Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 172

Internal and External Three Closing 內外三合 – Part 1

When we study Tàijíquán 太极拳 particular Chén Style Tàijíquán 陈式太极拳 We should know about Nèi Wài Sān Hé 內外三合 -Three Internal and External Closings. This knowledge will help us to tell if we are practising our forms correctly or not. Even if we find we are not correct it will help us to work towards making our forms correct and show us the direction towards the highest level of Tàijíquán movements. Sān Hé  三合 – Three Closings means that there are three things that are close together, three things that are inside, and so these closing are internal, inside our bodies.

The first closing is the Xīn Yǔ Yì Hé 心與意合 -Heart and Attitude Closing, closing means connected and together. The heart does not mean the organ, it means our thinking. Therefore what we think and our attitude will match together and we act according to what a heart wants. That is why we say the Heart and Attitude of together. When we practice Tàijíquán our Heart and Attitude should be together no matter if we are practising our forms or doing Tuī Shǒu推手 – Pushing Hands, and because our Heart and Attitude are together we can focus on what we are doing