Comparative Analysis of Zheng Manqing’s 37 Postures Taiji Form and William C. C. Chen’s 60 Movements Taiji Form

For some time, I have been working on a comparative analysis of Zheng Manqing’s 37 Postures Taiji Form and William C. C. Chen’s 60 Movements Taiji Form. I have listed Professor’s Zheng’s 37 Postures on another post on this blog. Anyone who wishes to learn more about this can visit https://www.kungfutoday.com/blog/ and enter Zheng Manqing on the search tab.

Before getting into the heart of the subject, brief biographies of Professor Zheng and Grandmaster Chen are appropriate.

Note: I use the Pinyin Romanization without tones. The Mandarin spelling in Taiwan still uses the Wade-Giles Romanization; places and proper names are hyphenated. One distinction is that the modern Pinyin spelling will run words together; for example, Tai Chi Chuan is written as Taijiquan.

Professor Zheng Manqing

Zheng Manqing (鄭曼青, 1902 – 1975), often referred to by students in the West as Professor Cheng, or, simply, the Professor, was known as a master of Wu Jue (五絕) – Five Excellences.

Shu Fa (書法) – Calligraphy
Hui Hua (繪畫) – Painting
Shi Ge (詩歌) – Poetry
Zhong Yi (中醫) – Chinese Medicine
Taijiquan (太極拳) – Supreme/Grand Ultimate Fist

Professor Zheng was renowned for all the Five Excellences in Southeast Asia and especially in Taiwan but was most famous in the West for his skill in Taijiquan, which is the subject matter of this post.

Professor Zheng was a student of the great master, Yang Chengfu (杨澄甫, 1883 – 1936), who was the grandson of the Yang Style Taiji founder, Yang Luchan (楊露禪, 1799 – 1872). At the age of 27, Zheng studied with Yang Chengfu in Shanghai in 1930 for a period of two years. Some sources say that Zheng studied with Yang Chengfu from 1930 to 1936. This is unlikely as Shanghai was besieged by the Japanese in 1932 with a naval blockade and subsequent occupation of the areas outside of the international sectors. Also, Yang Chengfu died in 1936 at the age of 53. He suffered from poor health in the last years of his life. 

Professor Zheng developed the 37 Postures Taiji Form in the late 1930s, and this simplified routine, which eliminated many of the repetitive movements found in the Traditional Yang Style 108 Movements Long Form, reduced the practice time from 20 minutes to 8 minutes. By the mid-1940s, this new routine was firmly established.

With the fall of the Nationalist government to the Communists in 1949, Zheng Manqing moved to Taiwan where he taught the Five Excellences and gained a large following in Taiji Quan. In 1964, Professor Zheng moved to New York City where he founded the Shr Jung Taiji School in Chinatown.

Grandmaster William C. C. Chen

William C. C. Chen (陈志诚, 1933 – Chen Zhicheng in Pinyin), moved with his family to Taiwan in 1949. His father was a childhood friend of Professor Zheng, and thus Grandmaster Chen became a live-in student and the youngest disciple of the Professor.

While living and training at the Professor’s home, he assisted with the Chinese medicine patients and began to help with Taiji instruction. In time, he started leading his own classes at various locations in Taipei, gaining the name, the “Young Master.”

In the 1950s, William Chen participated in full-contact tournaments, eventually winning second place in the Taiwan Sheng Yun Hui (台灣省運會) -Taiwan Provincial Games. After gaining some notoriety from a tournament in 1958, he was asked to teach more widely, throughout Southeast Asia.

In 1962, while enrolled at the University of Hawaii, he was invited to teach at the Honolulu Taiji Quan Association, and in 1963 gave lectures and instruction at Dr. Lu Hui-ching’s studio in San Francisco. In 1965 he began teaching in New York City.

Since then, Grandmaster Chen has expanded his teaching worldwide through his system of the “Body Mechanics of Taiji Quan.” His innovations, while based on traditional concepts, have dispelled many of the myths surrounding Taiji. He has published several books and many articles on Taiji and has produced instructional DVDs. He has conducted countless workshops throughout North America, Europe, and other parts of the world.

Brief description of Zheng Manqing’s and William C. C. Chen’s Taiji Forms

Before making a comparison of the two forms, let us look at the structural differences. The Professor’s Form uses larger stances and postures than does Grandmaster Chen’s Form. I would classify the Professor’s Form as Zhong Jia (中架) – Middle Frame and Grandmaster Chen’s Form with smaller stances and a more upright posture as Xiao Jia (小架) – Small Frame.

