Why WuLi?

There are several different pronunciations of wuli in Chinese, each with a different symbol and meaning, but spelled and pronounced the same in English. Some of these meanings are: physics (the science), my way, nonsense, I clutch my ideas, enlightenment, and, my personal favorite— and the meaning that resonated deeply with me— patterns of organic energy.

I came across wuli and its meanings years ago in book titled The Dancing Wuli Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav. The book was, literally, wonderful. And the title, as Mr. Zukav related in the book, came out of a conversation with a chance met taiji master, Al Chung-liang Huang. When Mr. Zukav heard his field of study, physics, translated into the phrase "patterns of organic energy," the phrase resonated with him, too, because the idea for his book coalesced and a best-seller was born.

I didn't know anything about taiji when I read The Dancing Wuli Masters, but years later, I picked up another book, this one on taiji: Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain. It was by Master Huang. It was also a wonderful book.

After years of studying taiji and learning about qi and pondering the mysteries of life, it seems to me there is no better description of the universe and all that's in it than the phrase patterns of organic energy.

Taiji is all about energy. Qi. What better name than Wuli Taiji?