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太極拳講義

TAIJI BOXING EXPLAINED

姚馥春 姜容樵 合編

by Yao Fuchun & Jiang Rongqiao

[published by 上海武學書局 Shanghai Martial Studies Press, 1930]

[translation by Paul Brennan, May, 2016]

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太極拳

Taiji Boxing

– [calligraphy by 蔣中正 Jiang Zhongzheng]

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姚馥春近影

Portrait of Yan Fuchun

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姜容樵近影

Portrait of Jiang Rongqiao

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自強之道

The way of strengthening the self.

蔣中正

– [calligraphy by] Jiang Zhongzheng

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維國根本

The foundation of our nation.

李景林題

– calligraphy by Li Jinglin

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精誠無間

百折不囬

是謂大勇

When your sincerity is consistent,

you will never be swayed by any setbacks.

This is what courage is.

尚武進德會于右任

– [calligraphy by] Yu Youren of the “Esteeming the Martial for the Advancement of Virtue” Association

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煌之偉論 武學津梁

集思廣益 示我周行

彂揚光大 普及萬方

拳法日進 聲威逺揚

强身禦侮 蔚為國光

此為嚆矢 願祝無疆

To illuminate great principles, martial studies are a great aid.

The pooling of knowledge will show us the way.

Carrying them forward and spreading them everywhere,

boxing arts are daily on the rise, their prestige reaching far and wide.

They strengthen our bodies and help us resist aggression, enriching our national glory.

Here is my rallying cry. My hopes for these arts are boundless.

薛篤弼敬祝

– [calligraphy by] Xue Dubi, with respectful wishes

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我武維揚

“Our martial prowess is on the rise.” [Book of Documents, document 28]

李濟深

– [calligraphy by] Li Jishen

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發揚國術精神以周強國強民

By promoting martial arts,

spirit is everywhere,

bolstering the nation and the people.

李希賢

– [calligraphy by] Li Xixian

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國術是國民之魂

Martial arts are the soul of the people.

黃柏年題

– calligraphy by Huang Bonian

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李序

PREFACE BY LI JINGLIN

太極拳一書。當世著述者數家。今姚君馥春。余門人姜君容樵。有太極拳之著作。余翻閱一過。知兩君用意周到。嘉惠後學之深心為無窮也。今之人輒曰。柔能克剛。又曰太極柔中之柔也。然柔何以克剛。及柔之義意何在。雖古人拳歌。與王宗岳先生亦曾言之。然初學之士。未必輒能領悟。今兩君逐章註釋。論理明顯。卽此可見兩君太極之功。已臻上乘。而學者日手一編。循序漸進。不致有躐等躁進之錯。誠國術界之指南針也。太極拳之眞義。及打手之作用。發揮無遺。武術公開洵盛事也。

中華民國十八年十一月四日廣川李景林序於武林客次

Presenting Taiji Boxing in a book has been done by several experts in recent times, and now Yao Fuchun and a student of mine, Jiang Rongqiao, have authored one. Upon browsing through it, I understood their purpose thoroughly, the limitless extent of their deep concern for benefiting the next generation of students.

Nowadays, people always say that softness can defeat hardness, and that within Taiji’s softness there is softness [hardness]. How exactly does softness defeat hardness? And what is the meaning of softness anyway? Although this was explained in the old boxing songs by Wang Zongyue, beginning students will not necessarily be able to understand, and so these gentlemen have supplied a commentary with the text [in Chapter Ten] that will make these principles more clear.

From this can be seen that the Taiji skill of these two men is already at a high level. But it is up to you as the student to study a section each day and proceed step by step, without making the mistakes of skipping steps or being in a rush to get ahead. It shall truly be a compass within the martial arts world. The authentic concepts of Taiji Boxing and the usages of playing hands are elaborated in full. For the martial arts public, this is a great event indeed.

– written by Li Jinglin of Guangchuan [in Zaoqiang county, Hengshui prefecture, Hebei] at the Martial World Guesthouse, Nov 4, 1929

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張序

PREFACE BY ZHANG ZHANKUI

前月。余應浙省國術攷試大會電召。由津之杭。過滬時。適遇門人姜容樵君。出所著形意雜式捶。匄序於余。卽書而歸之。迨試畢返滬。而姜生與姚馥春君。合著之太極拳。講義又復脫稿。披覽一過。見其內容豐富。樹義精當。不尚詭示異。不樂易匿難。道人以所不肯道者。悉書載入書中。國術公開。洋洋大觀。余知是書之出。足為闡明國技。保存國粹。闢一新紀元。於是乎序。

中華民國十八年十二月五日河間兆東張占魁序

Last month, I responded to a telegram inviting me to a conference for the Zhejiang martial arts examinations. I then left from Hangzhou and arrived in Shanghai, whereupon I bumped into my student, Jiang Rongqiao, who had published Xingyi Mixed-Posture Set [1929 – which contains a bio of Zhang, who was Jiang’s Xingyi and Bagua teacher], and he urged me to write a preface for this book. I took it home, gave it a readthrough, and then when I came back to Shanghai, my pupil Jiang and Mr. Yao Fuchun, who have co-authored this book of Taiji Boxing, had completed the manuscript.

Upon opening it, one notices that its contents are abundant. It is cultivated, righteous, refined, and proper. It does not try to be something unique, nor does it delight in using obscure language. It shares with people what has not been shared. With what is so knowledgeably presented in this book, our martial arts are spread to the public in a very grand way indeed. I know that when this book comes out, it will serve to clarify our martial arts and preserve our national culture, initiating a new era, and I have made these words in honor of that.

– written by Zhang Zhankui, called Zhaodong, of Hejian, Dec 5, 1929

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李序

PREFACE BY LI LI

道家於吾人之靈識。有元神識神之別。元神者。卽先天自然淸陽之靈覺也。儒家謂之道心。佛家謂之覺性。識神者。卽後天習俗。濁陰之知識也。儒家謂之人心。佛家謂之識性。故人心惟危。道心惟微。危微之間。別之不易。道家於靜坐丹臺。默會玄機時。不得着絲毫之識神。自見月照千江。天淸萬里。一片陽和。春滿閬苑。此先天來復。掃盡陰滓。元神用事也。苟任識神。雖鵲巢貫頂。蘆芽穿膝。仍是蒸砂成飯畫餅充飢。徒然枯坐蒲團。無濟於事。而拳學亦猶是也。內家武當派之太極拳。其練習時。純任自然。不尚氣力。尚氣則滯。尚力則拙。滯拙之氣力。氣為濁氣。力為浮力。猶識神也。不尚氣則濁氣沈。氣沈則呼吸和。先天之元氣生。不尚力則浮力泯力泯則神意匀。先天之元力展。元氣元力。猶元神也。且武當派太極拳之祖。為三丰眞人。張其姓。名君實。字全一。遼東懿州人。人號張邋遢。原為道家一代之宗師。範於明史。彰明可老。故其拳法。合於道學。宜於養生。全以丹法而運用於拳法。有百利而無一害。崇先天而黜後天也。是以名之曰太極。太極生於無極。為動靜之機。陰陽之毋。任天地之自然。補日月之盈仄。貫以一理。變化萬端。不獨為經世者所必學。亦為超世派所宜知。容樵先生太極拳書成。經世者。固當視為供璧。卽超世派。亦當藉為梯航也。

己已秋仲鄮山劍陽子李蠡謹識於玉眞白雲仙史樓

Daoism is our spiritual intelligence. There is a distinction between primal spirit and conscious spirit. Primal spirit is innate nature, instinct associated with the clarity of the active aspect. Confucianists call it the “philosophical mind”. Buddhists call it the “perceiving self”. Conscious spirit is acquired habit, knowledge associated with the vagueness of the passive aspect. Confucianists call it the “material mind”. Buddhists call it the “thinking self”.

Thus it is said [Book of Documents, document 3]: “The material mind is crafty. The philosophical mind is subtle.” The difference between “crafty” and “subtle” is not an easy distinction. Daoists sit in meditation to boost their elixir. While silently contemplating deep mysteries, they do not give way to the slightest bit of conscious spirit. They naturally gain “sight” of moonlight gleaming on every river, clear sky stretching away in every direction, scenery in sunny harmony, a blooming springtime in paradise. This is the innate nature being restored, sweeping away all murky residue in favor of the presence of primal spirit.

If you are relying on conscious spirit, then although the “magpie’s nest reaches to your headtop” or the “reed sprout passes through your knee” [poetic descriptions of the movement of energy as it gets trained], then it would be no better than steaming sand for your meals, or trying to eat a drawing of a cake to relieve hunger, for if you merely sit bored on a cushion, it will not amount to anything. The same is true in learning boxing arts.

When practicing Taiji Boxing, from the internal school of Wudang, there has to be a pure naturalness, no emphasis on either emotion or effort. If there is emotion, there will be hesitation. If there is effort, there will clumsiness. The hesitation and clumsiness of emotion and effort renders your energy impure and your power unstable. This is similar to conscious spirit. Emotionless, your impure energy will be sunk down, and thus your breathing will be harmonious, and innate primal energy will be generated. Effortless, your unstable power will be quelled, and thus your intention will be evened out, and innate primal strength will be developed. Primal energy and primal strength are similar to primal spirit.

The founder of Wudang’s Taiji Boxing was “Zhang Sanfeng from Yi Prefecture in Liaodong. He was also called Junbao, or Quanyi. People called him ‘Zhang the Slob’.” As the Daoist master of his generation, he is thus mentioned in Ming History [chapter 299 – bios, part 187], which also noticeably describes his capacity for longevity. Therefore his boxing art conforms to Daoist learning and is suitable for cultivation. It entirely uses elixirist methods to exercise the boxing methods. It has countless benefits and not a single harm. It reveres innate nature and dismisses acquired habit. That is why it is called “taiji”.

“Taiji [grand polarity] is born of wuji [nonpolarity]. It is the manifestation of movement and stillness, and the mother of yin and yang [the passive and active aspects].” It relies on the natures of sky and ground, the cycles of sun and moon, which are imbued with a single principle: constant change. It is not only those who live in the material world that need to study this art, those who wish to transcend the world should also understand it. Now that Jiang Rongqiao’s Taiji Boxing book is completed, those who live in the world should regard it as a supply of gems, and those transcending the world should make use of it to take the trip.

– respectfully written by swordsmen Li Li of Maoshan at the “Princess Yuzhen – The White Cloud Immortal” Lodge, 2nd month of autumn, 1929

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魯序

PREFACE BY LU JINGXIAN

吾輩靑年。寸陰是惜。欲求可以健百骸和血脈。而又甚合養生之道。習之旣久。有百利而無一害。小之可以强身。大之可以强民强國。其術惟何。其惟太極拳乎。太極拳。是武當門徑之一。傳之張三丰。其人不修邊幅。故別號邋遢。得道終南。成功武當。元英宗。敕封通微顯化眞人。故太極拳。直與道合。吐納丹田精髓而化為氣。舉止輕舒。柔內含、剛。功成圓到。能使金光煥發。余隨吾師姚馥春。習己年餘。初習時。肩不鬆。胸不含。不能知丹田。丹田不提。不能知虛實。不覺若何興趣。經吾師津津樂道。誨人不倦。個中三昧。幸得領略。今吾師。與師叔姜容樵。合編是書。發揮數十年之心得。道人之所未道。付之梨棗。以備後學之參攷。循是以求。斯不致誤入崎途矣。敢以為習斯技者告。

民國十八年九月槎溪魯景賢序於滬寓

Our youth is all too brief, and so we desire to invigorate our bones and blood. But there is a method in strong accord with cultivating health. If it is practiced for a long time, there are countless benefits and not one harm. On a smaller scale, it can strengthen the body. On a larger scale, it can strengthen the people and the nation. Which art is this? It is Taiji Boxing.

Taiji Boxing is a method from Wudang passed down from Zhang Sanfeng, a man with a slovenly look who was therefore dubbed “The Slob”. He obtained the Way in the Zhongnan Mountains, then succeeded with it at last at Mt. Wudang. The Yuan Dynasty emperor Yingzong [Gegeen Khan] gave him the title of “The Comprehending-the-Profound Demonstrating-Transformation Perfected Man.” Therefore Taiji Boxing conforms directly to Daoism, with its breathing exercises focused on the elixir field to transform essence into energy. It lightens one’s bearing, contains hardness within softness, and is so well-rounded that it can give one a kind of glow.

