Altair Posted September 6, 2004 at 11:18 AM Report Share Posted September 6, 2004 at 11:18 AM In Taijiquan (太極拳), the character 勁 is a much used term of art; for example, it is used in the common expressions 發勁 ("issue power"), 聽勁 ("listening energy"?), 化勁 ("dissolving energy"?), and in the phrase 虚靈頂勁/虚領頂劲. Can someone tell me which reading to give 勁 in these phrases? My dictionaries seem to say that "jìn" is used for the noun usages, where 勁 means "strength" or "power"; whereas "jìng" is used for adjectival usages, where 勁 means "strong" or "powerful." From what I see reading articles in magazines, native Chinese speakers seem to favor the pronunciation "jìng." Could anyone tell me which reading to use for this character? My dictionaries also say that 勁 also has differing pronunciations in Cantonese ("ging" in a mid level tone, and "gihng" in a low level tone) with apparently the same distinctions as in Mandarin. I would also appreciate it if someone could let me know which of these pronunciations is appropriate for the phrases above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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