Zheng Manqing’s 37 Postures Taiji Form

Taiji routines use Shi (勢) – Posture, to indicate a movement or a series of movements. For example, Lan Que Wei (攬雀尾) – Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail, may contain from three to five movements in various sections of the Form. Traditionally, these would be classified as one posture. So, there is a great discrepancy between counting postures and counting movements.

To render a comparative analysis of Professor Zheng’s 37 Postures Form and Grandmaster William Chen’s 60 Movements Form, I used Grandmaster Chen’s footprint and rendered Professor Zheng’s 37 Postures into Movements. This facilitates a comparison, as well as showing the differences between the two Forms.

The movements are listed with the English names, followed by the Romanization of the Pinyin without the tones, and finally the Chinese characters. For my own study, I prefer to list the movements with the Pinyin first followed by the English translation. This aids me in learning the Chinese names for each movement. In this case, however, for ease of comparison, I decided to list the English names followed by the Pinyin.

List of Movements:

1. Preparation – Yu Bei Shi (預備式)
2. Beginning – Qi Shi (起勢)
3. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Left Ward-off – Lan Que Wei – Zuo Peng (攬雀尾 – 左掤)
4. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Right Ward-off – Lan Que Wei – You Peng (攬雀尾 – 右掤)
5. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Rollback – Lan Que Wei – Lu (攬雀尾 – 履)
6. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Press – Lan Que Wei – Ji (攬雀尾 – 擠)
7. Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Push – Lan Que Wei – An (攬雀尾 – 按)
8. Single Whip – Dan Bian (單鞭)
9. Raise Hands – Ti Shou (提手)
10.  Shoulder Stroke – Kao (靠)
11.  White Crane Spreads Wings – Bai He Liang Chi (白鶴亮翅)
12.  Left Brush Knee and Twist Step – Zuo Lou Xi Ao Bu (左摟膝拗步)
13.  Play Guitar (Pipa) – Shou Hui Pipa (手揮琵琶)
14.  Left Brush Knee and Twist Step – Zuo Lou Xi Ao Bu (左摟膝拗步)
15.  Step Forward, Deflect, Parry, and Punch – Jin Bu Ban Lan Chui (進步搬攔捶)
16.  Apparent Close-up – Ru Feng Si Bi (如封似閉)
17.  Cross Hands – Shi Zi Shou (十字手)
18.  Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain – Bao Hu Gui Shan (抱虎歸山)
19.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Rollback – Lan Que Wei – Lu (攬雀尾 – 履)
20.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Press – Lan Que Wei – Ji (攬雀尾 – 擠)
21.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Push – Lan Que Wei – An (攬雀尾 – 按)
22.  Diagonal Single Whip – Xie Dan Bian (斜單鞭)
23.  Fist under Elbow – Zhou Di Kan Chui (肘底看捶)
24.  Step Back and Repulse Monkey (Right) – You Dao Nian Hou (右倒攆猴)
25.  Step Back and Repulse Monkey (Left) – Zuo Dao Nian Hou (左倒攆猴)
26.  Step Back and Repulse Monkey (Right) – You Dao Nian Hou (右倒攆猴)
27.  Slanting Flying – Xie Fei Shi (斜飛勢)
28.  Cloud Hands (Left) – Zuo Yun Shou (左雲手)
29.  Cloud Hands (Right) – You Yun Shou (右雲手)
30.  Cloud Hands (Left) – Zuo Yun Shou (左雲手)
31.  Single Whip Lower Posture – Dan Bian Xia Shi (單鞭下勢)
32.  Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg (Right) – You Jin Ji Du Li (右金雞獨立)
33.  Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg (Left) – Zuo Jin Ji Du Li (左金雞獨立)
34.  Separation of Right Foot – You Fen Jiao (右分腳)
35.  Separation of Left Foot – Zuo Fen Jiao (左分腳)
36.  Turn and Kick with Heel – Zhuan Shen Deng Jiao (轉身蹬腳)
37.  Left Brush Knee and Twist Step – Zuo Lou Xi Ao Bu (左摟膝拗步)
38.  Right Brush Knee and Twist Step – You Lou Xi Ao Bu (右摟膝拗步)
39.  Step Forward and Punch Down – Jin Bu Zai Chui (進步栽捶)
40.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Right Ward-off – Lan Que Wei – You Peng (攬雀尾 – 右掤)
41.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Rollback – Lan Que Wei – Lu (攬雀尾 – 履)
42.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Press – Lan Que Wei – Ji (攬雀尾 – 擠)
43.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Push – Lan Que Wei – An (攬雀尾 – 按)
44.  Single Whip – Dan Bian (單鞭)
45.  Fair Lady Works Shuttles I – Yu Nu Chuan Suo Yi (玉女穿梭一)
46.  Fair Lady Works Shuttles II – Yu Nu Chuan Suo Er (玉女穿梭二)
47.  Fair Lady Works Shuttles III – Yu Nu Chuan Suo San (玉女穿梭三)
48.  Fair Lady Works Shuttles IV – Yu Nu Chuan Suo Si (玉女穿梭四)
49.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Left Ward-off – Lan Que Wei – Zuo Peng (攬雀尾 – 左掤)
50.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Right Ward-off – Lan Que Wei – You Peng (攬雀尾 – 右掤)
51.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Rollback – Lan Que Wei – Lu (攬雀尾 – 履)
52.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Press – Lan Que Wei – Ji (攬雀尾 – 擠)
53.  Grasp Sparrow’s Tail – Push – Lan Que Wei – An (攬雀尾 – 按)
54.  Single Whip, Lower Posture – Dan Bian Xia Shi (單鞭下勢)
55.  Step Forward to Seven Star – Shang Bu Qi Xing (上步七星)
56.  Step Back to Ride Tiger – Tui Bu Kua Hu (退步跨虎)
57.  Turn and Sweep Lotus – Zhuan Shen Bai Lian (轉身擺蓮)
58.  Bend Bow to Shoot Tiger – Wan Gong She Hu (彎躬射虎)
59.  Step Forward, Deflect, Parry, and Punch – Jin Bu Ban Lan Chui (進步搬攔捶)
60.  Apparent Close-up – Ru Feng Si Bi (如封似閉)
61.  Cross Hands – Shi Zi Shou (十字手)
62.  Return to Origin – Gui Yuan (歸原)

