Aesthetics in Tai Chi

As a kind of culture, philosophy, martial arts, art and health regimen, Tai Chi is a perfect combination of the beauty of form, expression and philosophy, giving people a sense of simplicity and simplicity without losing its profound and rich connotation. . As a wonderful flower in Chinese martial arts, Tai Chi has extremely high aesthetic functions, especially its beauty of form, expression and philosophy, which builds its unique aesthetics from the outside to the inside, from shallow to deep. With the development of the times, more and more people have begun to like this kind of sport, and its value has gradually been more fully developed and promoted. In addition to the practical value of fitness and self-defense, its unique performing art gives people a beautiful enjoyment and is pleasing to the eye. It pours into the temperament, national psychology, national beauty and national spirit of the Chinese nation. The aesthetics of Tai Chi are the beauty of the ancient oriental civilization. the epitome of. Below is what I have compiled just for you: Beauty in Tai Chi.

The aesthetic feeling in Tai Chi 1. Beauty of form

As a martial art, Tai Chi forms its movement characteristics through the dynamic and static changes in the human body. Therefore, the beauty of form is an important part of the aesthetics of Tai Chi. the most basic content. The changes in points, lines, and surfaces of the human body constitute the movement of Tai Chi, and the ups and downs of each movement are manifestations of the points. The movement and rotation of the points constitute the line, completing the movement trajectory of the action, while the spatial and temporal expansion of the points and lines constitute the surface, which is expressed as the spatial appearance of the limbs. At the same time, points, lines, and surfaces form a free-rhythm movement form according to the laws of movement and stillness, hardness and softness, virtuality and solidity, which not only completes the form, but also realizes the function.

1. Symmetrical beauty

Symmetrical beauty is an important part of traditional Chinese aesthetics. Ancient architecture, calligraphy, couplets, etc. all reflect the beauty of symmetry and order. The Tai Chi diagram is a symmetrical and harmonious structural diagram, which is the epitome of traditional Chinese wisdom. Tai Chi is a vivid embodiment of this philosophy in sports. In particular, Chen-style Tai Chi uses a series of symmetrical, balanced and harmonious movements such as hardness and softness, opening and closing, lightness and sinking as its content, and takes the form of silk winding and spiral movements as its form. It not only has hardness and softness, opening and closing, empty and solid, fast and slow, but also emphasizes softness in hardness, hardness in softness, closing in opening, and opening in closing. When applied to martial arts, there are transformation and release, introduction and advancement, and transformation means release, lead means advancement, combination of transformation and attack, introduction and combination, etc., which constitute the extraordinary style of this boxing. The movements all emphasize the balance of yin and yang, there is up and there is down, and every time you go up, you must go down; when you go up, you go down; when you go forward, you go back, when you go left, you go right, when you go right, you go left; when you go left, you go right, when you go right, you go left; you have the inside and the outside, and practice both the inside and the outside; In the body technique, we need to draw and pull each other, but also attract and connect each other. We emphasize symmetrical strength. The strength should be supported from all sides, maintain balance everywhere and at all times, and make the whole body one body.

2. Rhythm beauty

Wang Zongyue's "Tai Chi Theory" said: "If you move urgently, you should respond urgently; if you move slowly, you will follow slowly." ?It is recorded in "Essence of Martial Arts": ?Advancement is as swift as the wind, and retreat should be as fast as possible if you miss the opportunity. ?Zhang Zhijun said: ?The alternating between fast and slow is Tai Chi. ?Mr. Ma Hong has also said many times that "when practicing Tai Chi, you should alternate between fast and slow, fast but not chaotic, slow but not stagnant." If you practice Tai Chi quickly, you cannot lose the details of the movements; if you practice Tai Chi slowly, you cannot appear sluggish. In Tai Chi skills, "fast speed when attacking" means that through full preparation, the final attack (or defense) goal is achieved with the fastest movement. The decisive action of attack (or defense) must be fast. This speed is not blindly fast, but conditionally, purposefully and controlled fast. Mobilize the opponent through changes in the offensive and defensive rhythm, find effective opportunities, and win quickly. Qi Jiguang said in "The New Book of Ji Xiao": "As the saying goes, you don't know how to hit a punch, but it is lightning fast and can't cover your ears. The so-called "not parrying" is just one strike, and if you make a mistake, you can parry ten times. ?I don’t know how to punch. One is fast and the other is slow. The fist is too fast to cover the ears. The boxing proverb is an important description of how fast the martial arts movements should be. As stated in "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu: "The emotion of the soldiers is the key to speed, and taking advantage of others' disadvantages". When attacking, you need to use your troops with great speed to catch your opponent off guard. Be as still as a mountain and move as fast as thunder. However, speed in martial arts is relative. Compared with opponents of different levels, different offensive and defensive movements, different offensive and defensive timings, and the speed of movement are also ever-changing. The rhythm of fast and slow is one of the unique characteristics of Tai Chi, and it is also an important reason why it ranks first among internal martial arts.

