An (Án / 按) — Push

The Big Idea

An (Án / 按) is the finishing stroke. If Peng is the sphere, Ji is the compression, An is the resolution. The energy has been redirected back toward the opponent and now travels downward — through them, into the ground. An is the difference between a push that moves someone and a push that roots them.

An is issued from a settled center. The kua (inguinal fold) drops, the tailbone sinks, the breath sinks. The hands appear to follow, but in fact the center has already moved — the hands just complete the picture.

Drills

Sinking the Tailbone (Chìm xương cụt) — Stand in a low bow stance, then imagine a string tied to your tailbone pulling gently downward. The lower back releases length, not compression. This is the root of An.

Finishing the Stroke (Hoàn thiện nhát gõ) — From any Peng-Ji sequence, let the final forward push ride downward through the partner rather than out beyond them. The energy should drop at their center of mass, not pass through it.

An in Grasp Bird's Tail

An is rarely taught in isolation. It is the fourth movement of the Grasp Bird's Tail sequence — the most studied passage in the Yang form. The four movements (Peng, Lu, Ji, An) teach the full grammar of Tai Chi interaction: receive, redirect, compress, finish.

When An is taught inside the sequence, students learn it is not a separate “push” but a resolution. The compression of Ji already contains An.

An in Push Hands

Push hands internalises An. Two people in contact; one pushes; the other receives and eventually pushes back. The common error is the “arm-push”: pushing with arms instead of through the ground. The correct exchange uses the centre, not the contact point.

Master Cue

"Sink the center. The hands follow."