William Chen’s 60 Movements Taiji Form

Grandmaster Chen presented and taught his Form indicating individual movements. I noted above the difference between postures and movements. Below is a list of the movements in English in Grandmaster Chen’s Form, as he teaches them, followed by the traditional Chinese names as derived from Professor Zheng’s Form. In the case of movements that are not contained the Professor’s form, I use the names from the Traditional Yang Style Long Form.

List of Movements:

1. Preparation – Yu Bei
2. Beginning – Qi Shi  
3. Ward Off with Left Hand – Zuo Peng
4. Ward Off with Right Hand – You Peng
5. Roll Away – Lu
6. Press – Ji
7. Push – An
8. Single Whip – Dan Bian
9. Lifting the Hands – Ti Shou
10.  Shoulder Strike – Kao
11.  White Crane Spreads its Wings – Bai He Liang Chi
12.  Cross Over the Knee and Step – Lou Xi Ao Bu
13.  Playing the Guitar – Shou Hui Pi Pa
14.  Cross Over the Knee and Step – Lou Xi Ao Bu
15.  Step Up, Deflect, Intercept, and Punch – Jin Bu Ban Lan Chui
16.  Get the Needle at the Sea Bottom – Hai Di Zhen
17.  Spread Arms like a Fan – Shan Tong Bei
18.  Turn and Strike with Backfist/Chop with Fingers (see note below)
19.  Withdraw and Push – Ru Feng Si Bi
20.  Crossing Hands – Shi Zi Shou
21.  Retreat to the Mountain Camp for a Rematch (see note below)
22.  Roll Away – Lu
23.  Press – Ji
24.  Push – An
25.  Diagonal Single Whip – Xie Dan Bian
26.  A Fist Under the Elbow – Zhou Di Kan Chui
27.  Step Back to Drive the Monkey Away – Dao Juan Gong
28.  Diagonal Flying Posture – Xie Fei Shi
29.  Waving Hands in the Clouds – Cloud Hands, Yun Shou
30.  Single Whip – Dan Bian
31.  Snake Creeps Down – Xia Shi
32.  The Golden Pheasant Stands on Left Leg – Zuo Jin Ji Du Li
33.  The Golden Pheasant Stands on Right Leg – You Jin Ji Du Li
34.  Kick with Right Foot – You Fen Jiao
35.  Kick with Left Foot – Zuo Fen Jiao
36.  Turn Around and Strike with Sole – Zhuan Shen Deng Jiao
37.  Step Up and Strike with Fist – Jin Bu Zai Chui
38.  Strike Ears with Fists – Shuang Feng Guan Er
39.  Roll Away – Lu
40.  Press – Ji
41.  Push – An
42.  Single Whip – Dan Bian
43.  Fair Lady at the Shuttle (1) – Yu Nu Chuan Suo
44.  Fair Lady at the Shuttle (2) – Yu Nu Chuan Suo
45.  Fair Lady at the Shuttle (3) – Yu Nu Chuan Suo
46.  Fair Lady at the Shuttle (4) – Yu Nu Chuan Suo
47.  Ward Off with Left Hand – Zuo Peng
48.  Ward Off with Right Hand – You Peng
49.  Roll Away – Lu
50.  Press – Ji
51.  Push – An
52.  Single Whip – Dan Bian
53.  Snake Creeps Down – Xia Shi
54.  Step up to Seven Stars of the Dipper – Shang Bu Qi Xing
55.  Step Back to Ride the Tiger – Tui Bu Kua Hu
56.  Turn Around with Lotus Kick – Zhuan Shen Bai Lian
57.  Bend the Bow to Shoot the Tiger – Wan Gong She Hu 
