“̴๐̴๐ ̴๐ข̴๐ง̴๐ ̴ ̴๐ฌ̴๐̴๐̴๐ฆ̴๐ฌ̴ ̴๐ญ̴๐จ̴ ̴๐̴๐̴ ̴๐ญ̴๐ก̴๐̴ ̴๐จ̴๐ง̴๐ฅ̴๐ฒ̴ ̴๐̴๐ฏ̴๐̴๐ข̴๐ฅ̴๐̴๐̴๐ฅ̴๐̴ ̴๐ฐ̴๐̴๐ฒ̴ ̴๐ญ̴๐จ̴ ̴๐ฅ̴๐ข̴๐ฏ̴๐̴ ̴๐̴ ̴๐ฅ̴๐จ̴๐ง̴๐ ̴ ̴๐ฅ̴๐ข̴๐̴๐̴.̴”̴ ̴๐̴๐ข̴๐ญ̴๐ฌ̴๐ญ̴๐ฒ̴ ̴๐̴’̴๐̴๐̴๐ข̴๐ฅ̴๐ฅ̴ ̴๐̴๐จ̴๐ฅ̴๐ฅ̴๐ข̴๐ง̴ (ใฃ◔◡◔)ใฃ "๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ" ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ก "๐๐๐๐๐๐๐" ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐ - ๐ = ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐
One of the few articles I have come across that does the subject justice, thank you. In the numerous styles there is really only one that has a “round” form and a “square” (fang) form. The Wu Style with all its own derivatives often surprises people at the directly opposite requirement between Square and Round. This is not unique however:
Just think how one learns the art of calligraphy. My own teacher echoes this in the video link. My own experience had me learning how to write in print form (brush and ink of course). Then one learns the cursive form. The differences between these two writing forms are very much analogous to the differences between those two Tai Chi Forms.
Square Form is analogous to the block printing of (pinyin) Kai Style or what is called “Kai Shu”. The round form analogous to Tsao Style or “Tsao Shu/Cao Shu” or the cursive script.
In Square form, as in calligraphy, movements take place in relatively straight lines, between points (start and end points of inflection). The Round form with its curves has the curves going through those points…the square is like a template for the round.
Like the Calculus of mathematics however, I would like to point out that the round form is like the calculus which integrates a tiny segment of a curved motion as a straight line to form the curved motion. Square form is like taking one of the important tiny straight lines expanding it into a straight movement. I guess the way of the universe is based on similar principles for everything which appears to be unrelated.
I think it is in Jou’s Tsung Hwa’s book: Tao of Tai Chi where he makes a statement about movement being like individual frames in a movie film. Taken separately or even 2 or 3, it makes no sense and one sees no motion. Only when one puts all the frames together do we have the illusion of motion.
In regard to square form and perhaps to the critics: Although the major purpose is to teach students to delineate yin and yang, there are many, many individual “points”, “stops”, “pauses”, etc. As it was said, “changes of direction occur at those points”. It would seem then that much like the individual frames in a film being many but producing a fine product that gives us the illusion of motion. That, the more “points” are present in something such as square form, the more capacity there is for those points to join and produce a round form.
If I only have 2 or 3 points, it would be hard to see the round if I join them with straight lines. If I put 10 points in that same situation and join them, one begins to see the round very clearly. Much as in the 8 straight lines joining and changing direction in the I Ching diagram and one can draw the circle around those 8 points. it would seem as well that lines joining thusly form angles at the joints. Ideally, one would think a good place to mount an attack would be at an angle or “tangent” as well.
The points where one changes direction are referred to as “Dingdian” or fixed points actually inflection points. Those starting and ending points provide definition to the curved movement in the round form. Of course nothing ever starts or ends in Tai Chi, like ocean waves, breathing, each has its own peak and trough…sine waves come to mind. This takes the concept of “reversal” into consideration which is a mainstay in the I Ching.
When I was learning calligraphy, I appreciated the stop and go of the strokes in Kai Shu. It gave me opportunity to reflect on the stroke I just did and to prepare the next movement. The square form of Tai Chi allows us to gather energy, align the joints, gather strength at the “points”. I can prepare the next move by gathering energy for the coming move. This is why the moves in the Square are resolute and appear abrupt.
Based on this, I would say that Tai Chi is not only very analogus to calligraphy, but also very scientific…in light of the Calculus one can appreciate the mathematics as well.
Thanks
James Roach
p.s. Read the biograpy of the Chows at this link. They were both outstanding artists, calligraphers and Tai Chi teachers. They both learned from Wabu Young who was my own teacher’s teacher.
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