The eight methods are "move, flat, squeeze, press, pick, move, elbow and lean", and the five steps are "look left, look right, advance, retreat and settle". Eight methods and five steps add up to Tai Ji Chuan's thirteen styles. Whether it is Chen style or Yang style, the basic elements of different moves in it are derived from thirteen styles.
Eight methods and five steps are an integral part of "thirteen forms of Tai Chi". There are thirteen methods, which we usually call throwing, rowing, squeezing, pressing, picking, hugging, elbowing, leaning, advancing, retreating, looking, looking and repairing. The first eight words are eight methods, and the last five words are five steps, commonly known as eight steps and five steps, eight diagrams and five elements, the essence of Tai Chi and thirteen forms of Tai Chi, all of which refer to these thirteen methods.