If Yang Lu Chan learned tai chi from the Chen tai chi masters but Lu Chan never used (or even heard of) the term "tai chi", because it didnt exist in his time, and instead he called it "Hou Chuan" then why do chen style practioners call their art "Chen style tai chi chuan". Wouldn't it be "Chen Hou Chuan" or something?

Not true. Yang Lu Chan's student coined the term tajiquan around the mid 1850s and Yang Lu Chan was aware of the name.

Obs statement is untrue. Prior to the taijiquan name, Chen style was family martial arts incorporated from thier own plus shaolin and other influences. The general naming of taijiquan took place arounf the end of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911/12?).

People thought Yang style was the original because more people were used to it and when Luchan left the village for Beijing, that is the style they knew. Chen style remained a village art since most people from Chenjiagou were not keen on promoting their art. ONly when Chen Fake beghan explaing about taijiquan did people realize Chen style was the template.

Though there are many versions of this, I will try to point to a few.

Please see Henning and Barb Davis's book on the Taiji classics. Obs is correct. The name taijiquan was not incorporated into a name until the mid 1800s. Prior to that, there is no oral or written history naming the art taijiquan.

http://www.taijiquanjournal.com/
Volume 2 Number 1 -- Winter 2001



Contents:

The Inside and Outside of Work: Taijiquan Principles in Action, Barbara K. Strandell

Thirteen Questions and Answers on the Dao of Taijiquan, Part Two, Huang Sheng-Shyan

To Compete, or Not to Compete? That is the Question, C. J. Rhoads

Revisiting Chinese Philosophy: Is There a Role for Confucianism in Taijiquan?, John Lad

The News From Lake Taijiquan, Barbara Davis

Editor's Notes: Disciplined or Discipline Barbara Davis

HISTORY: The Origin of the Name "Taijiquan", Stanley Henning

Readers' Forum: Taijiquan as a Martial Art

Apparent Closure: Why I Keep Going, Cheryl Schwichtenberg

Endnotes: The Yin and Yang of Human Nature, David Chen



Reviews:

Taoism and the Arts of China by Stephen Little
Compact Tai Chi by Jesse Tsao
Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching by Livia Kohn & Michael LaFargue, eds.

From the book "Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan":

"Yang LuChan (1799-1872), a native of Yongian county in Hebei privince, was an impoverished youth who at around ten years of age went to Chen Village in Wen county in search of livilihood. From the Chen style boxing master, Chen Zhangxian, he studied the broad-framed Laojia Chen style of Taijiquan. ... At that time, people named this art Zhan Mian Quan (cotton boxing), Ruan Quan (soft boxing), or Hua Quan (transformation boxing)."


This basically says that "Hua Quan" is correct, being another spelling of of "Hou Chuan"

Quan/chuan meaning "boxing"

This basically says that Chen style was not called chen style tai chi but instead "chen style boxing" (zhian mian, ruan or hua boxing)

Hou and hua have the same character and mean the same? Its not the same in simplified pinyin.

You'd have to look at the traditional characters to conclude that.

Doesn't sound right.

The correct Pinyin spelling is "hua," the translation of which is "to transform."

The reason is that Chen style was a family style-Chen shi (taijiquan came later) where only the family practiced it. Luchan was diligent and he adapted enough to learn and spread his own variation.