The Yìjīng is over 5000 years old and it is the root of Chinese philosophy. In it is says, “Wújí 無極 (nothing) creates Tàijí 太極 ( something). Tàijí creates Liǎng Yí 兩儀 ( two opposite energies).” This means that nothing creates something and something creates tow opposite energies. That something we call Tàijí, and Tàijí creates two opposite energies and they are Yīn陰 and Yáng 陽. We can apply this principle to everything, anything we see, anything we do, anything that we relate to and anything we make. They all will have two opposite energies, which could be, good and bad, fire and water, man and woman.

Tàijíquán 太極拳 has two opposite forms, one is Yīlù —路 ( First Form), and the other is Èrlù二路 (Second Form). Yīlù is basic, soft and slow. Èrlù is difficult, strong and fast. Yīlù we call Tàijíquán and Èrlù we call Pào Chuí 砲捶 – Cannon Fist. So these two forms create the best balance in Tàijíquán, the best for health, fighting and also philosophy. Tàijíquán follows Daoist philosophy as the Yìjīng is the foundation of Daoist knowledge. The principle of the Yìjīng is, “無極生太極，太極生兩儀，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦，八卦演萬物.  Wújí (Nothing) creates Tàijí (something),  Tàijí  creates Liǎng Yí 兩儀 (| Two Opposite Energies), Liǎng Yí  create Sì Xiàng 四象 ( Four Images), Sì Xiàng  create Bāguà 八卦 (Eight Situations), Bāguà creates everything.”