Counter Corner

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.

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Why not fight directly (抗)?

In Tai Chi terms, 抗 (direct resistance) fails for three reasons:

1. You reveal your center

2. You create a fixed angle

3. You lose listening (聽勁)

The moment you resist straight-on, you stop being round.

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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.

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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.”

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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

You don’t “attack” it —

you simply arrive there first.

That is what your master means by “counter his corner.”

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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.”

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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.)