58.  Step Up, Deflect, Intercept, and Punch – Jin Bu Ban Lan Chui 
59.  Withdraw and Push – Ru Feng Si Bi
60.  Crossing Hands – Shi Zi Shou (see note below)

Note: Movement #18 consists of two separate movements that Grandmaster Chen counts as one: Turn and Strike with Backfist/Chop with Fingers. In the Traditional 108 Form these are called Turn Body/White Snake Spits out Tongue.

Movement #21 which Grandmaster Chen calls Retreat to the Mountain Camp for a Rematch, is traditionally called Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain (Bao Hu Gui Shan).

Movement #60 in Grandmaster Chens’s Form, Crossing Hands, also includes the suggestion of #3 (lowering the hands, as in Preparation), which the Professor refers to as Return to Origin – Gui Yuan

Comparing the Two Forms

In analyzing the two forms, I found that the Professor’s Form has two more movements than does Grandmaster Chen’s. However, I noted above that for #18 and #60, his form contains two movements for each.

From Movement #1 Preparation, through movement #15 Step Up, Deflect, Intercept, and Punch, the order of the movements is the same. The only distinction is that Grandmaster Chen does a downward block, as in Brush Knee, when punching.

From this point the two forms begin to differ.

Professor Zheng’s next two movements are #16 Withdraw and Push and #17 Crossing Hands.

Grandmaster Chen’s Form contains movement #16 Get the Needle at the Sea Bottom and #17 Spread Arms like a Fan. He changes direction 180 degrees to execute #18 Turn and Strike with Backfist, Chop with Fingers, and Snake Spits Out its Tongue. Movement #20 is Crossing Hands. This movement is executed by turning to the left and leading with the left hand.

Note that the Professor omits Get the Needle at the Sea Bottom and Spread Arms like a Fan. He completes Withdraw and Push facing the same direction. He then turns to the right, leading with the right hand to complete Crossing Hands.

The next movements, while the same in sequence, differ in numbering.

Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain
In Zheng’s Form this is #18 and Chen’s Form is #21

Roll Away
In Zheng’s Form this is #19 and Chen’s Form is #22

Press
In Zheng’s Form this is #20 and Chen’s Form is #23

Push
In Zheng’s Form this is #21 and Chen’s Form is #24

Diagonal Single Whip
n Zheng’s Form this is #22 and Chen’s Form is #25

A Fist under the Elbow
In Zheng’s Form this is #23 and Chen’s Form is #26

Step Back and Repulse Monkey (Right)
In Zheng’s Form this is #24 and Chen’s Form is #27
Professor Zheng has two additional Repulse the Monkeys, Left #25 and Right #26

The next movement is Slanting Flying
In Zheng’s Form this is #27 and Chen’s Form is #28

From here, the two forms change again.

