I ask forgiveness for those familiar with the Chinese language –– or understanding
the way the transliteration of these arts is rendered –– since you have already
noticed that I use a mix of transliteration styles for the names of these
arts.My goal is, in a particular
example, to transliterate the art or term in the way that is most accessible
for the average reader who is unfamiliar with the Chinese language or methods
of transliteration.For example, at this
point, t’ai-chi ch’üan or t’ai-chi, is
still more meaningful to more people than taijiquan; in another example,
transliteration of the more rare art hsing-i is easier for more
westerners to handle than the challenge presented by those unfamiliar with the
nuances of figuring out how to pronounce xingyiquan.