I have learned the art from my teacher Yao Fuchun and have practiced it for several years. In the beginning of the training, my shoulders would not loosen, my chest would not stay in, I could not sense my elixir field, which would not awaken, nor could I understand emptiness and fullness, and so I began to lose interest. But because my teacher talks about these things with such enthusiasm, teaching tirelessly, and has himself mastered it, I finally achieved realization.

Now my teacher and his fellow student Jiang Rongqiao have collaborated to produce this book, making use of decades of experience to show people what has not yet been shown. It will soon be on its way to the printers so that students will have a reference work to abide by to keep them from going astray. I am confident that practitioners of this art will find it informative.

– written by Lu Jingxian of Chaxi [in Hunan] during a stay in Shanghai, Sep, 1929

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孫序

PREFACE BY SUN YUNPU

周禮敎國。子以六藝。射御與禮樂並重。自興邦立業。開拓疆土。莫不首推武功。卽以個人言。求能以自衞。必須强身。此人類生存競爭之道也。吾國國術。夙著偉績。傳人代有。迨重文輕武之習成。士大夫相率鄙夷之。遂陵替以至於今。振興無自。歐化東漸。國勢日衰。有識之士。知非有體魄健强之國民。不能挽救。乃竭力提倡國術。而數千年湮沒不彰之環寶始漸有闡發之機矣。芸素體弱。而性喜武術。初從遵化名家。譚成瑞先生遊。略窺門徑。後改習太極形意。拜同郡姚馥春先生為師。滋滋兀兀。數載於茲。雖未得其神妙。覺有裨益於心身者。實非淺鮮。緣太極形意。兩派拳術。純乎正氣。順天法地。一出自然。不强迫。不劇烈。不論男女老幼。均可練習。苟臻上乘。防身禦侮。綽有餘裕。其次亦足以却病延年。尤非尋常拳術。所可比擬。但此拳向憑師傳。並無書本。近來坊間雖有此書。則又動作崎異。詮解不明。讀者憾焉。吾師馥春先生。有鑒於斯。爰與師叔姜容樵先生。以數十年經驗。合編此書。公諸當世。所有全部動作。皆攝影附入。文字淺鮮。解釋詳明。洵為學者空前之善本。用贅數語。介紹於海內同志。非敢奉是為書圭臬。緣斯本乃兩先生苦功經驗所得。實與太極之旨趣合也。謹序。

中華民國十八年十二月五日遵化孫芸圃識於海上

The Rites of Zhou teaches the nation. Among the Six Arts, its author gave archery and charioteering equal importance to ceremonies and music. This is because to establish a country or expand its territory, nothing has really been more effective than military accomplishment. Everyone agrees that to be able to defend oneself, one must strengthen one’s body. In the human struggle for existence, that is just the way it is.

Our nation’s martial arts have long been recorded in terms of great feats and were passed down through the generations, but once it became customary to consider literary arts of more importance than martial ones, scholars one after another sneered at the martial. These arts have consequently been in such decline up to our time that there is hardly anything left to work with. As Westernization spreads ever more eastward, the state of our nation grows worse by the day. But there are men of vision who understand that without a strong and healthy populace, we cannot be saved, and so they do their utmost to promote martial arts. After thousands of years of falling into oblivion, the time has come for these treasures to be increasingly revealed.

I had always been weak, but I had a fondness for martial arts, and so I began to learn from Tan Chengrui, a noteworthy teacher in Zunhua, from whom I gained some slight understanding. Later I switched to practicing Taiji and Xingyi, giving obeissance to another local teacher, big and bald Yao Fuchun, who I have learned from for many years up to today. Although I have not yet mastered his material, I feel I have gained benefits to both mind and body which are not at all meager. This is because the two boxing arts of Taiji and Xingyi are based purely in vital energy and emerge from naturalness, in accordance with the sky and modeled after the ground. There is no forcing, no straining. Regardless of man or woman, young or old, all can practice. If you attain a high level, these arts are more than sufficient for defending the self and repelling bullies, and they are also enough for preventing illness and prolonging life. They certainly cannot be compared to ordinary boxing arts.

However, these arts have relied more on personal instruction rather than written texts. Bookshops have recently been stocking these kinds of books, but the movements are odd, and the interpretations and explanations are not clear, to the pity of the reader. In view of this, my teacher Yao Fuchun and his fellow student Jiang Rongqiao have made use of their decades of experience, collaborating in making this book to share with the world. With the movements are included photographs and simple text giving clear explanations. Truly it is an unparalleled book for students. I have made these extra words to introduce it to my comrades throughout the nation. I would not presume to say the book will set the gold standard for such books, but it comes from the painstaking efforts of its two authors and genuinely conforms to the objectives of Taiji, and so I write this sincerely.

– written by Sun Yunpu of Zunhua, Feb 5, 1929, in Shanghai

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姚序

PREFACE BY YAO FUCHUN

國術本中華之特產。秦漢以降。代有傳人。淸末重文。弁髦斯道。致强民强國之拳術。一落千丈。思之良堪慨嘆。觀夫三島之武士道。僅得吾國躀跤之皮毛。且勝强俄。而雄視於大陸。況我國固以拳術名全球乎。特患不能眞實提倡耳。余幼年體素弱。顧好治技。研習數年。迄無所成。後遇徐明德先生。習連環綿掌。稍窺門徑。民元以前。遇保定湯君士林。湯為許占鰲先生之弟子。於形意八封太極。均有獨到。於是約吾友姜君容樵。同學太極於湯君。並得湯君贊許。結為金蘭。逾年湯君姜君。先後他去。繼之者倪成玉先生。倪亦許之弟子。後又遇張兆東先生。學形意八卦。復去而之津。隨李存義先生。朝夕研練。間得韓慕俠劉錦卿。諸先生指導。獲益良非淺尠。客歲來滬。遍謁大江以南諸老名宿。得覩温台派之太極。並彼此研究。蓋河南陳家溝子之嫡傳也。許先生得自廣平陳姓。亦受自河南。然許非入室所傳。乃以友誼互相受授者也。余師事兆東先生十餘年。幸得先生允許列為門牆。快何如之。近吾友姜君容樵。約余合編太極拳。爰將譜中訣竅。與姜君討論數十次。斟酌損益。公君於世。至其間有未盡善者。尚祈海內同志。進而敎之幸甚。

中華民國十八年十一月四日遵化姚馥春序文春申

Martial arts are a Chinese specialty. They were passed down through the generations ever since the Qin and Han Dynasties. But by the end of the Qing Dynasty, the emphasis was on literary arts, and so these systems were deemed useless, with the result that boxing arts, which can strengthen the people and the nation, have fallen into decline. I sigh with regret when I consider Japanese bushido, which is merely based on a superficial understanding of our own wrestling, and yet it made them triumphant over Russia [during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904—1905]. As it has made them dominant over the continent, surely we should use our boxing arts to become renowned through the whole world. My particular worry is that we prove unable to properly promote these arts.

When I was young, my body was pale and weak. I researched into medical solutions for many years without success. Then I met Xu Mingde, who practiced Continuous Silken Palms, of which I gained a small understanding. In 1912, I met Tang Shilin of Baoding, a student of Xu Zhan’ao who has made great achievements in Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji. I consequently was introduced to Jiang Rongqiao, my fellow student under Tang. We were both commended by Tang and became sworn brothers. After a year, Tang and Jiang each had to travel elsewhere, and so I continued by learning from Ni Chengyu, another student of Xu Zhan’ao. Later I also met Zhang Zhaodong, from whom I learned Xingyi and Bagua. Then I went to Tianjin and learned from Li Cunyi, training from morning to night. During that time, I met Han Muxia and Liu Jinqing, who both gave me guidance from which I have received no small benefit.

Last year, I came to Shanghai. Everywhere there are famous teachers who have come south of the Yangzte. There are many styles of Taiji on display and teachers are researching together. For instance, there is the transmission from the Chen Family Village of Henan. Xu had learned the Guangping version of the Chen heritage [i.e. Yang Style] as well as the Henan version. Though he did not end up specializing in the Henan version, it was nevertheless shared with him out of friendship. I learned from my teacher Zhang Zhaodong for more than ten years and was very happy for his openness toward my learning from other teachers.

Recently my colleague Jiang Rongqiao invited me to collaborate on a Taiji Boxing book. We went through the secrets within manuals, discussed them over and over, and considered the best means of presenting them to the world. Wherever this book proves inadequate, we hope our comrades throughout the nation will do us the good favor of coming forward and giving us corrections.

– written by Yao Fuchun of Zunhua [in Hebei], Nov 4, 1929, in Chunshen [a neighborhood in Shanghai]

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姜序

PREFACE BY JIANG RONGQIAO

余之習太極。始於民元。時與遵化姚君馥春同習。授者為好友湯君士林。湯君為定縣許占鰲先生之高足弟子。其造詣獨深。姚君嗜技如命。得斯術研習十八年。未嘗間斷。遂得盡窺堂奧。而形意八卦。亦皆獨到蓋形意。八卦。與太極而分為三。合而為一也。余則因環境逼迫。輟練者再。猶憶數年前。遇吾師芳辰先生。日相過從。于武當劍。太極拳之道。循循善誘。不憚煩瑣。蓋吾師為張三丰祖師。十三世嫡傳。為人和靄可親。足為治技者之楷則。余竊私淑數年。幸於本年。得先生允許。收為門下。自是當勤苦練習。冀有所得。然至今日。僅稍明其中之理與法。至其精妙神化。以意度之。再練二十年。恐亦未敢言也。雖然余友姚君。頗能道其要竅。遂邀姚君。共同編輯。藉資參攷。而廣流傳。竊嘗謂斯術。為內家正宗。道家謂之氣合術。與外家有別。外家以肉體支配武術。此則以精神支配肉體。練習時。毫不用力。純以神行。鬆背窒肩。含胸沉氣。凝結心力。一意斂神。由靜而動。無為而成。一且豁然貫通。無不從心所欲。所謂練神還虛者是也。茲將太極之源流。系統。天然之內功。魂魄。形意。八卦。太極合一說。太極長拳說。四忌八要。功用。秘訣。太極與他拳之比較。拳式一覽表。太極拳歌。路綫圖。太極拳全部講義。太極拳譜釋義。凡關於太極拳者。無不搜羅殆盡。以公諸同好。雖不敢謂識塗之老馬。或亦為初學之津梁。第慮學識譾陋。掛一漏萬。在所難免。甚願海內同志。不呑賜敎。時錫南針。倘有一得。容當於太極長拳中補之。是為序。

中華民國十八年月九滄縣姜容樵序於海上尚武進德會

I started learning Taiji in 1912. At that time, I was practicing alongside Yao Fuchun of Zunhua, instructed by our good friend Tang Shilin. Tang is a top student of Xu Zhan’ao of Ding County [in Hebei] and his attainments are uniquely profound. Yao is obsessed with this art like it is his destiny and has practiced it for the last eighteen years without a break, and thus he has achieved a deep understanding, equally so in Xingyi and Bagua. This is because Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji are three distinct arts that merge into the same thing.

My circumstances on the other hand compelled me to stop the training and then return to it later. I still remember meeting Li Jinglin for the first time several years ago. He was kind enough to give me daily instruction in Wudang Sword and Taiji Boxing. A methodical and tireless teacher, he is a thirteenth-generation inheritor of the teachings of Zhang Sanfeng, a very amiable man, and a model practitioner. I had studied on my own for several years, but fortunately this year I have been accepted as his formal student. I have since been practicing diligently and hope to gain by it, but at present I have only a slight understanding of his principles and methods of his art. As for its subtler and more magical quality, I can only contemplate it, and I fear that after another twenty years of practice I may still not yet feel I am in any position to discuss it. However, my colleague Yao is very capable in explaining the tricks of the art, and so I have invited him to collaborate with me in producing a reference work to be widely circulated.

I have heard that this art is an authentic example of the internal school. Daoists consider it an energy-accordance art, distinct from the external school. Whereas the external school emphasizes muscle in building martial skill, this art uses spirit to dominate muscle. When practicing, use no exertion at all, act purely by way of spirit, loosen your back and drop your shoulders, contain your chest and sink your breath. Combine mental and physical by focusing on gathering spirit. Let movement be based in stillness, doing through not doing. A moment will come when it suddenly all makes sense, and everything will happen as you wish. This is called “training the spirit and returning to a state of emptiness”.