3. Beautiful opening and closing

Chen Xin said: "Learning Tai Chi is just about learning the opening and closing of yin and yang." ?The way of Tai Chi can be mastered by opening and closing.

?Generally speaking, the so-called opening refers to the outward expansion and expansion of the limbs and internal energy; the so-called closing refers to the inward contraction and contraction of the limbs and internal energy. Specifically speaking, not only the whole body must have opening and closing, but one arm and one leg must also have opening and closing, and one hand and one foot must also have opening and closing. When studying various forms of Tai Chi movements, sometimes it focuses on the flexion and extension of the limbs, sometimes it focuses on the contraction and release of internal energy (inner energy), sometimes it focuses on the smoothness and reversal of winding silk energy, sometimes it focuses on the whole, and sometimes it focuses on a certain part. . ?Every time it opens, it must close; Tai Chi emphasizes "Inner Three Harmonies, External Three Harmonies". The "Inner Three Harmonies" refer to the harmony of heart and mind, the harmony of mind and Qi, and the harmony of Qi and Jin. The External Three Harmonies refer to the harmony of shoulders and hips, the harmony of elbows and knees, and the harmony of hands and feet. The inward rotation of the Dantian is driven by the breath and combined with the external movements. Only by unifying the inside and outside can the whole force be reflected and the force be transmitted perfectly. The internal and external opening and closing changes are practiced. The form is constantly judged and the mind is constantly broken. The mind is constantly judged and the spirit is constantly broken.

4. Spiral Beauty

Chen-style Tai Chi is based on Yi Xue and takes the law of yin and yang as the basic law, whether from the inside to the outside, from top to bottom, from simple to complex They all follow a three-dimensional spiral, that is, "spiral everywhere" and "spiral everywhere". Chen Zhaokui said: The basic silk winding strength is based on smooth winding and reverse winding. ?Chen Xin said: ?Boxers use wrapping techniques. "The Theory of Boxing" states that the beauty of boxing lies in the key points of transporting energy in the chest and waist. In Xingquan, it is important to keep the waist still and the hands not to move. Even if the initial movement is small, it should start from the waist. From the waist to the back, then the shoulders, then the arms, and then the hands come back. The waist is also affected and it is required to move in a spiral. Jin, complete the non-circular or arc motion. The spiral is as beautiful as waves and mountains, with ups and downs, giving people a sense of beauty and relieving visual fatigue.

5. Beautiful lines

Tai Chi emphasizes the positive movement of the circle. The movement of the circle is the harmony and roundness of the entire process, and the curved movement trajectory of the circle is undoubtedly an important aesthetic factor. Taking music as beauty is an important aesthetic orientation of Chinese culture. ?qu?is deeply involved in all aspects of Chinese people's lives. ?Meandering tendrils of water and winding paths leading to seclusion? This is the ideal aesthetic realm of the Chinese people. Chinese language art and painting art both pay special attention to the expression of "qu". As the saying goes, "the profound knowledge is hidden and the aftertaste is full of music", it can be said that the aesthetic emotions of a nation are all contained in it. The ancients said: If a mountain has no ups and downs, it is a stubborn mountain; if there is no water, it is a stagnant water. Based on this natural principle to understand the principles of art, the vitality of Chinese literature and art is mostly connected to the word "qu". Tai Chi, which also originated from the specific cultural heritage of China, also takes "qu" as its beauty. The art of finding a circle within a circle. Whether it is the external movements of Tai Chi, which are either circles or arcs, or the internal movement of the Dantian internal rotation, they all embody the beauty of curves.

