Tai Chi & Qigong Glossary

Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art practiced through coordinated movement, posture, attention, and traditional principles.

Today, people practice Tai Chi for many reasons. Some are interested in its martial roots. Others enjoy its slow movement, concentration, cultural tradition, or use it as a gentle form of physical activity.

“Tai Chi,” “Tai Chi Chuan,” and “Taijiquan” are different English spellings or transliterations referring to the same art.

Qigong is a broad family of Chinese practices combining movement, posture, breathing, and attention.

Tai Chi and Qigong overlap in many ways, but they are not exactly the same thing. Qigong exercises often repeat one movement or practice, while Tai Chi commonly links movements together into a flowing sequence.

A form is a sequence of Tai Chi movements practiced in a particular order.

Forms can be very short or quite long. Beginners do not need to memorize an entire form at once. Movements can be learned in small sections and repeated until they begin to feel familiar.

Wuji is the quiet standing position often used before and after Tai Chi practice.

You are not trying to create an impressive stance. Stand comfortably, allow unnecessary tension to soften, and notice your posture and natural breathing.

Wuji gives you a simple place to arrive before movement begins.

Commencement is the opening movement or beginning sequence of a Tai Chi form.

It provides a transition from standing quietly into deliberate movement. Different Tai Chi styles use somewhat different versions.

For a beginner, the important idea is simple: settle first, then begin moving without rushing.

Song is usually translated as relax, release, or loosen.

It does not mean becoming limp. It means letting go of unnecessary muscular tension while keeping enough structure to remain comfortably upright.

Rather than trying to relax everything at once, you might simply notice your shoulders, jaw, or hands and allow a little unnecessary effort to soften.

Kua is a Chinese Tai Chi term referring broadly to the hip and groin region where the legs connect with the pelvis.

You may hear an instructor say “soften the kua” or “sit into the kua.”

For a beginner, think of allowing the hips to remain comfortable and mobile rather than forcing a deep bend or rigid stance.

Dantian is a traditional Chinese term meaning “elixir field.”

In Tai Chi, teachers usually mean the lower Dantian, the lower-abdominal area below the navel. Bringing attention toward this region can be a useful cue for feeling centered and coordinating whole-body movement.

Some Daoist and Qigong traditions also describe middle and upper Dantian. These belong to traditional practice frameworks rather than modern anatomical structures.

Rooting is a Tai Chi image for feeling supported through your contact with the ground.

It does not mean pressing yourself rigidly into the floor.

Instead, notice where your feet meet the ground while allowing the rest of your body to remain comfortable and responsive.

Weight shifting means gradually transferring your body weight from one leg toward the other.

It is one of the foundations of Tai Chi movement.

Beginners can practice with a very small shift. The goal is not to lean farther, but to notice where your weight is supported before taking the next step.

Empty and Full is a traditional way of describing how your weight is distributed.

A full leg is carrying more of your weight. An empty leg is carrying less and is therefore freer to move.

Learning to recognize the difference can make Tai Chi stepping feel more deliberate and organized.

The Follow Step is a stepping pattern strongly associated with Sun style Tai Chi.

After one foot steps and the weight begins to transfer, the other foot follows with a smaller step.

The steps can remain short and comfortable. There is no need to reach or take an unusually long stride.

Tai Chi uses several basic ways of standing and distributing weight. Exact widths, depths, and weight distributions vary among styles.

• Bow Stance (Gōng Bù · 弓步) places more weight toward the forward leg. • Empty Stance (Xū Bù · 虛步) keeps more weight on the rear leg, leaving the front foot relatively light. • Horse Stance (Mǎ Bù · 馬步) is a wider stance with the weight distributed more evenly. • Single-Leg Stance (Dú Lì Bù · 獨立步) places most or all of the support on one leg while the other foot or knee is lifted.

None of these needs to be deep. A smaller stance or nearby chair is always a valid way to practice.

Open and Close is a basic movement idea found throughout Tai Chi and especially visible in Sun style.

The hands gently move apart and then return toward one another while the body remains relaxed and upright.

Some practices coordinate the movement with comfortable breathing.

The movement illustrates an important Tai Chi idea: expansion and gathering without unnecessary tension.

Often shortened to Cloud Hands, this well-known Tai Chi movement combines gentle turning, coordinated arm circles, weight shifting, and—in some versions—side stepping.

The hands travel through soft, overlapping paths while the body turns from side to side.

Beginners can practice the arm pattern without stepping or use smaller movements while learning the coordination.

Single Whip is a well-known Tai Chi posture found in several major styles.

The details vary by style. Typically, the movement combines a step or weight shift with the arms opening in different directions.

One hand may form a traditional hook shape while the other presents an open palm.

For beginners, recognizing the movement and moving comfortably matters more than reproducing a particular stance depth or arm position.

Often shortened to Brush Knee, this movement combines stepping, turning, and coordinated arm actions.

One hand passes near the front leg while the opposite hand travels forward.

Different Tai Chi styles perform Brush Knee with somewhat different footwork and timing.

It is a useful example of how Tai Chi gradually connects upper- and lower-body movement.

Yielding is the Tai Chi principle of responding to pressure without automatically becoming rigid or pushing directly against it.

In partner practice, it can involve redirecting another person's force.

In solo practice, yielding can simply remind you to adjust rather than forcing a movement.

Peng is usually translated as Ward-Off and is one of the traditional Eight Energies of Tai Chi.

It describes a gently expanded, resilient quality rather than a stiff push.

A common beginner image is holding a large ball in front of the body while keeping the shoulders relaxed and the arms softly rounded.

Rollback is one of the traditional Eight Energies of Tai Chi.

It expresses the idea of receiving and redirecting force rather than meeting it with unnecessary tension.

For a beginner, the practical idea can remain very simple: soften, turn, and avoid bracing more than necessary.

Jin is often translated as trained, refined, or coordinated force.

In Tai Chi, the term generally points toward force created through coordinated whole-body movement instead of unnecessary tension concentrated in one area.

This is a deeper concept that becomes more meaningful through continued practice. Beginners do not need to deliberately create Jin.

Sun Style is a major style of Tai Chi founded by Sun Lutang.

It is known for relatively upright postures, agile stepping, and a characteristic follow-step.

Beginners may encounter Sun-style movements through Tai Chi for Health programs as well as through traditional Sun-style forms.

Yang Style is one of the major family styles of Tai Chi.

It is generally recognized for smooth, continuous movement and includes forms ranging from shorter introductory sequences to longer traditional routines.

Different Yang-style schools may use somewhat different postures, timing, stance depth, or teaching methods.

Tai Chi for Health refers to programs developed by Dr. Paul Lam and the Tai Chi for Health Institute.

These programs use Tai Chi movements and teaching methods adapted for particular groups and learning needs.

Old Pueblo Tai Chi draws inspiration from Tai Chi for Health teaching principles such as gradual learning, comfortable movement, repetition, and appropriate modifications.

Old Pueblo's original beginner curriculum is its own course unless a specific Tai Chi for Health program is identified by name.