I tried a social media trend and now I regret it

Some time ago I scrolled and discovered a social media trend: it was a play of words where creators mash two words together. It’s supposed to be a joke, but delivered with a serious face. It’s a little cheeky and maybe even trashy. Something like this:

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Maria Dipietro (@f.l.y._with_mk)

I love words and I enjoyed that trend. And my brain went straight to Taijiquan and Qi Gong: What if I did the same thing with our terms?

So I sat down, mixed a few words, filmed myself saying them with a straight face, and posted them. Oh, that was so much fun! It felt clever in the moment.

Now, a couple of months later, I regret following that social media trend. But before I tell you why I wouldn’t do it again, have a look at my videos:

Yawn Gong: the ancient art of cultivating Qi, interrupted by waves of uncontrollable yawning.

Zhanxiety: the sudden anxiety when your teacher adds five more minutes to Zhan Zhuang and your arms are already shaking.

Dantiandrum: the classic conundrum of nodding wisely and putting your hands on your belly while secretly wondering where exactly your Dantian is. (If you want to know where your Dantian is, look here.)

Formnesia: that moment of amnesia during the form when you forget what comes next after Single Whip.

Looking at the videos, I still find them amusing. But I also realized: It could also be very confusing.

Because Taijiquan and Qi Gong words are Chinese, the terminology is already unfamiliar to most people who are just starting out. I think my made-up words sound too close to real terms, as if they could actually be real words in the Taijiquan world.

A beginner or even a medium experienced practitioner might not be able to tell the difference. For example, Zhanxiety could almost pass as an actual term. At least to a beginner. And that is exactly the problem.

I care deeply about clarity and helping people. I want it to be easier for people to learn and understand Taijiquan and Qi Gong. It’s already strange that there are two ways of writing Taijiquan and Tai Chi. I want to reduce the confusion, not add to it.

That’s one of the reasons why I wrote The Taijiquan & Qi Gong Dictionary* to check what a word really means, instead of guessing or roaming the internet for an answer.

So if you want to learn more about the actual meaning of Taijiquan and Qi Gong words, check out my dictionary.

Come back next Friday, when I post a new blogpost about Taijiquan and Qi Gong.