凡百事物。單看不知優劣。不明眞偽。若集合多數同類之事物。陳列眼前。比較之下。誰優誰劣。誰眞誰偽。是非立判。以此例彼。可不言而喻也。蓋近年學習太極拳者衆。出版物日增。一般熱心太極拳者。徬徨歧路。無所適從。所以本書集合各家之名著。作有統系之研究。將不同之點。列表比較。使學者一望而知。各家太極拳略有不同意義之所在。考各家太極拳之源流。均稱係丹士張三峯所傳授。按其名稱拳式。各有變更。或別為老式。或別為新派。或又別為折衷。或多幾手。或少幾式。亦有一式而分數式者。亦有式同而名異者。亦有名同而式殊者。循此以往。再傳數十年。又不知變更至於如何程度也。推究其因。不外各各師傳。稍有出入。無關宏旨。然而初學者不知就裏。如墜五里霧中。眞偽莫辨。懷疑日深。本書集我國名家太極拳架式理論與名稱。闡明眞相。俾研究斯學者有所區別。不為曲學者所蔽。則出奴入主之弊泯矣。

In all things, we each notice that at first we do not know what is superior or inferior, nor understand what is genuine or fake. But once we gather several similar examples before our eyes in order to compare which is superior or inferior, which is genuine or fake, differentiation will naturally be achieved by the way they contrast with each other.
     Nowadays, practitioners of Taiji Boxing are numerous and publications are constantly on the increase. The common enthusiasm for it has led to all sorts of wrong paths and uncertainties. Therefore this book gathers together works by various experts who have made systematic studies [Part Two]. I also present distinctions between them by putting them into a comparative list so that you may understand at a glance where they have had slightly different ideas [Part One, Chapter One, Section Three].
     Examining the origins of the various schools of Taiji Boxing, they all claim it was passed down from the elixirist Zhang Sanfeng. As for the names of the boxing postures, each school has it variations, sometimes older postures, sometimes newer versions, sometimes somewhere in between, some with many techniques, some with fewer techniques. Where one school has one posture, another school may consider it to be several. Postures may be the same but the names are different, or names may be the same but the postures are different. Something was formerly taught one way, but in the course of teaching over several decades, people became unaware of the extent to which changes had been made.
     When we look for the reason for this, we find it is simply because variety of transmission leads to slight inconsistencies, unimportant ones for the most part. However, beginners will not know what lies within. It will be as though they have entered into miles of fog, unable to distinguish between what is real and what is fake, and their doubts will increase by the day. This book collects the postures, principles, and terminology of our nation’s notable Taiji Boxing experts in order to clarify the genuine art, giving students the ability to differentiate instead of misguiding students so as to keep the art inaccessible, and thereby eliminating the error of sectarian bias.