6. Beautiful posture

Boxing theory: The body must be upright, and the whole body must be natural. Tai Chi requires that the body must be neutral and comfortable when standing. Zhongzheng means impartiality, no fault or failure, and the spirit will naturally achieve the goal. The key to Tai Chi bodywork is to be upright, natural, smooth and agile. Wu Yuxiang proposed eight key points of the body technique: holding the chest, pulling the back, wrapping the body, lifting the head, hanging the body, loosening the shoulders, and sinking the elbows. The upright, natural, smooth and agile body movements give Tai Chi a beauty that is different from other sports. Beautiful posture, that is, beautiful posture and posture. Tai Chi is very particular about posture. Tai Chi forms an arc everywhere, with empty spirit and strength, Qi sinking in the Dantian, shoulders sinking and elbows falling, fingers and wrists stretched, waist relaxed and hips tightened, hips rounded and loose, tail centered, movement and stillness constant, momentum connected, continuous. , "The movement is like spinning threads, and the steps are like cat walking".

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The sense of beauty in Tai Chi 2. Beauty of expression

Without movements, the external form cannot express the inner spirit. . Shape resemblance is the basic requirement for practicing Tai Chi. Mastering the basic movement essentials can achieve intuitive, perceptible, distinct and lifelike aesthetic effects. If the movements are merely formal and lacking in connotation, they will appear superficial and straightforward, and the movements will be loose and lifeless. Therefore, after practicing Tai Chi, we must gradually achieve a spiritual resemblance, conveying the spirit through form, expressing the inner spiritual temperament in the movements, and vividly expressing the elegant, strange, harmonious and natural oriental classical beauty. If the practice of Tai Chi cannot express the spirit that dominates the form, it cannot fundamentally express the beauty of the spirit, energy, and rhythm of Tai Chi. Form is the material basis of God, and God is the soul of form. Any movement that lacks verve can only be seen as a body twisting, but no inner expression of thoughts and feelings can be seen.

Only when the practitioner carefully thinks and understands the rhythm, posture and charm, and combines them into a coordinated and complete organism, can Tai Chi gain appreciation value. An old saying goes: Rhyme is extremely beautiful. ?

1. Strength is beautiful

Strength is the method and strength of Tai Chi. Wang Zongyue regarded strength as a prerequisite for reaching the gods in "Tai Chi Theory". The most important components of strength are hardness and softness. Rigidity and softness are two opposite and unified attributes of a thing. They are not only opposite to each other, but also transform and interact with each other. As the basic attributes of everything in the world, hardness and softness have always been perceived by people. Since ancient times, the concept of hardness and softness has always been closely connected with yin and yang. The yang is strong and the yin is soft. In the practice of Tai Chi, hardness and softness are integrated into one body. The harmonious unity of hardness and softness makes Tai Chi reach a state of perfection, allowing the beauty of femininity and masculinity to coexist and transform into each other. Feminine beauty is shown in the running process of the movement, and masculine beauty is shown in the landing point of the movement. ?Light as a poplar flower, as strong as gold and stone, more powerful than a tiger, more powerful than an eagle, moving like a stream of water, stopping as fast as a mountain, embodying the beauty of the balance of strength and softness everywhere. Softness is the artistic effect of coherence, softness and smoothness of body movements, the majestic and calm atmosphere and expression. The performance of Tai Chi is mainly about softness and strength, which has the wonderful effect of "moving a thousand pounds implicitly with four ounces". Tai Chi is gentle but not lax, giving people an implicit and vivid beauty of martial arts skills, showing a surreal aesthetic taste, and has a profound ancient cultural heritage.

2. The beauty of virtuality and reality

"Virtuality and reality" is an important category in ancient Chinese philosophy and an important concept in Tai Chi. "Sun Tzu's Art of War: Virtual Reality Chapter" says: "By doing it, you will know the principle of movement and stillness." ?, ?The shape of soldiers is like water. The shape of water avoids heights and tends to go down. The shape of soldiers avoids reality and hits the weak. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, said: Looking at all the military books together, none of them can be compared with Sun Wu. There is nothing false or true in Sun Wu's thirteen chapters. If you use your troops to recognize the true and false situation, you will be victorious. "Essentials on the Use of Martial Arts" says: "Use the imaginary and attack with the real, use the real with the imaginary, avoid the real and attack the imaginary." ?As soon as it opens and closes, there is change and permanence, there is both virtuality and reality, it suddenly appears and suddenly hides, there is reality in the virtuality, and there is virtuality in the reality. ?Yang Chengfu believes that Tai Chi takes virtuality and reality as the first priority, and requires that virtuality and reality should be reflected in the movements. The Tai Chi spectrum also has clear regulations on virtuality and reality: the so-called transformation of virtuality and reality should be paid attention to; virtuality and reality should also be clearly distinguished. There is virtuality and reality in one place, and there is always this virtuality and reality everywhere. In Tai Chi, if the left hand is strong, the left foot is weak, and if the right hand is strong, the right foot is weak. The point of landing is also that there is reality in the virtual, and there is virtual in the reality. Therefore, there is a virtual and a real everywhere, and the inner strength is right and impartial, so as to achieve the goal of containing virtual and real without any bias. The state of dew. The virtual and the real interact with each other, where is virtual and where is real. The same goal is virtual spirit, so it is full of expressiveness and unique artistic charm. Virtual reality is a unique kind of beauty. To adjust virtuality and reality, we must first understand the correct connotation of virtuality and reality. Practitioners must not only use their own changes in virtuality and reality to confuse the other party, but also strive to master the changes in the other party's virtuality and reality, so as to have virtuality in reality, reality in virtuality, avoid reality and use virtuality, and remain invincible. Only the movements have a sense of lightness and nimbleness.

