Millions of people worldwide practice t’ai chi, the most popular form of which was codified beginning in the 1960s by Cheng Man Ch’ing. In this scholarly yet practical book, Professor Cheng
shows precisely how the postures and moves of t’ai chi work, with examples from anatomy and physics, both internally as energetic principles and externally on opponents. He clarifies the
spheres, triangles, and centripetal and centrifugal forces within physical exchanges such as push-hands. Contrasting Western and Chinese techniques of healing, he also explores the
relationships of organs to one another in pathology and the necessary dynamics of treatment. Professor Cheng explains how the practitioner may serve as his or her own doctor and, likewise, as
the physician or trainer of an attacker. The martial arts, he says, are not a special case of unusual power, simply an aspect of adapting natural and cosmic law to circumstance. This edition of
the classic text contains 13 major essays; oral secrets from Cheng’s teacher Yang Cheng’fu; a Q&A with commentary on martial arts classics; the author’s application and functions of each of
the 37 postures of the short form, with the original photographs of him as a young man; two prefaces; and much more.
