Héi sài is the opening position or commencement of the Yang 24 tai chi form. In Chinese, it is written「起勢」It is also the opening position of the Yang long form and Chen 18 form and Old Frame.
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Chinese |
Cantonese Jyutping (Yale) |
Mandarin Pinyin |
English |
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起 |
hei3 (héi) |
qǐ (qi3) |
v. rise; get up; stand up |
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勢 |
sai3 (sai) |
shì (shi4) |
n. 1. power, force; 2. momentum |
The photo below is a screenshot from a video showing a side-by-side comparison of héi sài「起勢」in Yang and Chen tai chi forms.
Yang’s tai chi; héi sài「起勢」
Chen’s tai chi; héi sài「起勢」
Personal Notes
These days, I am learning Yang 24 form and Chen’s Tai Chi 18 form. The point of learning both, especially in the early days, is to learn to compare and contrast. Yang 24 form was created by the People’s Republic of China as a simplified and standardized way to promote public health. The Yang 24 form is a fundamental form for Wushu competition where points are earned on based on performance and difficulty level. The Chen tai chi form, on the other hand, is a combat system with origins in warfare.
Observe the two versions of héi sài and some differences will be noticeable immediately: the bending of the knees in Chen versus a more upright stance in Yang, the way the body — and subsequently the arms and hands — moves is also different. The full video shows the differences between Yang’s tai chi and Chen’s tai chi.