3. The beauty of movement and stillness

"Tai Chi Theory" says: "It is as quiet as mountains and as moving as rivers." ?Yang Chengfu said in "Ten Essentials of Tai Chi": ?Seek stillness while moving. Tai Chi uses stillness to control movement. Even if it moves, it remains still. ?These all show that "waiting for movement" is one of the guiding ideas of Tai Chi martial arts. Chen Xin's discussion in "Tai Chi Quan Shen": "Be strong with energy, be full of energy, be still and wait for action, and strengthen our barriers", emphasizing that "being still and waiting for action" is an important means of "strengthening our barriers" and defeating the enemy. . The so-called "quiet as the mountains" means that the energy is calm and steady, and the whole body is one. When setting a posture, the static movements and postures also contain complex dynamic changes. When the force movement is initiated but not yet launched, always make sure that your body movements can maintain support from all sides, and achieve the goal during the confrontation. It is flexible, coherent, and operates freely. It is always aware of and adapts to the objective changes in the opponent's martial arts movements. In the process of actual combat, it always keeps the initiative and can be triggered at any time when the opportunity is gained to defeat the opponent. "Moving like a river" is like an arrow leaving the string, or a horse jumping out of bounds. That is, the movements and movements are under the control of the brain's thoughts, so that all the bodies can obey the command. Its movements and movements are like the movements of the river. The water waves are rolling and surging, constantly changing reality and reality, and moving forward continuously. Similarly, in Tai Chi Tui, you must use calm and calm listening skills to respond to opportunities, and thus form your own dynamic and static momentum. When you get an opportunity, you must seize the opportunity of movement and stillness and act according to the opportunity, so that you can be invincible. land.

The aesthetic feeling in Tai Chi 3. Philosophical beauty

Tai Chi is a philosophical box, so in addition to the beauty of form and spirit, the most special thing about Tai Chi is its philosophical beauty. ?. It contains the oldest wisdom in China, allowing practitioners to not only cultivate their body and mind, but also understand the philosophy of life, how to be a human being, how to deal with the world, and how to get along with nature.

1. Harmonious beauty

Tai Chi is based on the idea of ??"yin and yang theory" and "the unity of nature and man". It pursues the principle of "both body and function" and integrates thoughts and concepts. , behavioral norms and value orientation are integrated into one, with a distinct concept of harmony. It contains the essence of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and other theories, embodies the "golden mean" and the beauty of "gentleness and kindness" of ancient Confucianism in my country, and also has the high-level realm of Buddhism's "great kindness and compassion". It is deeply influenced by the Taoist philosophy of "nature and inaction". It also closely cooperates with Daoyin Tuna and the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine, emphasizing the harmony of human body and mind, as well as the harmony between people, people and society, and people and nature. , carrying the basic spirit and value orientation of Chinese culture. Tai Chi implements the natural movement of heaven and the natural opening and closing of yin and yang. It is not forced at all. Those who are forced are not the natural principles of Tai Chi and cannot be called Tai Chi. This shows that Tai Chi is based on the theory of yin and yang. The laws of harmonious movement are natural and not forced. In terms of boxing techniques, Tai Chi emphasizes the following up and down, the balance of virtual and real, the matching of speed and slowness, the balance of hardness and softness, and the integration of internal and external movements. The technique is as quiet as mountains, as moving as rivers, and as flowing as clouds and water, soothing and elegant, ups and downs, gentle, smooth, and continuous. During the exercise, with its flexible, coherent, light and soft movements, it is simple and natural, and the mind and spirit are followed by tranquility. It is calm and not irritable, calm and not crazy. ?Leng? enables the practitioner to integrate his body and mind into the nature of heaven, earth, and reach the state of forgetting both things and myself. Even in the midst of a fierce fight, Tai Chi still emphasizes the tenets of "be kind to others, sacrifice oneself and follow others", "do not move others and do not move oneself", and "stretch according to the tune". It also organically integrates the code of conduct of treating others and being kind-oriented. Into the specific techniques, a high degree of unity of goodness and beauty, interior and exterior is achieved. The health-preserving function of Tai Chi promotes harmony between body and mind. At the same time, the principle of harmony between man and nature advocated by Tai Chi culture, that is, the embodiment of harmony between nature and man, etc., fully embodies the "harmony and beauty" of Tai Chi.