In this book is presented [in Chapter One:] Taiji’s origin and development; its natural internal skill; its secrets of function; a look at its “soul”; the concept of Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji being united as one; an explanation of long boxing; [in Chapter Two:] the four prohibitions and eight requirements; comparison to other boxing arts; list of posture names; the solo set in verse form; movement charts; [in Chapters Three—Eight:] explanations for the full solo set; [in Chapter Nine: pushing hands scenarios;] [in Chapter Ten:] explanations to the Taiji Boxing Manual.

Materials on the subject of Taiji Boxing have been exhaustively gathered to share with all those who have interest. I would not dare to suggest it is the comprehensive knowledge of masters, or even the bridge to understanding for beginners. I consider my knowledge to be shallow, and so this book is inevitably lacking to a greater degree than it is providing. I very much hope that my comrades throughout the nation will not hold back their corrections. Whenever they have something to point out, it will help improve these instructions to the Taiji Long Boxing set. Thus I make this preface.

– written by Jiang Rongqiao of Cang County [in Hebei], Sep, 1929, at the “Esteeming the Martial for the Advancement of Virtue” Society

–

太極拳講義目錄

CONTENTS

題詞一……蔣中正

Inscription by Jiang Zhongzheng

題詞二……李景林

Inscription by Li Jinglin

題詞三……于右任

Inscription by Yu Youren

題詞四……薛篤弼

Inscription by Xue Dubi

題詞五……李濟琛

Inscription by Li Jishen

題詞六……李希賢

Inscription by Li Xixian

題詞七……黃柏年

Inscription by Huang Bonian

序文一……李景林

First Preface: Li Jinglin

序文二……張占魁

Second Preface: Zhang Zhankui

序文三……李蠡

Third Preface: Li Li

序文四……魯景賢

Fourth Preface: Lu Jingxian

序文五……孫芸圃

Fifth Preface: Sun Yunpu

序文六……姚馥春

Sixth Preface: Yao Fuchun

序文七……姜容樵

Seventh Preface: Jiang Rongqiao

第一章

Chapter One

太極始祖張三丰先生傳

A Bio of Taiji Founder Zhang Sanfeng

太極拳之源流

The Origin & Development of Taiji Boxing

太極拳天然之內功

The Natural Internal Skill of Taiji Boxing

太極拳之秘訣

The Secrets of Taiji Boxing

太極拳之魂魄

The Soul of Taiji Boxing

太極形意八卦合一說

Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua United as One

太極長拳說

Explanation of Taiji Long Boxing

第二章

Chapter Two

太極拳四忌八要說

Explaining Taiji Boxing’s Four Prohibitions & Eight Requirements

太極拳與他拳之比較

On Comparing Taiji to Other Boxing Arts

太極拳式一覽表

List of Taiji Boxing Postures

太極拳名稱長歌

Full Song of Taiji Boxing Posture Names

太極拳八方五位圖 附說明

Maps of the Eight Directions & Five Positions (with Explanation)

太極圖式 附說

Taiji Diagrams (with Explanation)

太極拳路綫圖

Taiji Boxing Movement Charts

太極拳路綫說明

Explanation of the Movement Charts

陳敬亭太極拳說

Chen Xiufeng’s Explanation of Taiji Boxing

第三章

Chapter Three

無極說

Explanation of Wuji

無極歌

Wuji Song

太極說

Explanation of Taiji

太極歌

Taiji Song

太極拳講義

The Taiji Boxing Set Explained

無極式（第一圖）

[0] NONPOLARITY POSTURE (photo 1)

攬雀尾一式（第二圖）

[1.1] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (photo 2)

攬雀尾二式（第三圖）

[1.2] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (photo 3)

攬雀尾三式（第四圖）

[1.3] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (photo 4)

攬雀尾四式（第五圖）

[1.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (photo 5)

攬雀尾五式（第六圖）

[1.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (photo 6)

攬雀尾六式（第七圖）

[1.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 6 (photo 7)

攬雀尾七式（第八圖）

[1.7] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 7 (photo 8)

攬雀尾八式（第九圖）

[1.8] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 8 (photo 9)

攬雀尾九式（第十圖）

[1.9] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 9 (photo 10)

攬雀尾十式（第十一圖）

[1.10] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 10 (photo 11)

攬雀尾十一式（第十二圖）

[1.11] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 11 (photo 12)

單鞭一式（第十三圖）

[2.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (photo 13)

單鞭二式（第十四圖）

[2.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 14)

提手一式（第十五圖）

[3.1] RAISE THE HANDS – Part 1 (photo 15)

提手二式（第十六）

[3.2] RAISE THE HANDS – Part 2 (photo 16)

白鶴亮翅一式（第十七圖）

[4.1] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 1 (photo 17)

白鶴亮翅二式（第十八圖）

[4.2] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 2 (photo 18)

摟膝拗步一式（第十九圖）

[5.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 1 (photo 19)

摟膝拗步二式（第二十圖）

[5.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 2 (photo 20)

手揮琵琶（第二十一圖）

[6] PLAY THE LUTE (photo 21)

摟膝拗步三式（第二十二圖）

[7.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 3 (photo 22)

摟膝拗步四式（第二十三圖）

[7.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 4 (photo 23)

摟膝拗步五式（第二十四圖）

[8.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 5 (photo 24)

摟膝拗步六式（第二十五圖）

[8.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 6 (photo 25)

摟膝拗步七式（無圖）

[9.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 7 (no photo)

摟膝拗步八式（無圖）

[9.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 8 (no photo)

手揮琵琶一式（第二十六圖）

[10.1] PLAY THE LUTE – Part 1 (photo 26)

手揮琵琶二式（第二十七圖）

[10.2] PLAY THE LUTE – Part 2 (photo 27)

白鶴亮翅一式（第二十八圖）

[11.1] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 1 (photo 28)

白鶴亮翅二式（第二十九圖）

[11.2] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 2 (photo 29)

摟膝拗步一式（無圖）

[12.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 1 (no photo)

摟膝拗步二式（無圖）

[12.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 2 (no photo)

手揮琵琶（第三十圖）

[13.1] PLAY THE LUTE (photo 30)

進步搬攔捶一式（第三十一圖）

[13.2] ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 1 (photo 31)

進步搬攔捶二式（第三十二圖）

[13.3] ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 2 (photo 32)

進步搬攔捶三式（第三十三圖）

[13.4] ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 3 (photo 33)

如封似閉一式（第三十四圖）

[14.1] SEALING SHUT – Part 1 (photo 34)

如封似閉二式（第三十五圖）

[14.2] SEALING SHUT – Part 2 (photo 35)

十字手（第三十六圖）

[15] CROSSED HANDS (photo 36)

第四章

Chapter Four

抱虎歸山一式（第三十七圖）

[16.1] CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN – Part 1 (photo 37)

抱虎歸山二式（第三十八圖）

[16.2] CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN – Part 2 (photo 38)

抱虎歸山三式（第三十九圖）

[16.3] CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN – Part 3 (photo 39)

攬雀尾一式（無圖）

[16.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (no photo)

攬雀尾二式（第四十圖）

[16.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (photo 40)

攬雀尾三式（無圖）

[16.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

斜單鞭一式（第四十一圖）

[17.1] DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (photo 41)

斜單鞭二式（第四十二圖）

[17.2] DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 42)

肘底看捶（第四十三圖）

[17.3] GUARDING PUNCH UNDER THE ELBOW (photo 43)

倒攆猴一式（第四十四圖）

[18.1] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 1 (photo 44)

倒攆猴二式（第四十五圖）

[18.2] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 2 (photo 45)

倒攆猴三式（第四十六圖）

[18.3] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 3 (photo 46)

倒攆猴四式（第四十七圖）

[18.4] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 4 (photo 47)

斜飛式一式（第四十八圖）

[19.1] DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE – Part 1 (photo 48)

斜飛式二式（第四十九圖）

[19.2] DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE – Part 2 (photo 49)

斜飛式三式（第五十圖）

[19.3] DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE – Part 3 (photo 50)

提手一式（第五十一圖）

[20.1] RAISE THE HANDS – Part 1 (photo 51)

提手二式（無圖）

[20.2] RAISE THE HANDS – Part 2 (no photo)

白鶴亮翅一式（無圖）

[21.1] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 1 (no photo)

白鶴亮翅二式（無圖）

[21.2] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 2 (no photo)

摟膝拗步一式（無圖）

[22.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 1 (no photo)

摟膝拗步二式（第五十二圖）

[22.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 2 (photo 52)

海底針（第五十三圖）

[23] NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA” (photo 53)

扇通背（第五十四圖）

[24] FAN THROUGH THE ARMS (photo 54)

撇身捶一（第五十五圖）

[25.1] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 1 (photo 55)

撇身捶二（第五十六圖）

[25.2] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 2 (photo 56)

撇身捶三（第五十七圖）

[25.3] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 3 (photo 57)

撇身捶四（第五十八圖）

[25.4] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 4 (photo 58)

上步搬攔捶一（第五十九圖）

[26.1] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 1 (photo 59)

上步搬攔捶二（第六十圖）

[26.2] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 2 (photo 60)

攬雀尾一（第六十一圖）

[27.1] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (photo 61)

攬雀尾二（無圖）

[27.2] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

單鞭一式（無圖）

[28.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二式（第六十二圖）

[28.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 62)

第五章

Chapter Five

雲手一（第六十三圖）

[29.1] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 1 (photo 63)

雲手二（第六十四圖）

[29.2] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 2 (photo 64)

雲手三（第六十五圖）

[29.3] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 3 (photo 65)

雲手四（無圖）

[29.4] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 4 (no photo)

單鞭一（無圖）

[30.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二（第六十六圖）

[30.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 66)

左高探馬一（第六十七圖）

[31.1] LEFT RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE – Part 1 (photo 67)

左高探馬二（第六十八圖）

[31.2] LEFT RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE – Part 2 (photo 68)

左高探馬三（第六十九圖）

[31.3] LEFT RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE – Part 3 (photo 69)

右分脚（第七十圖）

[32] KICK TO THE RIGHT SIDE (photo 70)

右高探馬一（第七十一圖）

[33.1] RIGHT RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE – Part 1 (photo 71)

右高探馬二（第七十二圖）

[33.2] RIGHT RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE – Part 2 (photo 72)

左分脚（第七十三圖）

[33.3] KICK TO THE LEFT SIDE (photo 73)

轉身蹬脚（第七十四圖）

[34] TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK (photo 74)

摟膝拗步一（第七十五圖）

[35.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 1 (photo 75)

摟膝拗步二（第七十六圖）

[35.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 2 (photo 76)

摟膝拗步三（第七十七圖）

[35.3] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 3 (photo 77)

進步栽捶（第七十八圖）

[36] ADVANCE, PLANTING PUNCH (photo 78)

白蛇吐信（第七十九圖）

[37.1] WHITE SNAKE FLICKS ITS TONGUE (photo 79)

翻身撇身捶（第八十圖）

[37.2] TURN AROUND, TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH (photo 80)

上步搬攔捶（第八十一圖）

[38] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH (photo 81)

蹬脚一（第八十二圖）

[39.1] PRESSING KICK – Part 1 (photo 82)

蹬脚二（第八十三圖）

[39.2] PRESSING KICK – Part 2 (photo 83)

左伏虎式一（第八十四圖）

[40.1] LEFT SUBDUING THE TIGER – Part 1 (photo 84)

左伏虎式二（第八十五圖）

[40.2] LEFT SUBDUING THE TIGER – Part 2 (photo 85)

右伏虎式一（第八十六圖）

[40.3] RIGHT SUBDUING THE TIGER – Part 1 (photo 86)

右伏虎式二（第八十七圖）

[40.4] RIGHT SUBDUING THE TIGER – Part 2 (photo 87)

第六章

Chapter Six

回身蹬脚一（第八十八圖）

[41.1] TURN, PRESSING KICK – Part 1 (photo 88)

回身蹬脚二（第八十九圖）

[41.2] TURN, PRESSING KICK – Part 2 (photo 89)

雙風貫耳一（第九十圖）

[42.1] DOUBLE WINDS THROUGH THE EARS – Part 1 (photo 90)

雙風貫耳二（第九十一圖）

[42.2] DOUBLE WINDS THROUGH THE EARS – Part 2 (photo 91)

左蹬脚一（第九十二圖）

[43.1] LEFT PRESSING KICK – Part 1 (photo 92)

左蹬脚二（第九十三圖）

[43.2] LEFT PRESSING KICK – Part 2 (photo 93)

