ABSTRACT
The opening movement of T’ai Chi Ch’uan is derived from Hexagram 35, Chin, which represents Progress. The student stands erect as he begins the T’ai Chi Ch’uan. His legs are parallel to one another, the stance that is indicated by the lower nuclear trigram Ken, or legs. The trigram K’un, the Receptive, characterizes Pull Back. The player’s hands move downward from his upper right side toward his lower left. The opening words of the Great Commentary of the I Ching are appropriate: “Heaven is high, the earth is low.”Sui, Hexagram 17, which denotes Following, is related to Play Guitar (right). The upper trigram, Tui, may mean joyous or oval-shaped. Tui suggests a joyous activity, such as playing an instrument. The nuclear trigram Sun suggests the pi’pa, an ancient Chinese stringed instrument strummed like a guitar and constructed chiefly from wood. Ken indicates the fingers of the guitar-player.
