HSK 6 · Article · 642 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-tai-chi

太极拳是什么？

What is tai chi?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

清晨qīngchén六liù点diǎn，公园gōngyuán里还hái有点儿yóudiǎnr凉liáng。湖边húbiān已经yǐjīng站zhàn着zhe一yì群qún老人lǎorén，随着suízhe音乐yīnyuè慢慢mànmàn地de抬手táishǒu、转身zhuǎnshēn、迈步màibù，动作dòngzuò缓慢huǎnmàn得de像xiàng电影diànyǐng里li的de慢镜头mànjìngtóu。他们tāmen打dǎ的de这zhè套tào拳法quánfǎ，就是jiùshì太极拳tàijíquán。

那nà段duàn时间shíjiān，我wǒ工作gōngzuò压力yālì特别tèbié大dà，每天měitiān夜里yèlǐ都dōu睡shuì不好bùhǎo。同事tóngshì劝quàn我wǒ：“你nǐ去qù公园gōngyuán学学xuéxue太极拳tàijíquán吧ba。”我wǒ心想xīnxiǎng：那nà不是búshì老年人lǎoniánrén的de运动yùndòng吗ma？慢màn成chéng那样nàyàng，能néng有yǒu什么shénme用yòng？

带队dàiduì的de是shì一yí位wèi七十多岁qīshí-duōsuì的de老人lǎorén，大家dàjiā都dōu叫jiào他tā葛gě师傅shīfu。他tā听说tīngshuō我wǒ想xiǎng学xué，只zhǐ说shuō了le一yí句jù话huà：“慢màn，是shì最zuì难nán的de。”

太极拳tàijíquán是shì中国zhōngguó传统chuántǒng武术wǔshù的de一种yìzhǒng。关于guānyú它tā的de起源qǐyuán，有yǒu一个yígè流传liúchuán很hěn广guǎng的de传说chuánshuō：武当山wǔdāngshān上shàng的de道士dàoshì张三丰zhāngsānfēng看见kànjiàn一yì只zhī鸟niǎo和hé一yì条tiáo蛇shé打斗dǎdòu，从中cóngzhōng受到shòudào启发qǐfā，创立chuànglì了le这zhè套tào拳法quánfǎ。不过búguò，很hěn多duō学者xuézhě认为rènwéi，太极拳tàijíquán最zuì早zǎo来自láizì河南hénán温县wēnxiàn的de陈家沟。后来hòulái，杨露禅把bǎ它tā带dài到dào了le北京běijīng，又yòu发展fāzhǎn出chū了le各种gèzhǒng流派liúpài。

今天jīntiān公园gōngyuán里最zuì常见chángjiàn的de，是shì二十四èrshísì式shì太极拳tàijíquán。它tā是shì1956年nián在zài杨yáng式shì太极拳tàijíquán的de基础jīchǔ上shàng简化jiǎnhuà而ér成chéng的de，动作dòngzuò不bù多duō，适合shìhé普通人pǔtōngrén学xué。每měi个gè动作dòngzuò都dōu有yǒu一个yígè好听hǎotīng的de名字míngzi，比如bǐrú“白鹤亮翅”“野马分鬃”“云手”。

第一dìyī个gè星期xīngqī，我wǒ学xué得de一塌糊涂yìtā-hútú。手shǒu到dào了le，脚jiǎo没méi到dào；脚jiǎo到dào了le，又yòu忘wàng了le呼吸hūxī。葛gě师傅shīfu反反复复fánfǎn-fùfù就jiù那么nàme几jǐ句jù：“放松fàngsōng，肩膀jiānbǎng放fàng下来xiàlai。别bié使劲shǐjìn。再zài慢màn一点yìdiǎn。”

一yì天tiān练liàn完wán，他tā让ràng我wǒ跟gēn他tā试shì一yí个gè练习liànxí：两liǎng个gè人rén手臂shǒubì搭dā在zài一起yìqǐ，一个yígè推tuī，一个yígè化解huàjiě。他tā说shuō：“你nǐ使劲shǐjìn推tuī我wǒ。”我wǒ比bǐ他tā年轻niánqīng四十sìshí岁suì，就jiù用yòng全身quánshēn的de力气lìqi推tuī了le过去guòqu。不料búliào他tā身体shēntǐ轻轻qīngqīng一yí转，我wǒ就jiù像xiàng推tuī在zài了le一yí扇shàn敞开chǎngkāi的de门mén上shàng，自己zìjǐ差点chàdiǎn摔倒shuāidǎo。周围zhōuwéi的de老人lǎorén都dōu笑xiào了le。