Professor Zheng’s Form omits Single Whip and goes into Cloud Hands #28 Left, #29 Right, and #30 Left.

Grandmaster Chen’s Form has movement #29 Cloud Hands, and #30 Single Whip.

The next is movement #31 Single Whip, Lower Posture. Professor Zheng enters Single Whip, Lower Posture from the third Cloud Hands; Grandmaster Chen enters this lower posture, which he calls Snake Creeps Down, from Single Whip.

We are now on the same count with the movements.

Next are movements #32 and #33 Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg (Right and Left). Professor Zheng names the movement based on which knee is raised, while Grandmaster Chen refers to the standing weight-bearing leg.

Movements #34 Separation of Right Foot, #35 Separation of Left Foot, and #36 Turn and Kick with Heel, contain the same actions but Grandmaster Chen refers to the kicks as follows: Kick with Right Foot, Kick with Left Foot, and Turn Around and Strike with Sole.

From this point, the sequence of movements changes again.

Professor Zheng’s Form follows with #37 Left Brush Knee and Twist Step,#38 Right Brush Knee and Twist Step, and #39 Step Forward and Punch Down. The two Brush Knee movements are omitted in Grandmaster Chen’s Form.

Professor Zheng’s next movements are #40 Grasp Sparrow’s Tail, Right Ward-off, #41 Roll Away, #42 Press, #43 Push, and #44 Single Whip.

Grandmaster Chen follows with movement #37 Step Forward and Punch Down (Jin Bu Zai Chui), and #38 Strike Ears with Fists (Shuang Feng Guan Er); these movements are omitted from Professor Zheng’s Form. Grandmaster Chen follows with #39 Roll Away, #40 Press, #41 Push, and #42 Single Whip.  He omits the Right Ward-off and goes directly into Roll Away from movement #38.

Here the order of movements changes.

Professor Zheng’s Single Whip is movement #44 while in Grandmaster Chen’s form this is movement #42.

The next movements in the Professor’s Form are Fair Lady Works Shuttles #45 Left, #46 Right, #47 Left, and #48 Right. In Grandmaster Chen’s Form these are movements #43, #44, #45, and #46.

Professor Zheng’s Form has movement #49 Left Ward-off, followed by #50 Right Ward-off, #51 Roll Away, #52 Press, and #53 Push. Grandmaster Chen has the same movements, but the numbering is #47 Left Ward-off through #51 Push.

Again, the order of movements changes.

Professor Zheng’s form has movement #54 Single Whip in Lower Posture, followed by #55 Step Forward to Seven Star.

Grandmaster Chen’s form has movement #52 Single Whip followed by movement # 53 Snake Creeps Down, and movement #54 Step Forward to Seven Star.

The count in the Professor’s Form is now #55 and in Grandmaster Chen’s Form it is #54.

Professor Zheng’s Form follows with movement #56 Step Back to Ride Tiger, #57 Turn and Sweep Lotus, #58 Bend Bow to Shoot Tiger, #59 Step Forward, Deflect, Parry, and Punch, #60 Apparent Close-up, #61 Cross Hands, and #62 Return to Origin.

In Grandmaster Chen’s Form, movement #55 is Step Back and Ride the Tiger, then follows the same sequence, finishing with movement # 60 Cross Hands.

There are notable differences in Step Back to Ride Tiger: Professor Zheng has the left hand down and right hand up, as in White Crane Spread Its Wings, while Grandmaster Chen chops at face level with his right palm facing up.

The Professor concludes the Form with movement #62 Return to Origin. Grandmaster Chen concludes the Form with movement #60 Cross Hands, although he returns the hands down as in Preparation but does not count this movement.

Closing Comments

Having learned both the Professor’s 37 Postures and Grandmaster Chen’s 60 Movements, I have found the movement count to be similar. The Professor, being a staunch traditionalist, counted the postures while Grandmaster Chen counted every movement. For Westerners, and for beginners in general, counting the movements is an easier method for transmitting the Form.

Although I walk through the 37 Postures Form, I practice the 60 Movements Form regularly and have been doing so since 1983 when I first met Grandmaster Chen, whom I still regard as my primary Taiji teacher.

To my knowledge, I am the first to document and offer a comparative analysis of the 37 Postures Form and the 60 Movements Form. I hope that practitioners of these two significant forms will find this study to be useful.