轉身蹬脚一（第九十四圖）

[44.1] TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK – Part 1 (photo 94)

轉身蹬脚二（第九十五圖）

[44.2] TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK – Part 2 (photo 95)

上步搬攔捶一（第九十六圖）

[45.1] ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 1 (photo 96)

上步搬攔捶二（第九十七圖）

[45.2] ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 2 (photo 97)

如封似閉一（第九十八圖）

[46.1] SEALING SHUT – Part 1 (photo 98)

如封似閉二（第九十九圖）

[46.2] SEALING SHUT – Part 2 (photo 99)

十字手（第一百圖）

[47] CROSSED HANDS (photo 100)

抱虎歸山一（第一百零一圖）

[48.1] CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN – Part 1 (photo 101)

抱虎歸山二（第一百零二圖）

[48.2] CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN – Part 2 (photo 102)

抱虎歸山三（無圖）

[48.3] CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN – Part 3 (no photo)

攬雀尾一（無圖）

[48.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (no photo)

攬雀尾二（無圖）

[48.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾三（無圖）

[48.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

攬雀尾四（無圖）

[48.7] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (no photo)

攬雀尾五（無圖）

[48.8] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (no photo)

斜單鞭（第一百零三圖）

[49.1] DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD – [Part 1] (photo 103)

斜單鞭二（第一百零四圖）

[49.2] DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 104)

野馬分鬃一（第一百零五圖）

[50.1] WILD HORSE VEERS IN MANE – Part 1 (photo 105)

野馬分鬃二（第一百零六圖）

[50.2] WILD HORSE VEERS IN MANE – Part 2 (photo 106)

野馬分鬃三（第一百零七圖）

[50.3] WILD HORSE VEERS IN MANE – Part 3 (photo 107)

野馬分鬃四（第一百零八圖）

[50.4] WILD HORSE VEERS IN MANE – Part 4 (photo 108)

野馬分鬃五（第一百零九圖）

[50.5] WILD HORSE VEERS IN MANE – Part 5 (photo 109)

野馬分鬃六（第一百一十圖）

[50.6] WILD HORSE VEERS IN MANE – Part 6 (photo 110)

上步攬雀尾（第一百一十一圖）

[51.1] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – [Part 1] (photo 111)

攬雀尾二（無圖）

[51.2] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾三（無圖）

[51.3] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

攬雀尾四（無圖）

[51.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (no photo)

攬雀尾五（無圖）

[51.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (no photo)

攬雀尾六（無圖）

[51.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 6 (no photo)

攬雀尾七（無圖）

[51.7] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 7 (no photo)

單鞭一（第一百一十二圖）

[52.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (photo 112)

單鞭二（第一百一十三圖）

[52.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 113)

第七章

Chapter Seven

玉女穿梭一（第一百一十四圖）

[53.1] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 1 (photo 114)

玉女穿梭二（第一百一十五圖）

[53.2] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 2 (photo 115)

玉女穿梭三（第一百一十六圖）

[53.3] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 3 (photo 116)

玉女穿梭四（第一百一十七圖）

[53.4] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 4 (photo 117)

玉女穿梭五（第一百一十八圖）

[53.5] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 5 (photo 118)

玉女穿梭六（第一百十九圖）

[53.6] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 6 (photo 119)

玉女穿梭七（第一百二十圖）

[53.7] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 7 (photo 120)

玉女穿梭八（第一百二十一圖）

[53.8] MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE – Part 8 (photo 121)

上步攬雀尾一（無圖）

[54.1] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (no photo)

上步攬雀尾二（無圖）

[54.2] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

上步攬雀尾三（無圖）

[54.3] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

上步攬雀尾四（無圖）

[54.4] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (no photo)

上步攬雀尾五（無圖）

[54.5] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (no photo)

上步攬雀尾六（無圖）

[54.6] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 6 (no photo)

上步攬雀尾七（無圖）

[54.7] STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 7 (no photo)

單鞭一（無圖）

[55.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二（無圖）

[55.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (no photo)

雲手一（第一百二十二圖）

[56.1] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 1 (photo 122)

雲手二（第一百二十三圖）

[56.2] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 2 (photo 123)

雲手三（第一百二十四圖）

[56.3] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 3 (photo 124)

雲手四（無圖）

[56.4] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 4 (no photo)

單鞭一（無圖）

[57.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二（第一百二十五圖）

[57.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 125)

下勢（第一百二十六圖）

[57.3] LOW POSTURE (photo 126)

金雞獨立左（第一百二十七圖）

[58.1] LEFT GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG (photo 127)

金雛獨立右（第一百二十八圖）

[58.2] RIGHT GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG (photo 128)

倒攆猴一（第一百二十九圖）

[59.1] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 1 (photo 129)

倒攆猴二（第一百三十圖）

[59.2] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 2 (photo 130)

倒攆猴三（第一百三十一圖）

[59.3] RETREATING MONKEY – Part 3 (photo 131)

斜飛式一式（無圖）

[60.1] DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE – Part 1 (no photo)

斜飛式二式（無圖）

[60.2] DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE – Part 2 (no photo)

斜飛式三式（無圖）

[60.3] DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE – Part 3 (no photo)

提手一（無圖）

[61.1] RAISE THE HANDS – Part 1 (no photo)

提手二（第一百三十二圖）

[61.2] RAISE THE HANDS – Part 2 (photo 132)

白鶴亮翅一（第一百三十三圖）

[62.1] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 1 (photo 133)

白鶴亮翅二（第一百三十四圖）

[62.2] WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS – Part 2 (photo 134)

摟膝拗步一（第一百三十五圖）

[63.1] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 1 (photo 135)

摟膝拗步二（第一百三十六圖）

[63.2] BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE – Part 2 (photo 136)

海底針（無圖）

[64] NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA” (no photo)

扇通背（無圖）

[65] FAN THROUGH THE ARMS (no photo)

撇身捶一（第一百三十七圖）

[66.1] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 1 (photo 137)

撇身捶二（第一百三十八圖）

[66.2] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 2 (photo 138)

撇身捶三（第一百三十九圖）

[66.3] TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH – Part 3 (photo 139)

上步搬攔捶一（無圖）

[67.1] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 1 (no photo)

上步搬攔捶二（無圖）

[67.2] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾一（無圖）

[68.1] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (no photo)

攬雀尾二（無圖）

[68.2] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾三（無圖）

[68.3] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

攬雀尾四（無圖）

[68.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (no photo)

攬雀尾五（無圖）

[68.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (no photo)

攬雀尾六（無圖）

[68.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 6 (no photo)

單鞭一（無圖）

[69.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二（無圖）

[69.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (no photo)

第八章

Chapter Eight

雲手一（第一百四十圖）

[70.1] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 1 (photo 140)

雲手二（第一百四十一圖）

[70.2] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 2 (photo 141)

雲手三（第一百四十二圖）

[70.3] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 3 (photo 142)

雲手四（無圖）

[70.4] CLOUDING HANDS – Part 4 (no photo)

單鞭一（無一百四十三圖）

[71.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (photo 143)

單鞭二（第一百四十四圖）

[71.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (photo 144)

高探馬（第一百四十五圖）

[72] RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE (photo 145)

鵲雀蹬枝一（第一百四十六圖）

[73.1] MAGPIE PERCHES ON A BRANCH – Part 1 (photo 146)

鵲雀蹬枝二（第一百四十七圖）

[73.2] MAGPIE PERCHES ON A BRANCH – Part 2 (photo 147)

上步搬攔捶一（無圖）

[74.1] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 1 (no photo)

上步搬攔捶二（無圖）

[74.2] STEP FORWARD, PARRY & PUNCH – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾一（無圖）

[75.1] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (no photo)

攬雀尾二（無圖）

[75.2] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾三（無圖）

[75.3] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

攬雀尾四（無圖）

[75.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (no photo)

攬雀尾五（無圖）

[75.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (no photo)

攬雀尾六（無圖）

[75.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 6 (no photo)

單鞭一（無圖）

[76.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二（無圖）

[76.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (no photo)

下勢（第一百四十八圖）

[77] LOW POSTURE (photo 148)

左右披身一（第一百四十九圖）

[78.1] LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY – Part 1 (photo 149)

左右披身二（第一百五十圖（

[78.2] LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY – Part 2 (photo 150)

左右披身三（第一百五十一圖）

[78.3] LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY – Part 3 (photo 151)

左右披身四（無圖）

[78.4] LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY – Part 4 (no photo)

鵲雀蹬枝一（第一百五十二圖）

[79.1] MAGPIE FINDS A PATH THROUGH THE BRANCHES – Part 1 (photo 152)

鵲雀蹬枝二（第一百五十三圖）

[79.2] MAGPIE FINDS A PATH THROUGH THE BRANCHES – Part 2 (photo 153)

鵲雀蹬枝三（第一百五十四圖）

[79.3] MAGPIE FINDS A PATH THROUGH THE BRANCHES – Part 3 (photo 154)

攬雀尾一（無圖）

[80.1] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 1 (no photo)

攬雀尾二（無圖）

[80.2] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 2 (no photo)

攬雀尾三（無圖）

[80.3] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 3 (no photo)

攬雀圖四（無圖）

[80.4] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 4 (no photo)

攬雀尾五（無圖）

[80.5] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 5 (no photo)

攬雀尾六（無圖）

[80.6] CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL – Part 6 (no photo)

單鞭一（無圖）

[81.1] SINGLE ROD – Part 1 (no photo)

單鞭二（無圖）

[81.2] SINGLE ROD – Part 2 (no photo)

上步七星（第一百五十五圖）

[82 & 83] [LOW POSTURE &] STEP FORWARD WITH THE BIG DIPPER (photo 155)

退步胯虎（第一百五十六圖）

[84] RETREAT TO SITTING TIGER POSTURE (photo 156)

轉身擺蓮一（第一百五十七圖）

[85.1] TURN AROUND, SWINGING LOTUS KICK – Part 1 (photo 157)

轉身擺蓮二（第一百五十八圖）

[85.2] TURN AROUND, SWINGING LOTUS KICK – Part 2 (photo 158)

轉身擺蓮三（第一百五十九圖）

[85.3] TURN AROUND, SWINGING LOTUS KICK – Part 3 (photo 159)

彎弓射虎一（第一百六十圖）

[86.1] BEND THE BOW TO SHOOT THE TIGER – Part 1 (photo 160)

彎弓射虎二（第一百六十一圖）

[86.2] BEND THE BOW TO SHOOT THE TIGER – Part 2 (photo 161)

彎弓射虎三（第一百六十二圖）

[86.3] BEND THE BOW TO SHOOT THE TIGER – Part 3 (photo 162)

彎弓射虎四（第一百六十三圖）

[86.4] BEND THE BOW TO SHOOT THE TIGER – Part 4 (photo 163)

上步搬攔捶一（第一百六十四圖）

[87.1] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 1 (photo 164)

上步搬攔捶二（第一百六十五圖）

[87.2] STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH – Part 2 (photo 165)

如封似閉一（第一百六十六圖）

[88.1] SEALING SHUT – Part 1 (photo 166)

如封似閉二（無圖）

[88.2] SEALING SHUT – Part 2 (no photo)

十字手（第一百六十七圖）

[89] CROSSED HANDS (photo 167)

合太極（第一百六十八圖圖）

[90] CLOSING POSTURE (photo 168)

第九章

Chapter Nine

打手說

Explanation of Playing Hands

打手歌

Playing Hands Song

推手八字訣

The Eight Pushing Hands Techniques

推手小言

A Brief Description of Pushing Hangs

推手（第一圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 1 (photo 1)

推手（第二圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 2 (photo 2)

推手（第三圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 3 (photo 3)

推手（第四圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 4 (photo 4)

推手（第五圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 5 (photo 5)

推手（第六圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 6 (photo 6)

推手（第七圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 7 (photo 7)

推手（第八圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 8 (photo 8)

推手（第九圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 9 (photo 9)

推手（第十圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 10 (photo 10)

推手（第十一圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 11 (photo 11)

推手（第十二圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 12 (photo 12)

推手（第十三圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 13 (photo 13)

推手（十第四圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 14 (photo 14)

推手（第十五圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 15 (photo 15)

推手（第十六圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 16 (photo 16)

推手（第十七圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 17 (photo 17)

推手（第十八圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 18 (photo 18)

推（手第十九圖）

Pushing Hands Scenario 19 (photo 19)

