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Chinese: taijiquan or t'ai-chi-ch'üan. Ancient
Chinese form of exercise or attack and defence. As exercise, it
is designed to provide relaxation in the process of body conditioning,
which it accomplishes partly by harmonizing the principles of yin-yang.
It employs flowing, deliberate movements with carefully prescribed
stances and positions. As a mode of attack and defence, it resembles
kung fu and is properly considered a martial art. Dating to the
3rd century AD, Tai Chi Chuan consists of two major schools, the
Wu and the Yang. Depending on the school, the number of exercises
varies from 24 to more than 100. |
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