太极拳音乐加长版守望（太极拳FlowingShadow）

（Learn to spread China and Chinese cuIture in EngIish）

Flowing Shadow Boxing

As one of the main sports to help people stay fit, taiji quan, or shadow boxing (known internationally as tai chi chuan) is very popular with Chinese people. It used to be a martial art, but since it aids both self-defense and health, it quickly developed to become a main method of physical exercise. Shadow boxing can adjust the neural, respiratory (呼吸的), digestive, coronary (心脏的), brain, and circulatory systems of the human body,functioning as a method for disease prevention.

Taiji(the Supreme Ultimate) is a Chinese philosophical term, to which The Book of Changes (Yijing) attributes the origin of the Eight Trigrams（八卦）. Explanation of the Taiji Diagram (Taiji Tushuo), written by Northern Song philosopher Zhou Dunyi, regards taiji as the source of all things on Earth. The taiji is circular in shape, including the yin and the yang, and shadow boxing was created exactly on the basis of this theory.

Being “circular” is one of the important characteristics of shadow boxing. Performing shadow boxing is just like drawing circles again and again, while being smooth and round is a major criterion in judging the quality of its performance. Heaven and Earth have energy circulating around them, while inside a human body circulates the vitality of life.Shadow boxing draws the circle of life through moving, jumping, dodging, unfolding, etc.,so as to turn exterior circles of energy into interior circles of energy. Another characteristic of shadow boxing is its pursuit of flowing rhythm amidst the changes of yin and yang,which accords with the taiji philosophy that yin and yang interchange, infuse and change.On this basis, shadow boxing emphasizes the infusion of the hard and the soft, and expresses the constant changes of the universe through gentle and flexible, and even and slow movements. In general, shadow boxing displays the beauty of soaring clouds and flowing waters.

In the course of its development, shadow boxing has incorporated the theory of main and collateral channels （经络学说）in traditional Chinese medicine, along with the idea of guidance advocated by Taoism. Shadow boxing is a combination of the interior and the exterior,and people practice it to improve physical health and to achieve evenness in breathing and calmness in mind. When practicing shadow boxing, one needs to pay particular attention to breathing air out through the mouth when making outward movements and inhaling (吸入) fresh air through the nose when making inward movements, so as to keep fresh energy in the body. This is why people prefer to practice it in the early mormning.

Shadow boxing and Shaolin martial arts both have deep and profound philosophical connotations; they embody the unique wisdom of the Chinese people, and reflect the identity of Chinese culture.

太极拳

太极拳作为帮助人们保持健康的主要运动之一，深受中国人的欢迎。太极拳曾经是一种武术，但由于它有助于自卫和健康，很快发展成为一种主要的体育锻炼方法。作为预防疾病的方法，太极拳可以调节神经、呼吸、 消化、冠状动脉、大脑和人体的循环系统。

太极是中国哲学中的一个术语，《易经》将八卦的起源归于太极。北宋哲学家周敦颐的《太极图说》认为太极是万物之源。从形状上讲，太极是圆形的，包括阴阳，太极拳就是在这个理论的基础上创造出来的。

“圆”是太极拳的重要特征之一。太极拳的表演就像一次又一次地画圈，而圆滑是衡量太极拳表演质量的主要标准。天地之间有能量循环，人体内有生命活力循环。太极拳通过移动、跳跃、躲闪、展开等方式勾勒出生命的循环，从而将外在的能量循环转化为内在的能量循环。太极拳的另一个特点是在阴阳变化中追求流畅的节奏，这符合阴阳互相转换，交融，和变化的太极哲学。在此基础上，太极拳强调刚柔相济，通过轻柔灵活、均匀缓慢的动作来表达宇宙的不断变化。总的来说，太极拳展现了凌云流水之美。

太极拳在发展过程中，融合了中医学的经络理论，并同时采纳了道家思想。太极拳是一种内外结合的运动，人们练习太极拳是为了增进身体健康，达到呼吸均匀，头脑冷静。练习太极拳时，向外运动需要特别注意通过嘴呼出空气，向内运动时，新鲜空气通过鼻子吸入空气，以保持身体内的新鲜能量。这就是为什么人们喜欢在清晨练习。

太极拳和少林武术都有着深厚的哲学内涵；它们体现了中国人民的独特智慧，反映了中国文化的认同。

声明：本文英文取材于外研社出版张桂萍主编的《中国文化英语教程》相关章节。内容略有删减。如有侵权，联系删除。