第十章

Chapter Ten

太極拳譜釋義

Explanations to the Taiji Boxing Manual

歌訣一

Song One

歌訣二

Song Two

歌訣三

Song Three

歌訣四

Song Four

歌訣五

Song Five

十三勢

The Thirteen Dynamics

十三勢歌訣六

Song Six: Thirteen Dynamics Song

二十字訣

The Twenty-Word Formula

十三勢行功心解

Understanding How to Practice the Thirteen Dynamics

歌訣七

Song Seven

–

太極拳講義

TAIJI BOXING EXPLAINED

–

第一章

CHAPTER ONE

–

太極始祖張三丰先生傳

A BIO OF TAIJI FOUNDER ZHANG SANFENG

張三丰字全一。一名君寶字元元。亦號昆陽。關外懿州人。生於北宋。徽宗召之。亂阻不得進。生有異質。鶴髮仙骨。身頎面長。修髯如蝟。頭挽一髻。髮結如餠。戴斗笠。衣百衲。寒暑不易。當時人呼張邋遢。後人呼為邋遢仙。所啖升斗輙盡。或數月不食。亦自若。相傳眞人入中岳。遇呂純陽。鄭六龍。得先天道。太上道。胡元立國。眞人鑒於漢族凌夷。衷有所感。遂埋名隱終南。復得火龍眞人金丹術。秦淮漁戶沈萬山。樂善好施。眞人曾遊戲三昧授沈點石成金之術。卽俗謂沈萬山得聚寶益是也。元末居寶雞金臺觀。至正丙午九月。自言辭世。留偈而逝。士民楊軌山。購棺殮葬。臨窆復活。宣言觀我漢族恢復河山。後入蜀至太和山。結廬玉虛菴。轉徙武當。嘗語土人曰。此山當受朝廷敕修。成祖時果然。眞人亦隨衆傭於工。欽差不識。土人亦不識也。該山住持。丹士孫碧雲。受敎於眞人。成祖召之不赴。以詩詞託碧雲奏聞。眞人發明太極拳。武當劍。統名武當派。又名內家。以術授邱元靖。十三傳至穎上陳士鈞。人呼之為劍仙。士鈞傳李芳辰將軍。將軍傳津滬各同志以對劍。至其秘訣。尚未得其人而授之。故今全國之習太極者。要皆眞人之遺傳也。

Zhang Sanfeng, given name Quanyi, and called Junbao, Yuanyuan, or Kunyang, was from Yizhou, beyond the eastern end of the Great Wall. He was born during the Northern [Southern] Song Dynasty [1127—1279]. “Emperor Huizong summoned him, but his route was blocked and he could not get through…”

He was born with an unusual nature. He had white hair and the body of an immortal. He was very tall and his face was long. His beard was like a hedgehog, his hair on top was rolled into a bun, tied up like a cake. He wore a bamboo hat and patchwork monk’s vest. He never adjusted his clothes to suit winter or summer in their peak, and so people complained he looked like a slob, and later called him the “Slob Immortal”. He would eat no more than a bowlful, or go several months without eating and never look hungry.

According to tradition, he went to the central mountain [Mt. Song] to meet Lu Chunyang and Zheng Liulong, and obtained from them the Natural Way and the Uppermost Way respectively. Ever since the Yuan Dynasty had been established [in 1271], he saw that the Han race was in decline, and as this affected him personally, he went to Zhongnan incognito, there obtaining the Daoist Huolong’s “golden pill” art. A fisherman on the Qinhuai River, Shen Wanshan, was a very benevolent person, and so Zhang, who had by then practiced the alchemy art to perfection, taught it to Shen. From then it was commonly remarked that “Shen Wanshan had obtained great wealth”.

While the Yuan Dynasty was drawing to a close [ending in 1368], he dwelled at Golden Tower View in Baoji. In 1366, ninth month, he said he was going to die, then passed away while chanting. The scholar Yang Guishan, who paid for his coffin and burial shroud, saw him buried and then resurrected, Zhang declaring: “Watch us of the Han race as we recover our land.”

Zhang later went to Sichuan, and upon arriving at Mt. Taihe [Wudang], he built a hut at the Jade Void temple. While wandering around Wudang, it was often being said by the locals: “This mountain has received the royal command from Emperor Yongle to be embellished.” Zhang went along with this and mixed himself in with the rest of the laborers, and neither the imperial messengers nor the locals could recognize him. The elixirist abbot of Wudang, Sun Biyun, received many of Zhang’s teachings. Emperor Yongle summoned Zhang but he would not attend upon him, and poetry was applied for Sun to try to win Zhang over with.

Zhang developed Taiji Boxing and Wudang sword, systematizing what is known as the Wudang school, also known as the internal school. The art was received by Qiu Yuanjing. Thirteen generations later the style came to Chen Shijun, who people proclaimed to be an expert swordsman. Chen Shijun taught it to General Li Fangchen [Jinglin], who has taught the partner sword practice to his colleagues in Tianjin and Shanghai, but all of his skills have not yet been transmitted. Therefore the Taiji that is being practiced all over the nation nowadays was essentially passed down from Zhang.

–

太極拳之源流

THE ORIGIN & DEVELOPMENT OF TAIJI BOXING

國術本無內家外家之分。特後世之治技者。鉤心鬥角。衒異矜奇。往往欲標榜門戶。而內家外家遂不免劃若鴻溝。而互相水火焉。相傳內家為武當。創自張三丰祖師。外家為少林。創自達摩大師。攷達摩卓錫少室。面壁九年。鑒於僧衆萎靡。創拳法十八手。其法尚服氣。調呼吸。潤臟腑。滋百骸。動中求靜。與道相合。實亦內家之源也。至其徒覺遠上人。擴而充之。至七十二手。然亦不出手此範圍。迨後世治技者日夥。遂皆以少林相號召。於是乃有外家之稱。若太極發明。因其法純任自然。如環無端。動作均極圓活。不用力而長內勁。尤深合易經之理。遂有是名。其流派大別為五。至宋張三丰。乃大昌明。稱鼻祖焉。兹述之如下。一、唐朝許宣所傳者。曰三十七式。傳宋遠橋。二、兪氏所傳者。為先天拳。受自李道子。傳兪淸慧。三、韓拱月傳程靈洗。至程氏子孫。名珌者。改名小九天。計十四手。四、殷利亨。所傳者為後天法。傳胡鏡子再傳宋仲殊。共十七式。五、張三丰所傳者。為武當派。（因張居武當山）又名內家拳。三丰之術。為夜夢元帝所授。厥明以單丁殺賊首百人。宋徽宗召之。道梗不得進。明初傳關中王宗。再傳温州陳州同。至嘉靖間。傳張松溪。張翠山。是名温台派。俗稱太極十三式。松溪傳四明葉近泉。再傳吳崑山。周云山。單思南。陳貞石。孫繼槎。崑山傳李天目。徐岱岳。再傳余仲波。吳七郎。陳茂宏。雲山傳廬紹岐。貞石傳董扶輿。夏枝溪。繼槎傳僧耳。僧尾。姚石門。柴元明。思南傳王征南。再傳甘鳳池。淸初傳山右王宗岳。數傳至河南蔣發。陳長興。長興傳廣平楊露禪。陳耕耘。李白魁。諸人。露禪傳其子。斑侯。健侯。王蘭亭等。斑侯傳萬春。吳鑑泉。全佑。侯凌山。陳秀峯。陳耕耘之子某。以友誼資格。傳定州許占鰲許兼習形意。為郭雲深弟子。占鰲傳湯士林。倪成玉等。健侯傳其子。兆熊。兆淸。兆元。兆林。兆祥。劉勝奎。張義。兆熊字少侯。傳田肇麟。尤志學。兆淸字澄甫。傳陳微明。武匯川。褚德馨。牛春明。閻仲雁。陳農先。徐苕雪。吳鑑泉。傳徐致一。聞武禹讓郝為楨。亦河南嫡傳。余友孫祿堂得自郝為楨。余與姚君馥春。以友誼關係。皆從湯君士林學。其中微有不同者。郝君所傳。為開合太極。而湯君所傳。特存河南嫡派之長拳。其一卽十三式。余於民二得之。迄今尚未得其要竅耳。拉雜書此。遺漏尚多。容俟他日採實。另行補述焉。

Chinese martial arts are basically divided into the internal school and external school. Over the generations, experts have competed for superiority, showing off their special skills in frequent attempts to prove which school is best. But the distinction between the two is very obvious, like water and fire.

Tradition has it that the internal school comes from Wudang and was founded by Zhang Sanfeng, and that the external school comes from Shaolin and was founded by Damo. Damo is said to have stayed in his small room, facing a wall for nine years. Upon noticing the dispirited condition of the monks, he created the “eighteen hands” boxing method. These techniques emphasized using energy, regulating breath, lubricating the organs, and improving the body as a whole. Seeking stillness within movement, it conformed to Daoist principles, and so it was actually also the basis for the internal school. The monks expanded the art further over the generations, until there were seventy-two techniques. But it drifted beyond its original parameters, later generations of experts constantly adding more to it. Everyone called it Shaolin, but it also became known as the external school.

As for Taiji, its methods are based in pure naturalness. Like an endless circle, the movements are all round and lively. It uses no effort and develops internal power. It deeply conforms to the principles of the Book of Changes, the text of which supplies its name. There are five major versions of its origin, the most celebrated being that of Zhang Sanfeng of the Song Dynasty, who has been deemed its founder. The different versions are listed below:

1. Xu Xuanping of the Tang Dynasty taught something called Thirty-Seven Postures. Later it was passed on to Song Yuanqiao.

2. The Yu family taught something called Innate Nature Boxing. It was received from Li Daozi, who taught Yu Qinghui.

3. What Han Gongyue taught to Cheng Lingshen [Lingxi] was later transmitted to a descendant of his, and it was called Cheng Bi’s version. The name was changed to Small Highest Heaven, and it contained a total of fourteen hand techniques.

4. What Yin Liheng taught was the Acquired Nature Method. He taught it to Hu Jingzi, who then passed it on to Zhong Shu of the Song Dynasty, and it contained a total of seventeen postures.

5. What Zhang Sanfeng taught was of the Wudang branch (because he was living at Mt. Wudang), and it was known as the internal school of boxing. As for Zhang’s art [from the memorial tablet for Wang Zhengnan]: “Emperor Huizong summoned him, but his route was blocked and he could not get through. That night in a dream, the first Song Emperor gave him the boxing method, and the next day he killed more than a hundred bandits single-handed. In the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it was passed down to Wang Zong of Shaanxi, who then taught it to Chen Zhoutong of Wen County. During the reign of Emperor Jiajing [1521—1567], it as passed down to Zhang Songxi and Zhang Cuishan.” This Wen County branch of the art became called Taiji Thirteen Postures.

Zhang Songxi taught it to Ye Jinquan of Siming, who then taught it to Wu Kunshan, Zhou Yunshan, Shan Sinan, Chen Zhenshi, and Sun Jicha. Wu Kunshan taught Li Tianmu and Xu Daiyue, who then taught Yu Zhongbo, Wu Qilang, and Chen Maohong. Zhou Yunshan taught Lu Shaoqi. Chen Zhenshi taught Dong Fuyu and Xia Zhixi. Sun Jicha taught the monk Er, the monk Wei, Yao Shimen, and Chai Yuanming. Shan Sinan taught Wang Zhengnan, who then taught Gan Fengchi.

In the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, it was transmitted to Wang Zongyue of Shanxi. Several generations later it reached Jiang Fa of Henan, as well as Chen Changxing. Chen Changxing taught Yang Luchan of Guangping, Chen Gengyun, Li Baikui, and many others. Yang Luchan taught his sons, Banhou and Jianhou, as well as Wang Lanting and others. Yang Banhou taught Wan Chun, Wu Jianquan, Quan You, Hou Lingshan, and Chen Xiufeng.

One of Chen Gengyun’s sons taught Xu Zhan’ao of Ding County out of friendship. [Xu apparently also learned from one of the Yangs, perhaps Jianhou.] Xu trained in Xingyi at the same time, a student of Guo Yunshen. Xu taught Tang Shilin and Ni Chengyu. Yang Jianhou taught his sons, Zhaoxiong, Zhaoqing, Zhaoyuan, Zhaolin, Zhaoxiang, as well as Liu Shengkui, and Zhang Yi. Yang Zhaoxiong, called Shaohou, taught Tian Zhaolin and You Zhixue. Yang Zhaoqing, called Chengfu, taught Chen Weiming, Wu Huichuan, Chu Dexin, Niu Chunming, Yan Zhongyan, Chen Nongxian, Xu Tiaoxue. Wu Jianquan taught Xu Zhiyi.

