Product Description

In this erudite yet practical book Professor Cheng shares the secrets of his lineage and takes us to the heart of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, presenting it as a martial artm a medicine, and a means of exercise and self-development. With examples from anatomy and physics, he demonstrates precisely how the postures and moves work, internally as energetic principles, and externally on opponents. Professor Cheng always emphasizes that disease (like an attack from an opponent) is an opportunity for training. The practitioner of T'ai Chi Ch'uan may serve as his (or her) own doctor and, likewise, as the physician (or trainer) of an attacker. This special text includes:
-Thirteen essays on his insights into T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
-Oral secrets from his teacher, Yang Cheng'fu.
-Questions and answers giving his commentary to the classics.
-Descriptions and mechanics of push-hands, San Shou, and Ta Lu.
-Prefaces by both Madame Cheng and Bejamin Pang-Jeng Lo.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115209 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01-21
• Released on: 1993-01-21
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 223 pages

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

About the Author
Cheng Man-ch'ing, the famed master of t'ai chi, is regarded as an enormously influential figure in codifying the most widely practiced form of the ancient martial art.

Customer Reviews

A treasure from one of the great ones
This book is my constant companion. I've carried my original 1985 copy with me everywhere since it was first published. I should declare my bias: I was a student at Professor Cheng's school in New York starting in 1974, the year before he passed, and studied and eventually taught there until 1986. All of his senior students considered this the Bible of Professor Cheng's form long before it was ever published in English. We had classes in which Ed Young, one of the Professor's senior students, translated it for us chapter by chapter, his forehead breaking out in a fine sweat with the effort of attempting to adequately convey the Professor's meaning. ( I still have my notes from those sessions, and Ben Lo's translation compares very favorably with Ed's.) I often quote or read from the Thirteen Treatises to my students, and always recommend it as an indispensable work. In short, if there is one single most essential volume on Professor Cheng's Tai Chi Chuan, this is it--and I believe it can prove equally valuable to students of other styles and forms. I especially recommend it in combination with "Master Cheng's New Method of Taichi Chuan Self-Cultivation," translated by Mark Hennessy (Frog Ltd., 1999).

Great classic by great master
If you're a serious tai chi practitioner this book should be in your library. Besides the invaluable knowledge it contains, this is just a very nice edition of the work. It's the only edition authorized by the professor's estate, and contains an introduction written by his wife, in addition to the translation by master Ben Lo. The cover painting of a white lotus and samples of calligraphy by Prof. Chen are nice touches, and the book is hardback and printed on higher quality you would get in a paperback edition. And the price is reasonable given the features and overall quality of the edition.

But of course the most important aspect of the book is that it's one of the most detailed books on the practice and theory of tai chi ever written. Tai chi is composed of three main parts: the self-healing, martial, and medical (or the ability to heal others), aspects, and prof. Chen discusses all of these at length. For example, he discusses the physiology of tai chi, and how chi is transformed in the body to strengthen the muscles, connective tissue, and even bones, in greater detail than I had seen before in any other book. Numerous tai chi principles and practical points are also discussed and illuminated. There is enough material and food for thought here to reflect on for a long time, and I found I spent much time just trying to absorb the basic points, let alone the more advanced principles.

The photos of master Chen performing many of the postures and techniques and their analyses and descriptions are also very helpful. There are 37 different postures in the long form, and each one is illustrated, and the external body mechanics, internal chi process, and martial application discussed and described. It's difficult to get all of that from a single static photo, which is why I say this book is really only for the intermediate or advanced student. (I note that the although some of the reviews here have been posted for more than five years, they only have a few votes, which leads me to believe that only the most serious students obtain and read this book, and look up reviews for it on Amazon).

All is all, a true classic of the martial arts by a great master that should be read and studied by every serious student of tai chi.

Classic Text Covers a Lot of Ground-- a few insights
Cheng Man Ching was what Westerners would term something of a Renaissance man. This is what I've determined. In Chinese culture, it was the essence of enlightenment to pursue numerous virtuous pursuits felt to advance one's spirit or soul. Master Cheng fulfilled this ideal-- he strove to master calligraphy, Chinese medicine, philosophy, as well as Tai Chi, among others.

His 13 treatise(s) are the basis of this one man's perception of the world. Its foundation is, of course, qi/internal development, based on the principles of Tai Chi. But they cover a number of topics, including his perceptions on Chinese medicine, personal behavior, cosmology, Tai Chi development, and others.

There were approximately 3 or 4 pearls that I will take away from this book for my own internal martial arts practice, and that in alone is of inestimable value... Perhaps there is no more than that, but I keep looking for a book that delves into detail about things-- from mechanics and techniques to stages of development and evolution. Cheng touches on these things in his treatises, but does not explore. In the FAQ section at the end, many students' questions seem to be striving for these same details, but Cheng's answer is "There is no more", it is complete.

That's all well and good, and it may be true. It may be that our discovery of whatever else there is must be unique and unexplained. But I still sought something deeper when finished with the book. In addition, his assertions that there is "no more" left me skeptical because his chapters on using Eastern medicine to "cure" tuberculosis were clearly based on limited insight into what TB really is. I don't think Cheng really had TB from his description. He may have had pulmonary fibrosis from a condition resembling silicosis, but not TB.

That limitation is no fault of Master Cheng, but it does unfortunately color my opinion of his insights. Is there indeed something more, just no good way to explain it or expand on it given his cultural and temporal background? I don't know.

A good book, and as a classic an important one that must be read. As much as anything, the pictures of his form were valuable. I learned a lot just studying those-- moreso than his descriptive text. In particular, the relaxation of his arms was evident, and something I still have difficulty with.

But... I kept wanting to ask him questions, and alas I cannot.
No doubt he would cuff me on the forehead and say "There is no more. Practice!" And I shall.