葛师傅扶fú住zhù我wǒ，说shuō：“太极拳tàijíquán讲究jiǎngjiu以柔克刚yǐróu-kègāng。还有háiyǒu一句话yíjùhuà，叫jiào‘四两拨千斤sìliǎngbōqiānjīn’。不是búshì比bǐ谁shéi力气lìqi大dà，而是érshì用yòng很hěn小xiǎo的de力量lìliang，改变gǎibiàn很hěn大dà的de力量lìliang的de方向fāngxiàng。”

2020年nián，太极拳tàijíquán被bèi列入lièrù了le人类rénlèi非物质文化遗产fēiwùzhìwénhuàyíchǎn代表作dàibiǎozuò名录mínglù。在zài中国zhōngguó，它tā早就zǎojiù走进zǒujìn了le千家万户qiānjiā-wànhù，不bù只是zhǐshì一种yìzhǒng武术wǔshù，更是gèngshì一种yìzhǒng生活方式shēnghuó-fāngshì。

三sān个gè月yuè过去guòqù了le，我wǒ晚上wǎnshang睡shuì得de香xiāng多duō了le，脾气píqi也yě温和wēnhé了le不少bùshǎo。上个星期shànggè-xīngqī，一个yígè年轻人niánqīngrén站zhàn在zài湖边húbiān看kàn我们wǒmen，脸liǎn上shàng带dài着zhe我wǒ当初dāngchū那种nàzhǒng怀疑huáiyí的de表情biǎoqíng。我wǒ走zǒu过去guòqu，对duì他tā说shuō：“慢màn，是shì最zuì难nán的de。”

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
群qúngroup; crowd; herd
缓慢huǎnmànslow; sluggish
套tàocover; case; sheath (as in 手套)
劝quànto advise; to urge; to persuade
传统chuántǒngtradition; traditional; conventional
武术wǔshùmartial arts; wushu
流传liúchuánto spread; to circulate; to hand down
广guǎngGuangdong or Guangzhou (short for 广东, 广州)
传说chuánshuōlegend; folklore
蛇shésnake
学者xuézhěscholar; academic
式shìstyle; type

English (for the teacher)

Six in the morning, and the park was still a little chilly. By the lake a group of old people were already standing, raising their hands, turning and stepping slowly in time to music, moving as slowly as a slow-motion shot in a film. What they were doing was tai chi.

Back then I was under huge pressure at work and slept badly every night. A colleague urged me, “Go and learn some tai chi in the park.” I thought to myself: isn't that exercise for old people? What use could anything that slow be?

The man leading them was in his seventies, and everyone called him Master Ge. When he heard I wanted to learn, he said just one thing: “Slow is the hardest part.”

Tai chi is one of China's traditional martial arts. There is a widely told legend about its origin: the Daoist Zhang Sanfeng on Mount Wudang watched a bird fighting a snake, took inspiration from it and created this style of boxing. But many scholars believe tai chi first came from Chenjiagou, a village in Wen County, Henan. Later, Yang Luchan brought it to Beijing, and it grew into a number of different styles.

What you see most often in parks today is the 24-step tai chi. It was simplified from Yang-style tai chi in 1956; it has few movements and suits ordinary people. Every movement has a lovely name, such as “White Crane Spreads Its Wings”, “Part the Wild Horse's Mane” and “Cloud Hands”.

In the first week I made a complete mess of it. When my hands got there my feet didn't; when my feet got there I forgot to breathe. Master Ge said the same few things over and over: “Relax, drop your shoulders. Don't use force. Slower still.”

One day after practice he had me try an exercise with him: two people rest their arms against each other, one pushes, and the other yields. He said, “Push me as hard as you can.” I was forty years younger than him, so I pushed with all the strength in my body. But he just turned his body lightly, and it was like pushing on an open door: I nearly fell over. The old people around us all laughed.

Master Ge caught me and said, “Tai chi is about softness overcoming hardness. There's another saying: ‘four ounces deflect a thousand pounds’. It's not about who's stronger, but about using a very small force to change the direction of a very big one.”

In 2020, tai chi was added to UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In China it has long been part of countless households: not just a martial art, but a way of life.

Three months on, I sleep much better at night, and my temper has calmed down a lot. Last week a young man stood by the lake watching us, with the same doubtful look I'd once had. I walked over and said to him, “Slow is the hardest part.”