2. The beauty of artistic conception

The artistic conception is the unity of subject and object in the aesthetic process. From the perspective of aesthetic subject, it is the unity of emotion and theory. In terms of objective objects, it is the unity of form and spirit. It is the different degrees of penetration and cooperation of the four aspects of emotion and theory, form and spirit that constitute the different realms of aesthetics and art. The artistic conception of Mujiquan refers to its "spirit", that is, the lofty spirit, sentiment, and will are integrated into every movement and expressed outwardly. Chen Xinyun: "A scene of divine movement is called a scene." Scenery is inseparable from feelings, just as feelings are inseparable from each other and are connected by reason. If you box without fun, you won't be able to achieve good results. How to create a good scenery? At the beginning, you respect the rules, then you become the rules, and finally you follow the rules. When I play, I spend a lot of money, but when I am around people, I am naturally amazed. There is love inside and scenery outside, just like the clear sky, the gentle breeze, the misty scenery of spring, and the large articles. Here, the willows and flowers are blooming, and the mountains and rivers are beautiful. Visitors are fascinated by it, and poets are fascinated by it. It is such a beautiful scenery. Now you can watch the boxing scene. ?

3. Moral beauty

Martial arts is the concentrated expression of the moral beauty of martial artists. Any kind of boxing in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad, has three functions: fighting people (attack), fending off enemies (defense) and fitness. In particular, some boxing types are mainly focused on attacking and controlling enemies, so they must be based on the principle of quick success and instant benefit. He will be ruthless and even kill people if he succeeds. Tai Chi combines the "great kindness and compassion" of Buddhism, the "kindness" of Taoism and the "benevolence and righteousness" of Confucianism. It can be said to be a kind of "moral boxing". Tai Chi takes the Doctrine of the Mean as its body and uses inaction as its purpose. It emphasizes sacrificing oneself and following others, and stretching along with the music. It not only expresses martial ethics verbally or in writing, but also organically integrates the code of conduct for treating others and being kind-oriented into specific techniques. Even if he is skilled in martial arts, he always pays attention to being kind to others and achieves a high degree of unity of beauty and kindness. The highest state of martial ethics is the unity of boxing and road, and the unity of boxing and heart. It is the embodiment of the unity of nature and man in martial arts. The boxing theory says: "Don't be crazy when learning Tai Chi. Being crazy will cause trouble. Not only can you not be crazy with your hands, but you can't be crazy with your words."

Chen Xin said in "Instructions for Learning Boxing": Tai Chi should not be overdone, otherwise it will lead to harm. Tai Chi will be taught to people who are not evil-doers, or who lack martial ethics, so it should be kept secret and cannot be taught. ?When learning boxing, one must be humble and guard against arrogance and impetuosity. If someone beats me, respect him and not be arrogant. If someone fails to beat me, treat him humbly and not be frivolous. Only by maintaining this humble and studious attitude can we learn Tai Chi, practice it well, and use it freely. The ancient proverb: "Practice martial arts before cultivating virtue". It can be seen that practicing Tai Chi is not only to strengthen the body, attack and defend, but also to cultivate one's moral character and convince others with virtue. ?Although boxing is a small way, where is the great way of Tai Chi? Only by understanding the "Tao of Tai Chi" can we truly practice Tai Chi well.

The aesthetics of Tai Chi are rich and vast. The author is just giving some ideas. In addition, the names of Tai Chi movements have unique aesthetic characteristics, are vivid, consistent with the name and reality, and are poetic and stimulating. For example, the "King Kong Taming Cone", which is both elegant and reflects the essence of movement, "Golden Rooster Independent", "Such as Closed", etc.; the dazzling and beautiful "Wild Horse Split Mane", "Step Back and Cross Tiger", and "Step Up Seven Stars". , "Diagonal flying momentum" and so on, as well as the intoxicating "Jade Girl Shuttle", "White Crane Spreading Wings" and so on.