It is known that Wu Yuxiang and Hao Weizhen form another Henan lineage. My colleague Sun Lutang received it from Hao. Yao Fuchun and I both learned it from our colleague Tang Shilin. There are some slight differences between these two versions. What Hao taught was Expand & Contract Taiji, whereas what Tang has passed down is a special version of the main Henan lineage Long Boxing set. They are the same in that they are both the Thirteen Postures art. What I have received, I have not yet mastered, and so this rambling book is often lacking, but I hope in the future to improve upon it.

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太極拳天然之內功

THE NATURAL INTERNAL SKILL OF TAIJI BOXING

太極。形意。八卦。皆有天然之內功。以及八段錦。童子功。陸地仙術。易筋經。亦莫不有天然之內功。卽達摩大師發明之十八式。覺遠上人擴充之七十二式。亦皆有天然之內功也。顧後人追時尚。務新奇。任意改纂。甚至專練套子。所謂內功者。遂消滅於無形。若形意拳之易入岐途。學者尤不容輕忽因在練精化氣第一步工夫。十九純剛不柔積久愈甚。其弊可勝言哉。八卦掌。余於客歲見一人練習。兩臂高舉。氣喘莫可遏抑。迨至終場面色灰白。是八卦掌尤須得有嫡派眞傳。方可日有進步。否則毫厘千里。不可不愼。至陸地仙。童子功等。係專門習內功者。可無此弊。惟太極拳亦然。不慮純剛之弊。逐漸可收內功之益。習一式得一式之進步。練一日得一日之利益。任憑如何練習。決無弊竇。聽其隨意活動。自有妙趣。名雖為拳。實含至道。動則百利。而無一害。此太極之所以為太極也。兹將第一二式。約略言之。第一式無極混混沌沌。無我無他。虛靈頂勁。氣沉丹田。提頂調𦡁。心中力量。兩背鬆。然後窒。肛門如忍糞狀。丹田氣自如。兩手之搿物。任憑動作。其氣不散。此非天然之內功乎。第二式攬雀尾。兩手向面前緩緩高起。與肩平齊。手雖高起。肘與肩皆下沉。同時身體亦向下微蹲。因而心與意。意與氣。氣與力。亦無不隨之向下沉墜。此又天然之內功也。舉一反三。餘式均可類推矣。述太極天然之內功如此。讀者幸勿河漢斯言。則吾道不孤矣。

內功者。內勁也。不用拙力。反長內勁。此太極之特長也。斯術由首至尾。式式皆有內功。演式時。苟能牢記含胸拔背。沉肩墜肘。氣注丹田。提頂調𦡁。則無不日見功效。循序以進。雖不中不遠矣。

Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua all have natural internal skill, as do Baduanjin, “Child Skill”, the “Earthly Immortal Art”, and the Sinew Changing Classic, as well as the Eighteen Postures invented by Master Damo, which was expanded by its inheritors into the Seventy-Two Postures. However, later generations have chased fads and craved novelty, willfully changing the material, even altering the way the solo sets are practiced, until what used to be internal skill has passed away and become something unrecognizable.

For instance, it is easy to take the wrong path in Xingyi Boxing if you are not paying attention, because the first step is to train the converting of essence into energy. If you are using so much hardness that there is no softness at all, and over time this becomes an increasing habit, you will have problems beyond description. For an example from Bagua Palming, I last year watched a person practicing with his arms raised who could not keep himself from panting, and by the end of his session, his face had turned pale. In Bagua Palming especially, you have to have the authentic teachings in order to make reliable progress, but if you are off at all, you will greatly miss the mark, and so you have to be mindful.

As for Earthly Immortal Skill and Child Skill, these are specifically systems of training internal skill, and so are without such errors. The same is true for Taiji Boxing, in which you do not need to worry about the problem of excessive hardness, and thereby you can steadily gather an increase of internal skill. Practicing one posture will gain you the progress of one posture’s worth of practice. Practicing for one day will earn the benefits of one day’s worth of practice. However you practice it, it will assuredly be without abuses. Do the exercises as you please and you will naturally have a delightful experience. Although it is called a boxing art, it actually conforms to Daoism. This exercise has countless advantages and not one harm, and such qualities put the “taiji” [grand polarity, i.e. balanced harmony] into Taiji. This can be briefly illustrated by one or two postures:

The first posture in the set is NONPOLARITY. In its murky vagueness, there is no identifying of either self or opponent. “Forcelessly press up your headtop, sink energy to your elixir field, lift your headtop and suspend your crotch. Do this by means of mental strength. Loosen both sides of your back and then the energy will be sealed in.” Tuck in your rectum as if you are trying to keep yourself from defecating. The energy in your elixir field will then be as though your hands are tightly hugging something, and whatever movement you are doing, your energy will not be scattered. Is this not natural internal skill?

In the second posture, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL, your hands slowly lift in front of you to shoulder level. Even though your hands lift up, your elbows and shoulders are sinking down. At the same time, your body slightly squats down, and because mind is united with intention, intention is united with energy, and energy is united with power, everything will correspondingly be sinking downward. This too is natural internal skill.

From these examples, the rest of the postures can be reasoned out by analogy. By describing Taiji’s natural internal skill in this way, I hope you will not think these are empty words or that I am lost in my own way of thinking. “Internal skill” means internal power. Not using awkward effort and instead developing internal power is a specialty of Taiji. This art, from beginning to end, in every posture, always contains internal skill. When practicing the set, if you are able to keep in mind that you are to contain your chest and pluck up your back, sink your shoulders and drop your elbows, concentrate energy at your elixir field, and lift your headtop and suspend your crotch, then you will witness results with each passing day. By progressing in the proper sequence of training, then even if you do not happen to master the art, you will not be far off.

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太極拳之秘訣

THE SECRETS OF TAIJI BOXING

太極者何。無極而生。自然運用之姿式也。秘訣者何。演式時循入正軌之要竅也。或疑掤捋擠按之十三式卽秘訣。否則披閃擔搓二十字。亦卽秘訣無疑。余曰否。此二者。皆太極拳中之魂魄。暨拳式中之用法。非演式時。能臻柔術上乘之訣也。其秘訣有三。一曰全不用力。太極之全不用力。前已言之。兹特鄭重述之。太極演式第一秘訣。卽為由始至終。不許用力。偶失之剛。卽入岐途。變為外家。故無論蹬脚。獨立。均須切戒用力。但亦非故意軟化。不過隨其天然自動之運用耳。二曰無定式。卽演式時。始終進退循環。綿綿不斷。一犯停滯。卽落旁門。太極拳論所謂。如長江大河。滔滔不絕。又曰。運用如同抽絲。實皆貫串一氣。渾然無間也。或有問曰。照像之姿式。豈非定式乎。余曰否。此一式之煞尾處。或一式之中間。來往未了之尾處。或變動式過門之餘式。皆須拍照插圖。以示界線。綜之無論一式之末尾處。式中間來往未了之尾處。抑或過門之餘式。皆恐未易明瞭。故插圖。用示區別。至演式時。仍接下式。槪不停頓也。三曰專一意志。志者心也。太極拳演式時。每一動作。一心一意。專注此式。手足所至。心與意無不赴焉。所謂不用力。而用意。苟有絲毫拙勁。留滯於筋骨血脈之間。卽不能圓活靈通。意志亦不能專注。故心意所至。能使氣血貫輸全身。久練不輟。雖不用力。而有眞正內勁。吾友湯士林。得斯術之神化。故其行路無聲無臭。其速兩倍於常人。又嘗製一護身披。置於臍部腰帶間。終年懸掛。曾未稍忽。據云能使意志專注。至護身披之功用。及製造法當於太極長拳出版時。另詳之。

What is meant by “taiji”? Born of wuji, it is the naturalness in making the postures. What is meant by “secrets”? They are the essential keys to abide by in order to perform the postures correctly. Perhaps the Thirteen Dynamics are the secrets? Or the Twenty Words? I would say neither. These two sets of things form the soul of Taiji Boxing and supply the functions of the postures for when you are not practicing the set. But to be able to achieve the highest level in this soft art, there are three secrets:

1. Never use exertion. Taiji’s principle of not using exertion has already been explained, but here we will specially restate it. The first secret to performing the Taiji set is to go from start to finish without allowing yourself to put forth effort, for it would cause you to use hardness. This would send you down the wrong path, one that would turn you into an external stylist. Therefore even when kicking or standing on one leg, you must always carefully avoid using effort. However, you should also not be forcing yourself to be soft, instead acting according to what is natural.

2. Do not pause in the postures. When practicing the set, from start to finish, advance and retreat are to alternate continuously without pause, avoiding any stagnation, or you will slip into the habits of that other school. It says in the Taiji Boxing Treatise: “It is like a long river flowing into the wide ocean, on and on ceaselessly.” And also: “Move energy as if drawing silk.” These statements both describe a continuous flow throughout, entirely without interruption. Someone may ask: “But aren’t photographed postures paused postures?” I say no, because those are sometimes representations of ending places of postures, sometimes of transitionings between postures that have no such ending places, and sometimes of postures overlapping as they transition. In each case, there have to be photographs to indicate the boundary between postures. Whether a posture with an ending place, a transition without an ending place, or a situation of overlapping, there is always the possibility it will not be easy to understand, and thus there are photographs to show how the postures are distinct. But when practicing the set, you will still continue into the next posture without pause.

3. Focus your intention. This is a matter of mind. When performing the Taiji Boxing set, in each movement focus wholeheartedly on that technique. Then wherever your hands and feet arrive, your mind and intention will also arrive. Thus it is said: “Use intention rather than exertion.” If there is the slightest awkward effort, there will be stagnation among the tissues and vessels, making you unable to be lively and nimble, and your intention will not be able to be focused. But with your mind involved, you will be able to send energy and blood throughout your whole body. If you practice in this way for a long time without interruption, as long you are not using exertion, then you will have genuine internal power.

Our colleague Tang Shilin has achieved such a miraculous level in this art that his actions are beyond comprehension. He speed is twice that of ordinary people, and he has created an “invincible cloak”. Placed around the waist, it is suspended there always and never comes off. He says that if you can get your intention to be focused, you will attain the invincible cloak skill. His method will be explained further when his own Taiji Long Boxing book is published.

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太極拳之魂魄

THE SOUL OF TAIJI BOXING

魂魄者何。卽拳術中鉤心鬥角之關鍵。亦治技者不肯輕傳之精華也。太極拳之魂魄。卽十三式。十三式。卽掤捋擠按採挒肘靠進退左右中是也。其中要竅。當於講義中說明。曁太極拳譜釋義。詳細註解。惟此十三勢外。尚有二十字。亦為斯術之寶筏。國內流行之太極拳譜。多未載。余於姚君馥春。得此譜。較他譜多數百字。譜為抄本。古香古色。彌足珍貴。今特不敢自秘。和盤托出。（詳見拳譜釋義）先述十三勢外之二十字。或亦海內同志所樂聞歟。曰。披閃擔搓歉。黏隨抅拿扳。軟掤摟摧掩。撮墜縷擠攤。其中如胃縷等字。疑為錯誤。因存其眞。未敢遽改。海內同志。倘有指示其錯誤者。則更為治斯術者之大幸。顧十三勢己包羅萬象。益以此二十字訣。則更取之不盡。用之不竭。苟能默識揣摩。奇效必着。至逐字註解。當於太極拳譜釋義中詳之。讀者或有疑吾言者。請觀後章。當知此二十字。實與太極拳有密切之關係。不容稍忽者也。如繼續習得長拳。斯時此二十字。則更字字珠璣矣。願讀者幸勿等閒視之。

What is meant by “soul”? This means the set of keys for gaining superior position in the boxing art. It also represents the essentials that masters were not willing to pass down to just anybody. The soul of Taiji Boxing is the Thirteen Dynamics. The Thirteen Dynamics are warding off, rolling back, pressing, pushing, plucking, rending, elbowing, bumping, advancing, retreating, stepping to the left, stepping to the right, and staying in the center. These essential tricks are described within our material, as well as in the explanations in the Manual and their annotations.

