Counter Corner
Is “counter his corner” right?
Yes — but only if it’s understood correctly.
When your master says “counter his corner”, he does not mean:
hit back,
block force with force,
or rush to attack an opening.
What he means is closer to this:
Don’t meet force head-on.Lead it into a curve, then respond through its corner (四隅), not its center (四正).
So the idea is correct — but the method matters.
Why not fight directly (抗)?
In Tai Chi terms, 抗 (direct resistance) fails for three reasons:
You reveal your center
You create a fixed angle
You lose listening (聽勁)
The moment you resist straight-on, you stop being round.
How the “circle” really works when being pushed
When you’re pushed, the body should not think:
“How do I push back?”
Instead, think:
“How do I let this force finish its own circle?”
Step-by-step internal logic
1️⃣ Receive, don’t stop
Don’t block the push
Let it enter your structure
Keep light contact, sticking, and continuity
This is Lu (掤中之捋), not retreat.
2️⃣ Turn the waist, not the arms
The circle is created by the waist and kua, not by swinging the hands.
The push enters
The waist turns
The force curves sideways and slightly down or up
This is why classics say:
“Force enters the ground, returns through the legs, governed by the waist.”
3️⃣ Let his force expose a corner
Every push has:
a direction,
a line,
and blind spots (corners).
When his force continues forward and you turn:
his center is no longer protected
one corner becomes empty
That is what your master means by “counter his corner.”
Better wording than “counterattack”
If we want clean English that matches Tai Chi thinking, these are better:
❌ Not ideal
counterattack
fight back
resist
✅ Much better
“Respond through his corner.”
“Enter from the angle created by his force.”
“Follow the force into a circular response.”
“Neutralize, then return along the curve.”
A very Tai Chi sentence would be:
“Do not resist the incoming force; follow it into a curve and respond through the exposed corner.”
One line your body can remember
Here’s a practice mantra (many masters teach something like this):
“He pushes straight; I turn round.His force continues; my response arrives from the corner.”
Or even simpler:
“No抗, only轉.”(No resistance, only turning.)