Knowledge : Glossary and terms

Sink down to grind out: It is a special term used in Chen Style Taijiquan. It was first used by Chen Xin in his “Illustrated Book of Chen Family Taijiquan.” Simply put, this is term that refers to the use of a vertical (upper and lower body) lever in taiji applications. Normally it refers to sinking the rear kua down while grinding the front hand out.

The case of having two or multiple centers of gravity at the same time, causing the body to lose balance. It is an ill in Taijiquan. To avoid the state of Double Heavy, one needs to learn to separate yin from yang.

Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method employs 5 dimensions in its actions. 5 dimensions will comprise a Chen Style Taijiquan Spiraled movement. The definition of a dimension is different from that of the scientific definition. The word dimension here is more like “plane” in English. The five dimensions are:

  1. Dot
  2. Line
  3. Surface
  4. Full
  5. Movement

Direction: It refers to the body part alignment direction and the force direction. It is an important part of the trinity of the Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method system. The other two are timing and speed. Angle is used synonymously with direction.

The space between two points of action. The distance between two points is regarded as a space that can be manipulated in taiji actions.

Timing: The activity and force that is caused by the utilization or manipulation of time or lack of time.