First, let us begin with the words and how we write the Chinese characters in
English. The Wade-Giles romanization system was popular from the late 1800’s
through the 20th century. It was a system that helped non-Chinese pronounce
and write Mandarin Chinese using English letters. It was developed mainly by
two British scholars, Sir Thomas Wade (1818-1899) and later Herbert Allen
Giles (1845-1935). It is still popular in Taiwan and used for certain words
that have become popular through books throughout the century. {Like Tao
(Dao), T’ai Chi (Taiji), I Ching (Yijing)}

Pinyin romanization was developed in Communist Mainland China and is becoming more main stream since it came out in 1979. Both systems have their unique rules on how characters are written and pronounced. To come close to theMandarin pronunciation, one would have to learn the rules. I say come close
because Mandarin uses specific tones to pronounce each character. Mandarin hasfour distinct tones and one neutral tone while other Chinese dialects have
even more. Some people include the tones in the pinyin and others still write
the characters phonetically. Note that one character can have more than one
English word translation.

I have written T’ai Chi above using Wade-Giles and Qigong using pinyin. T’ai
Chi in Chinese 太极 or 太极拳 T’ai Chi Ch’uan is written as Taiji or
Taijiquan in pinyin. It is pronounced “Tie Jee Chwen” and means the Supreme
Ultimate Fist (boxing/fighting system). T’ai Chi is the philosophy of Yin and
Yang and basically explains different aspects and the relativity of the life
we live. The character Ch’uan or Quan denotes it is a martial art. There are a
lot of martial arts in China but this one is called the Supreme Ultimate. Today the apostrophe is dropped due to the ignorance of its use, hence Tai Chi.

Qigong or Ch’i Kung (Wade-Giles) is written 氣功 or 气功 (more simplified
version of qi) and is translated as energy cultivation. It is pronounced “Chee
Gung”. First please note that the Ch’i in Ch”i Kung/Qi Gong which means
energy, life force, air and breath is not the same character as Chi in T’ai
Chi/Tai Ji which means ultimate. In other words Tai Qi is not a correct
romanization. Also please note the use of apostrophes in the Wade-Giles
system. They are there to help you with pronunciation. Unfortunately, it has
now become popular to drop the apostrophes, which may confuse someone who knows the system and is appropriately called the bastardization Wade-Giles system.

Just needed to get those pet peeves out of the way. Now back to the
difference. As mentioned above T’ai Chi Ch’uan/Taijiquan is a martial art.
Being the Supreme Ultimate, many aspects of nature and energy are expressed as a means of self-defense and connecting with nature and the energy around you.

It is truly an art of self-defense, in which one is calm and still unless
threatened. Even then, a master can decide as the energy presented is being
balanced how to end the confrontation. For example, one may yield -and push
you away (perhaps a drunk friend), or break an arm (perhaps a mugger with a
weapon), or strike a point causing serious internal damage (someone trying to
kill you). As you become more sensitive to energy and intention, you may feel
what type of attack is coming your way. Your reaction to the intended attack
may be so fast that it looks like you struck first. Some of you are thinking,
I thought T’ai Chi was a pretty, slow motion meditation dance good for helping
old people with balance. It is.

Over the centuries, it was found that practicing the fighting moves in slow
motion, paying attention to various details not only helped with the martial
aspects but also had amazing health benefits. Some benefits include improving
digestion, joint health, circulation, coordination, balance and calming the
mind to name a few.

Not too long ago certain martial arts, like T’ai Chi Ch’uan were only taught
to sons and kept within the family. Women in the family were not always taught
because when they married, they would move in with the husband’s family. Much of these practices were kept secret. Over time as T’ai Chi was taught outside the family, it was modified for more people to be able to practice and reap the health benefits. The Ch’uan/Quan eventually was dropped as more and more teachers only learned or taught the forms emphasizing health and downplaying the martial aspects. That said it is important to note that each movement is not only precise for its martial applications but for how the energy
circulates through the meridians. The good news is, even if your form is not
perfect, you can get many of the health benefits.

Ch’I Kung/Qigong is a relatively modern term used to describe a very wide range
of exercises and practices that help cultivate your energy. There are over
3000 sets of Ch’i Kung/Qigong some of which may have over 20 exercises. There
are qigong practices that specifically assist with martial arts training, for
example, iron shirt qigong. Others assist with spiritual training and may have
their roots in Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. But all qigong benefits
one’s overall health and well-being. In fact, some forms were developed or
prescribed by Chinese doctors for specific diseases as well as for illness
prevention. The Ba Duan Jin or Eight Pieces of Brocade is a famous set of
medical qigong exercises that is over a thousand years old. It was the first
complete set of qigong I studied and later taught. This set is done by martial
artists, including those of the Shaolin Temple, as a warm up if you will. It is also
practiced by many for general health maintenance and has been prescribed by doctors for specific ailments.

One of my patients from Hong Kong once brought me a Chinese
newspaper and said, “Check out this article.” Although my ability to speak
Mandarin was pretty good at the time, I could only read 300-400 characters.
You need about 10,000-15,oo0 to read a newspaper. I was able to read that the article was about the Ba Duan Jin but that was it. After I gave him a sarcastic look and a smile, he proceeded to translate it for me. It spoke of a Chinese doctor
famous for his successfully treating cancer. He was retiring and not taking new
patients. A woman with cancer was desperate and asked him to take her as his
patient. The doctor said he could not and told her to learn the Ba Duan Jin. She
took his advice and after a relatively short time (sorry can’t remember, a few
months, I think) her cancer went into remission. Although I have been trained
in medical qigong and am familiar with hospitals in China that teach qigong to
cancer patients, this was the first time I had heard of this set being helpful
with cancer patients.

The beauty of qigong is that there are practices available for everyone
regardless of age, health, ability or disability. I have taught thousands of
students including professional athletes and dancers as well as people with
various mental/physical/developmental/social disabilities. One of my private
students was quadriplegic. He was in a wheelchair with a respirator that he
was dependent on for breathing. He had some limited movement of some of his
shoulder muscles. Each week, I was able to teach him a new qigong practice.
Some qigong is more meditative and can be done sitting, standing or lying
down. Most qigong are individual exercises that combine movement with breathing and/or visualization. Each exercise will have a specific intention and health benefit.

For example, there are qigong exercises for specific parts of the
body, like the neck and back. Some may be for specific organs, like the lungs,
stomach and the liver. Some will help with your mood and relieve anxiety and
sadness while others have the intention of connecting you with the earth and
the sky/heaven. Even the same exercise can be practiced differently based on
the season and your development over time. While some qigong masters have
demonstrated amazing martial and healing abilities that seem unbelievable, the
practice is often both simple and difficult at the same time.

So, T’ai Chi is a Taoist/Daoist derived martial art that in some cases has been
modified into a form of qigong exercise. Because it is considered an internal
martial art, it has its own qigong exercises as part of the system. Most T’ai Chi classes begin with you learning a sequence of movements done in slow motion, which is often called meditation or stillness in motion. To grasp the depth of T’ai Chi requires many years of consistent practice.

Qigong is a more varied practice and is accessible to all.  In the past, many teachers would teach qigong and call it T’ai Chi because people were slightly more familiar with the term. Simply by coordinating your breath with walking, running or swimming turns it into a qigong exercise. Even standing still is one of the easiest and most difficult qigong exercises. For many, results from a regular qigong practice can usually be felt in a few weeks. Consistent practice is necessary for long lasting effects.

William J. Kaplanidis