Beyond the Thirteen Dynamics, there are the Twenty Words, which are also a treasure for understanding this art. The old Taiji Boxing manuals have spread within our nation, but many have not yet been published. Yao Fuchun and I have obtained a manual that is hundreds of words longer than the other manuals, and which is handwritten, and has the smell and discoloring of a very old book, making it even more precious. We would not dare to keep it to ourselves, and instead wish to reveal all of it. (See Chapter Ten.)

First the Thirteen Dynamics are described, followed by the Twenty Words, which comrades throughout the nation will be delighted to hear about. They are: scattering, flashing, carrying, rubbing, reserving, sticking, following, arresting, grabbing, reversing, softening, warding, dragging, breaking, covering, pinching, falling, continuing, pressing, and spreading. We suspect that some of the words are presented with the wrong characters, but in order to honor the genuine text, we have not presumed to react by making corrections. If comrades throughout the nation would point out such errors, it would be of great fortune to practitioners of this art.

Though the Thirteen Dynamics seem to be comprehensive already, add the Twenty Word Formula and you then have an art that is truly inexhaustible. If you can memorize and ponder them, extraordinary effects are sure to manifest. We have annotated each word in detail within the explanations to the Manual, so if you doubt our assertions, please look at the final chapter to understand the Twenty Words. They are indeed intimately connected to Taiji Boxing. They are of no concern to those who are merely giving the art a taste, but if you continue your training into learning the whole Long Boxing set, that is when these twenty words will each become a gem. We hope you will not regard them as something inconsequential.

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太極形意八卦統一說

TAIJI, XINGYI, AND BAGUA UNITED AS ONE

數十年前。形意拳與八卦拳。自立門戶。各不相謀。後經八卦拳之始祖。董海川太夫子。與形意專家。郭雲深太夫子。一處研習若干日。遂覺愈趨愈近。息息相通。動作雖異。理法無殊。乃合而為一。故近世稱形意八卦為一門。職是之故。顧今人多有呼形意八卦為武當派。余始終反對斯說。蓋形意起源於達摩易筋經。後由岳武穆發明斯拳。八卦係董海川先生。訪道江南渝花山。遇丹士授以河圖洛書。傳授斯拳。二者皆非武當。若名之曰內家拳則可。直呼之為武當派。則不可也。吾友孫祿堂。為郭雲深太夫子再傳弟子。其藝則多得之於郭。復學太極於郝為楨。三派深入化境。皆有獨到。乃著書立論。意在三派合一。綠此三派。名雖異。而實則同。由一而二。由二而三。由三而一也。余亦立主斯說。惟余於形意八卦太極。雖習之二十年。然於其中練神還虛之奥竅。尚未得其什一。僅知其理與法。確為三而一。毫無疑義。余敢大聲急呼。敬告全國國術同志曰。形意八卦太極。名雖三派。實為一家。三派合一。甚為恰當。卽統名內家拳亦無不當也。記三派統一之理由如此。

Several decades ago, the schools of Xingyi Boxing and Bagua Boxing were established, each evolving in their own way. Then it happened that Dong Haichuan, the earliest Bagua Boxing master, and the Xingyi master Guo Yunshen were practicing in the same place for a while, and they noticed more and more how closely linked their arts are. Although their movements were different, the principles were not, and in this way they merge into the same thing. This is the specific reason why Xingyi and Bagua are now considered a single curriculum.

Many people nowadays say that Xingyi and Bagua are also of the Wudang branch.

I have always disputed this assertion. This is because Xingyi originates from the Sinew Changing Classic of Damo and was later developed into the boxing art by Yue Fei, while Bagua’s transmitter Dong Haichuan traveled south to Mt Yuhua where he met an elixirist who instructed him in the He River Map and the Luo River Document, and taught him this boxing art. Neither of those histories have anything to do with Wudang. They can be said to be of the internal school of boxing, but they cannot really be said to be of the Wudang branch of boxing arts.

My colleague Sun Lutang was a student of Guo Yunshen, obtaining the major part of his art from Guo, then later learned Taiji from Hao Weizhen. He deeply mastered all three arts, and in this regard he is unique. Then he wrote books putting forth his view that the three arts merge as one. Examining these three systems, their names may be different, but their essence is the same. Starting from one, there is then two. From two, there is then three. And then from three, it turns out there is one.

I agree with this explanation. However, although I have been practicing Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua for twenty years, I am hardly a tenth of the way toward the subtlety within them of “spirit returning to emptiness”. So far I only understand the principles and the methods, and yet it is already obvious that the three are one thing, I have no doubt of this, and I will go so far as to loudly proclaim it. I hereby respectfully inform my martial arts comrades throughout the nation that the three arts of Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji really do form a single school. The three arts merge as one because they so thoroughly fit together, and it is equally appropriate for them all to be labeled “internal”. Herein lies the reasoning of the three arts united as one.

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太極長拳說

EXPLANATION OF TAIJI LONG BOXING

太極拳。在初發明時。僅十三式。擴而充之。成百餘手。是為三丰祖師所傳之太極也。後人因呼之為太極長拳。然總不出棚攄擠按。採挒肘靠。進退左右中。之十三動作名稱也。斯術雖僅一趟。實取之不竭。用之不盡。一切刀劍器械。無不包括在內。迨至臻入化境。不動如山。動如雷霆。升進未定。沾黏不脫。各樣兵器。亦皆從心所欲焉。特亦未出十三式之範圍也。淸初太極專家。王宗岳。發明太極長拳。並著拳論。始有長拳十三式之别。攷長拳雖亦取法十三式。而其中實包藏龍蛇鶴虎馬雞鷹熊鳳猴十形在內也。余與姚君馥春。同學太極於友人湯君士林。湯為許占鰲先生之弟子。客歲余在吾師芳辰先生處表演長拳半趟。先生謂斯術雖脫胎於十三式。其顯明易懂之理法。與功用。實較十三式為廣。余甚佩芳辰先生之治技而能知技也。蓋余民元之前。經倪成玉君之介紹。得識許占鰲先生。許謂斯術。確為王宗岳嫡派。因傳流甚尠。故世人多知有長拳。特不知長拳之何若。至近今所謂長拳者。皆由十三式從而翻之。甲乙顚倒。先後互移。斯與此長拳有别矣。余聆斯言。如獲至寶。秘而不宣者十餘年。而余友姚君已得斯術三昧。余則自愧。仍未得窺堂奥也。蓋許先生為郭雲深之弟子。與余師兆東先生為同輩。德高望重。決無妄語。聞其太極得自友傳。而非師授。故同門多未知其精太極。兹擬太極拳出版後。續邀姚君馥春。合編此太極長拳。以公同好。特述許先生言如上。

When Taiji Boxing was created, it was only the Thirteen Dynamics. It was expanded until it comprised more than a hundred techniques. This is the Taiji Boxing passed down from Zhang Sanfeng. Later generations called it Taiji Long Boxing, but it never went beyond the actions of the Thirteen Dynamics: warding off, rolling back, pressing, pushing, plucking, rending, elbowing, bumping, advancing, retreating, stepping to the left, stepping to the right, and staying in the center. Although this art has only one practice set, it is actually unlimited and inexhaustible. All weapon techniques, such as those of saber and sword, are contained within it. Once you have attained mastery, you will in stillness be like a mountain and in movement be like a thunderclap, advancing unpredictably and sticking without disconnecting, and you will wield every kind of weapon with fluency. And still the art will not go beyond the parameters of the Thirteen Dynamics.

In the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Taiji expert Wang Zongyue created the Taiji Long Boxing set and also wrote the Boxing Treatise. There was then a distinction between the Long Boxing set and the Thirteen Dynamics. If we examine the Long Boxing set, although it is based on the Thirteen Dynamics, it actually contains qualities of ten animals: dragon, snake, crane, tiger, horse, chicken, eagle, bear, phoenix, and monkey.

Yao Fuchun and I learned Taiji together from our colleague Tang Shilin, a student of Xu Zhan’ao. Last year my teacher Li Jinglin did a demonstration of half of the Long Boxing set. He said that although this art emerged from the Thirteen Dynamics, its clarity of theory and function makes it actually a broader art than the Thirteen Dynamics. I greatly admire Li’s skill and his capacity for understanding the techniques. In 1912, I was introduced to Ni Chengyu, who had known Xu Zhan’ao.

Xu said: “This art is indeed descended from Wang Zongyue, but because it was passed down so rarely, many people know of Long Boxing and yet do not really know what ‘long boxing’ means. What people call Long Boxing nowadays came entirely from the Thirteen Dynamics, but they get flipped around, ancestor and descendant getting reversed, so that the art and the Long Boxing set end up being considered different things.”

When I heard these words, it was like finding a rare treasure, a secret I had been seeking for more than ten years. Yao has already achieved the knack of this art, whereas I am ashamed to have still not seen my way into its depths. Xu was a student of Guo Yunshen and a fellow student of Zhang Zhaodong. Being a virtuous person and highly regarded, he surely is not talking nonsense. As he learned Taiji from a friend rather than a teacher, many of his fellow students have therefore not been aware of his skill in Taiji. After this Taiji Boxing book is published, I will again be soliciting the help of Yao Fuchun to collaborate in sharing Xu’s Taiji Long Boxing set publicly, making special use of his explanations as above.

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第二章

CHAPTER TWO

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太極拳四忌八要說

EXPLAINING TAIJI BOXING’S FOUR PROHIBITIONS & EIGHT REQUIREMENTS

四忌者何

What are the four prohibitions?

一忌、用力蓄氣。

1. Using effort and holding your breath:

太極拳。自始至終。毫不用力。用力易剛。蓄氣則滯。太剛則折。滯則氣逆。

In the Taiji Boxing set, from start to finish, put forth no effort at all. If you use effort, it will easily lead to hardness. If you hold your breath, it will produce stagnation. With too much hardness, your posture will become brittle. With too much stagnation, your energy will become contrary.

二忌、挺胸踢腰。

2. Sticking out your chest and kicking out your waist:

挺胸。氣懸胸滿。踢腰。逆氣上行。難歸丹田。

Sticking out your chest pulls energy up, making your chest overly full. Kicking out your waist reverses energy into moving upward, making it difficult for it to return to your elixir field.

三忌、聳肩縮頸。

3. Lifting your shoulders and pulling down your neck:

肩聳。氣閉於胸。頸縮。大腦不能舒暢。故如中央之不能發號施令。其兩足無根。輕如飄萍。其明證也。

If your shoulders lift, energy will get stuck in your chest. If you pull your neck down, your brain will not be able to be comfortable. The result will be the same as the central command unable to issue any orders, and this will be demonstrated by your feet being unrooted and seeming to float.

四忌、動作停滯。

4. Stiffening of the movements:

動作停滯。四肢百骸。其血脈皆不能流通。習之久。勢必淪入外家。

If your movement stiffens, the blood circulation through your limbs and every part of your body will be unable to flow. If you practice in this way for a long time, you will surely fall into the habits of the external stylists.

八要者何

What are the eight requirements?

一、 沉肩墜肘。

1. Sinking your shoulders and dropping your elbows:

此形意。八卦。太極。不謀而合者也。沉肩者。兩肩鬆開。極力往下垂勁也。墜肘者。無論出掌或拳。肘往下極力墜勁。肩與肘。本有連帶關係。肩沉肘墜。內勁彈力雙收。肩聳肘懸。則又外家矣。

This is a principle common to Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji. To sink your shoulders means that your shoulders loosen and lower heavily with an energy of hanging. To drop your elbows means that whether you are sending out a palm or fist, the elbow goes downward heavily with an energy of dropping. The shoulders and elbows are interrelated. With your shoulders sinking and your elbows dropping, the springiness of internal power will be doubly harvested. If your shoulders raise and your elbows are suspended upward, then you will be like the external stylists.

二、 貫頂調𦡁。

2. Drawing up your headtop and aligning your crotch:

貫頂者。虛靈頂勁也。神貫於頂。始能提起精氣。拿住丹田之氣。不使外溢。提肛如忍糞狀。謂之調𦡁。卽調和𦡁部。變理陰陽也。

To draw up your headtop means to forcelessly press up your headtop. With spirit getting to your headtop, you will then be able to rouse your energy. Hold the energy in your elixir field and do not let it flow out. Tuck in your rectum as if you are trying to keep yourself from defecating. This is what is meant by “aligning your crotch”. This realignment reverses the roles of passive and active.

