Transforming Yin and Yang

The practice of Taijiquan adheres to the principle of "transformation of Yin and Yang". The training program focuses on gathering Yin to generate Yang - “Yin condensing leads to Yang" and "Yin flowing results in Yang” - accumulating qi to transform strength.

Based on this philosophy, each posture in Taijiquan encompasses the movement principles of opening and closing, filling and emptying, coiling and releasing, light and heavy, conceal and manifest, alternating slow and fast, soft and firm etc. with the central energy guiding the body's coiling and spiralling movements.

The movements involve multi-directional spiralling and coiling, such as left and right, up and down, inside and outside, large and small, advance and retreat, clockwise and anticlockwise, which form the fundamental concepts of Chen-style Taijiquan.

In these integrated circular movements there exist the hidden processes of transformation, starting from Wuji (the state of formlessness) to Taiji, then the differentiation into Yin and Yang, and ultimately returning from Taiji to Wuji—a cycle encapsulating the interplay of "filling and emptying." This process involves transitions from the formless to form, from small to large, the transformation from Yin to Yang. Subsequently, there is the shift from large to small, from form to formless, resulting in a return from Yang to Yin. Within these circles, attention should not only be given to the generation of Yang and the descent of Yin but also to the recognition that Yin contains Yang, Yang contains Yin, Yin contains both Yin and Yang, and Yang also encompasses both Yin and Yang. They mutually support and complement each other, and represent the unfolding and fruition of Taiji.