You say "Qi," I say "Chi"

It can be very frustrating reading different articles on Tai Chi when one author uses the term, “Qi,” and another uses “Chi.” The problem comes from trying to represent Chinese words in European languages that don’t use Chinese characters. There are more than a few systems in use and like most things in China, they are diverse and coexistent.

Wade-Giles is a Romanization system for the Mandarin language developed from a system created by Thomas Wade during the19th century. Pinyin is another Romanization system which was introduced in China in the 1950s and is now the standard in the People’s Republic of China. Articles in English about Tai Chi Chuan can use either or both systems intermittently and can be very confusing for those of us who are not Chinese scholars. Some equivalent examples might be useful along with a brief definition of the terms. For this task I have turned to a very useful book by Masters Liang Shou-Yu and Wu Wen-Ching called Tai Chi Chuan, 24 and 48 Postures. I won’t attempt to comment on how to pronounce these terms, but the reader may wish to examine the Wikipedia entry on Wade-Giles at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade%E2%80%93Giles.

The Pinyin, “Qi” is “Chi” in Wade-Giles and translates roughly as “Intrinsic substance of all things” or “energy.” I have written about Chi elsewhere as it is a concept that is both mysterious and difficult or impossible to prove, yet fundamental to the understanding of Tai Chi and Chinese medicine. “Tajiquan” is Pinyin for the Wade-Giles, “Tai Chi Cuan,” and translates as the “Grand Ultimate Fist.” “Qigong’” (Pinyin) is “Chi Kung” (Wade-Giles) and means “energy study or drill and training.”

Another source of confusion is the use of apostrophes to indicate certain pronunciations. I sometimes see T’ai Chi or T’ai Chi C’uan and use these spellings when referring to the work of a specific author.  Then there is the Dantian, Dan Tien or Tan T’ien, literally "cinnabar or red field." It can be translated as "elixir field" and refers to one of three acupuncture areas on the body. In Tai Chi the important Dantian is the middle one, located a few inches below the navel, as this is the center of balance of the body and the place to which you “sink your Qi.”

On a completely unrelated note, I attended another William C. C. Chen workshop last weekend. Grandmaster Chen stood and talked for three straight hours during the morning. There was more lecturing in the afternoon and two hours of sword practice. This man is ten years older than I am. How does he do it? Indeed Tai Chi must have curative powers! My favorite quote from this session came when someone asked, “How do you know when you’re doing it correctly?” (Laughter from the class.) Grandmaster Chen grinned and replied, “Get into a bunch of fights and if you don’t get beat up, then you’ll know you’re doing it correctly.”