As with most of the well-known traditional Chinese martial arts styles, there are multiple beliefs and theories pertaining to the history and development of Tan Tui, making its exact origin uncertain. It should be noted that the Chinese name of Tan Tui is also denoted as 潭腿, with the first character of 潭 (tán) meaning “pond” or “lake”, thus giving the Chinese meaning of the name Tan Tui to literally mean “pond” or “lake leg.” The most established theory as to this namesake can be traced back to one of its supposed places of origin, the Longtan Temple located in Shandong province, China, where the word潭 in 潭腿 comes from the潭 in “lóngtán” (龙潭； dragon pond/lake). The other established belief is that Tan Tui comes from the Hui ethnic group (回族； Huízú) in China, who are Muslim, and also have their own family of traditional Chinese martial arts within their culture. However, the other Chinese name of Tan Tui, 弹腿 (as noted previously), means “springing leg”, which is also the name of one the style’s signature kicking techniques, and evokes the nature of style’s fighting nature.
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