Neijia a waijia
內家 / 外家
Division of Chinese martial arts into internal styles (taijiquan, baguazhang, xingyiquan) and external styles, for example Shaolin ones. The boundary is traditional rather than precise.
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Definition
Neijia (內家) means “internal family”, waijia (外家) “external family”. Internal styles stress relaxation, breathing, work with qi and whole-body strength. External styles stress strength, speed and conditioning. The term neijia first appears in the inscription on the 1669 grave of Wang Zhengnan, where the internal school is set against the Shaolin one. In the 20th century Sun Lutang classed taijiquan, xingyiquan and baguazhang as internal styles, and the division caught on. Linking internal styles with the Wudang mountains and external ones with the Shaolin monastery is more legend. Many masters reject the division, because advanced external styles work with relaxation too and internal ones with physical strength.