During the 12/22/21 English Zoom class, Master Chen showed some clips of Chen Xu aggressively overwhelming a student. I think I saw how he did it. Besides taking the student’s space, he moved as if he was a chainsaw; that is, just as the teeth on the chain bite into the wood and are pulled backward by the chain, Chen Xu’s feet caught on the ground and were pulled backwards, which pulled him forward. He never punched or even pushed, he only pulled. Even when he had pulled himself to the student he never punched or pushed. He continued to pull, not so much with his legs, but with his arms as he clawed his way around the student.
Maybe the way you fight using tai chi is the same way a tiger attacks. Predators never punch. In fact, the only reason they extend their front legs is so that they can pull them back. I don’t remember where this saying came from, maybe xingyi: ”The hand never comes back empty.” In other words, the hand or claw is extended, grabs something and then pulls back.
So, I suggest an English name for Chen Xu: Chain Saw. Chen Xu and Chain Saw even sound pretty much the same!
