Question for translators

[Royal Dragon]

Hello,
I have a simple question. The Chinese term "Tai Tzu" is that something pretty much reserved as a title for the founder of a dynasty? Or can it be used in other areas. I am asking because There is an individual that is teaching Taiji by having student go through a one hour course in some basic Taoist concepts and then having his students "free fight" right then and their suposedly useing those concepts. He is calling his system Tai Tzu Tao in an attempt to allude to the fact that he feels he's teaching ancient Taoist concepts.

I am under the impression the title "Tai Tzu" is something awarded to the founder of a great dynasty postmontonomusly (After he died).

Is this one of those things that an American would come up with, but a native born Chinese would chuckle at becasue it is grossly improper use of the Language? or is is considred proper useage for an individual to name his reletively new method "Tai Tzu Tao" because he is suposedly useing some really old concepts?

[prana]

Big Master

[joedoe]

I think the translation is supposed to be "Great Ancestor" or something along those lines.

[shaolin kungfu]

I always took it to mean "grand emperor", but my chinese isn't very good.

[northstar]

The literal meaning of taizu is great ancestor, it does not mean emperor. The word as it is used however, is a temple name, that is a name used after an emperor is deceased to refer to him. It is standard practice in Chinese to refer to the founder of the Song dynasty as the Song Taizu, and the Ming founder as the Ming Taizu (Hongwu was the name of the period during which the Ming Taizu, who's real name was Zhu Yuanzhong reigned).
Since it's obviously fake taiji, there's no need to think that the name makes sense...

[Royal Dragon]

Hmm, That's what I thought. I was just wondering what a native born Chinese person would think of the name as applied to the situation. I suspect they would find it humuros, but I wanted the opinion of those who really know.

"Great anscestor" is the most authentic meaning from what I can see. I know this refers to the founding Emperor of a dynasy, I just didn't now if it could be correctly applied to the founder of other things as well, especially if that founder was not only still alive, but still in the process of founding whatever it is he's founding.

Hey, since I have everyone's attention, how do you say "Royal Dragon" in Romanise Chinese?

[freedom76]

wanglong (rising tone) = king dragon, careful because wang can also mean corrupt/wrong/crooked in another tone if "tree" character is added in front

dalong= big dragon

wang character is three horrizontal lines with a vertical line intersecting in the middle. This is the same as the common last name, as far as I can remember.