三、 扣齒舐齶。

3. Closing your mouth and touching your upper palate:

演式時。口似開非開。隨意呼吸。惟齒須常扣。精神始可煥發。舌舐上齶。目光自威。不惟太極如斯。卽形意八卦。亦莫不如是。幸勿滑口讀過。

When practicing the set, your mouth should seem open but not open. You may breathe as you please, but your teeth should stay together, and your spirit will then be able to shine. With your tongue touching your upper palate [and thereby completing an internal energy circuit], your gaze will have authority. This is not only the case in Taiji, but also in Xingyi and Bagua, and I hope you will not mock this principle.

四、含胸鬆腰。

4. Containing your chest and loosening your waist:

此為太極。形意。八卦。三派最要之訣。鬆肩後窒。往里微含。其氣自歸於丹田。其挺胸之弊。已詳見四忌。腰為全身之主宰。鬆腰足部堅實。𨀵法穩固。進退變化。皆由腰部轉動。支配動作。必於腰隙求之也。

This is a very important principle in all three systems of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua. When you loosen your shoulders and upper back, slightly hollowing inward, your energy naturally returns to your elixir field. The error of sticking out your chest has already been explained within the four prohibitions. The waist is the controller of the whole body. When you loosen your waist, your feet will become more steady, your stance more stable. To switch between advancing and retreating, it always comes from the moving of your waist. To control your movements, you must seek to do so from your waist.

五、純任自然。

5. Having a pure naturalness:

亦卽用意用不力之謂也。太極拳異於其他拳術者。則在斯。自首至尾。全不用力。苟有一式亂用拙力。則全身疆勁經絡不舒。血脈阻滯。動作不靈。用意者。意之所至。氣與力。無不赴焉。譬如欲向面前以右手掌擊出。假想右胳膊手生於肚腹丹田。而非生於肩膀者。雖不用力。而其內勁。與彈力。着人必傷。若外家其力皆顯於外。乃僅及皮膚之浮勁也。

This is the same idea as “use intention, not exertion”. It is this that makes Taiji Boxing different from other boxing arts. From start to finish, never put forth effort. If in so much as one posture you slip into the use of awkward effort, then your whole body will stiffen, constricting your energy channels, obstructing blood circulation, and your movement will become ineffective. Using intention means that wherever intention goes, energy and power will both go there too. For example, if you wish to strike forward with your right palm, imagine your right arm is grown from your elixir field in your abdomen rather than from your shoulder. Although there is no effort, internal power is springy force that is sure to harm an opponent. The power of the external stylist is always outwardly apparent, but is merely a superficial energy that goes no deeper than the skin.

六、內外相合。

6. Inside and outside joining together:

太極拳。貴在神意與軀體一致。所謂內外相合也。故云大腦如中央政府。心為元帅。手足身腰。為五營四哨兵將。大腦授命與心。心動神專。手足無不聽其指揮。手足所到之處。心意隨之俱到。手足停止。心意亦與之俱止。非如外家。手與足到。而心與意仍不屬也。

Taiji Boxing values mind and body functioning as one, what is called inside and outside being joined together. Thus it is said that the brain is the seat of government, the mind is the commanding general, and the hands, feet, and torso are the subordinate soldiers. The brain gives orders to the mind, the mind acts upon them and the spirit focuses, then the hands and feet obey all of the commands. Wherever the hands and feet arrive, the mind and intention arrive there as well, and when the hands and feet come to a halt, the mind and intention do too. It is not like the external stylists, whose hands and feet arrive without the mind and intention participating.

七、陰陽相濟。

7. Passive and active exchanging roles:

拳譜所謂陽不離陰。陰不離陽。陰陽相濟。方為懂勁。陰陽者。亦卽上下相隨。奇正相生也。拳譜又云。由腿而脚。由脚而身。鍊如一氣。如轉鵠之鳥。如貓捕鼠。無不完整一氣也。卽如太極第一式。掤捋擠按。皆在其中。而每一動作。卽有一陰陽。陰陽相濟。亦卽奇正相生也。故手足一動。心與意。眼與神。亦莫不隨之而動。不卽不離。亦步亦趨。上下相隨。始能陰陽相濟也。

It is said in the Boxing Manual: “The active does not depart from the passive and the passive does not depart from the active, for the passive and active exchange roles. Once you have this understanding, you will be identifying energies.” By passive and active is also indicated that the upper body and lower coordinate with each other, and that obvious and surprise techniques generate each other. It also says: “From foot through leg through waist, it must be a continuous process.” Like a circling bird of prey, or like a cat pouncing on a mouse, the action must always be a fully continuous process, as is the case for the first technique in the Taiji set [CATCH THE SPARROW]: ward-off, rollback, press, and push are all contained within it [continuing from one to another]. With every movement, there is a quality of passive and active. Passive and active exchanging roles means that obviousness and surprise will generate each other. Thus when your hands and feet move, your mind and intention, gaze and spirit, should all move together with them, neither ahead or behind, all in unison. If your upper body and lower are coordinating with each other, then passive and active will be able to exchange roles.

八、動中求靜。

8. Seeking stillness within movement:

國術有專尚浮氣外力者。以騰踔為能事。其功皆壯於外。而不實於內。其發育身體亦速。退消亦快。是靜中求動。內與外各不相謀也。太極拳。則完全動中求靜。以靜而動雖動猶靜。故演式時。不可求速。亦不可因靜而一味求慢。總要綿綿不斷。往來無間。神至意到。貫串如一。乃得太極之妙。

There are those in martial arts who emphasize superficial energy and external force, and who consider leaping to be skill. Their accomplishments are always external and never internal. They develop the body’s speed of advance and retreat. This is to seek movement within stillness. The internal and external approaches are incompatible. Taiji Boxing is entirely a matter of seeking stillness within movement. It moves within a context of stillness and seems to be in a state of stillness even while moving. Therefore when practicing the set, you must not seek to be fast, but you must also not think of stillness as meaning being stubbornly slow, rather as the movement being always continuous, no gap between going back and forth. Spirit and intention are to arrive together, coursing through in unison, and then you will have obtained the subtlety of Taiji.

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太極拳與他拳之比較

ON COMPARING TAIJI TO OTHER BOXING ARTS

中國拳術。綜其派別。不下數十種。一派有一派之專長。一門有一門之優點。固未可一槪抹煞也。顧派別旣多。門戶立判。其中能得眞傳。深入堂奧者。固不乏人。然誤入旁門。氣血受滯者。亦所在皆是。故吾人習技之始。須先審别所學者。為內家。抑或外家。為何人創造。是何名稱。由其派别。可鑒定其拳之優劣。以定練習進行之方針。按吾國拳術。數千年來。往往獨守秘密。家自為說。人自為師。鄕村之治技者。以之授徒為糊口計。日甚一日。治技者。皆流為市井遊俠之輩。不惟文人墨客不敢學習。卽秉國鈞者。亦未便遽然提倡。懼其人難於訓練就範也。今雖中央有國術館。各省亦有國術館之設。謂為提倡國術可也。謂為與治技者。以獎勵亦可也。若謂訓練人才。敎育完全之師範。則尚非其時也。今之練拳數十年者。並自習之拳術。為內家外家。且不識。更遑論其他耶。余嘗遇一老國術專家。其所學與造詣。皆足以闡明斯道。為後生圭臬。余偶舉當代之治技名家以相詢。渠則頻搖其首。而不答。此豈提倡國術之道哉。吾師芳辰先生。國人皆知其為劍術專家為劍仙。而不知為懂技者。全國一人。余嘗約治技者若干人。挨次表演。演完後。先生默評甲乙。所言若合符節。有如目睹。是誠足言提倡也。余敢敬告全國練習國術之同志。中華國術。無論何派。皆為世界各國所望塵莫及。吾人可就性之所近者。刻意練習。擇其善者而從之。其不善者而改之。至於太極與他拳之比較。無論任何拳術。得其理與法。自然盡善盡美。惟偶差毫厘。卽謬千里。太極異於其他拳術者。決無斯弊。任憑如何練法。自有進步。而無退化。卽未成功。而無一害。老幼可學。少長咸宜。數百年來。太極拳之所以遍傳南北。目進無疆者。其在斯乎。

Chinese martial arts is comprised of different systems, many dozens of them. Each style has its own specialty. Each school has its own merits. Not one of them can be entirely dismissed. We can observe that among the many styles, factions get established and then condemn each other. There is indeed no lack of people in these arts who have obtained the genuine transmission and delved deep into their most profound aspects, but there are also plenty of people who have taken the wrong path, causing their energy and blood circulation to become stagnant. Therefore when we begin to practice such skills, we must first examine whether what we are learning is of the internal school or the external school, who created it, and how it came by its name. From such categorizing, we can appraise the good and bad points of the art, a reasonable guidepost for practice and progress.

Our nation has had boxing arts for several thousand years and they were often kept secret, discussed only within a clan, taught only from one person to another. But then masters in rural areas began to teach students to make a living. More and more, masters flowed into the towns to gain a heroic reputation. Scholars had no taste for learning such material, and government officials were in no hurry to promote it, for they worried it would be too difficult for people to practice. Now that a Central Martial Arts Institute has appeared, every province has set up its own institute in order to be able to promote martial arts, and to encourage the caretakers of these arts to participate.

We might proclaim a model of “training not only the talented but teaching everyone”, but some may feel it is still not yet the right time for that. Nowadays there are people who have practiced boxing arts for decades, training on their own without ever knowing of a distinction between an internal school and an external school, or even about any other arts. I once met an old martial arts master whose learning and attainments were more than enough for him to be able to explain his methods and set a standard for new students. I happened to ask him about modern martial arts masters, but then he repeatedly shook his head and refused to discuss it. This is no way to promote martial arts.

My teacher Li Jinglin is known by all of my countrymen as an expert in swordfighting, but they are not aware he understands these arts better than any of them. I once invited a number of masters to give demonstrations one after the other. After the performance was over, Li quietly ranked them. Everything he said was so perfectly fitting, I felt I had seen as he had seen. He indeed can be considered to be someone who is promoting these arts.

I dare to respectfully inform my martial arts comrades throughout the nation that in Chinese martial arts it does not matter what style you do, it is still better than those of the rest of the world. We can approach success by way of dedicated practice, by selecting the best experts to learn from, and by improving those who are not yet experts.

As for comparing Taiji to other boxing arts, it does not matter what boxing art you do. If you obtain its principles and its methods, you will naturally achieve perfection. But if you are slightly off, you may greatly fail. What makes Taiji different from the rest is that it lacks this drawback. By whatever method you practice it, you will only progress and not degrade, and even if you do not succeed, you at least will not be injured on the way. All can learn it, it is appropriate for young and old alike. Taiji Boxing has been spreading for centuries, north and south, boundlessly advancing, and these are the reasons why.

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太極拳式一覽

LIST OF TAIJI BOXING POSTURES

1攬雀尾。（掤）（捋）（擠）（按）

CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL (WARD-OFF, ROLLBACK, PRESS, PUSH)

2單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

3提手。

RAISE THE HANDS

4白鶴亮翅

WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS

5摟膝步。

BRUSH KNEE STANCE

6琵琶式。

LUTE POSTURE

7摟膝步。

BRUSH KNEE STANCE

8左摟膝步。

LEFT [RIGHT] BRUSH KNEE STANCE

9摟膝步。

BRUSH KNEE STANCE

10琵琶式。

LUTE POSTURE

11白鶴亮翅。

WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS

12摟膝步。

BRUSH KNEE STANCE

13進步搬攔錘。

ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

14如封似閉。

SEALING SHUT

15十字手

CROSSED HANDS

16抱虎歸山。

CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN

17肘底看錘。

GUARDING PUNCH UNDER THE ELBOW

18倒輦猴。

RETREATING MONKEY

19斜飛式。

DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE

20提手。

RAISE THE HANDS

21白鶴亮翅。

WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS

22摟膝步。

BRUSH KNEE STANCE

23海底針。

NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA”

24扇通臂。

FAN THROUGH THE ARMS

25撇身錘

TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH

26上步搬攔錘。

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

27進步攬雀尾。

ADVANCE, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL

28單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

39抎手。

CLOUDING HANDS

30單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

31高探馬。

RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE

32右分脚

KICK TO THE RIGHT SIDE

33左分脚。

KICK TO THE LEFT SIDE

34轉身蹬脚。

TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK

35摟膝步。

BRUSH KNEE STANCE

36進步栽錘。

ADVANCE, PLANTING PUNCH

37翻身白蛇吐信。

TURN AROUND, WHITE SNAKE FLICKS ITS TONGUE

38上步搬攔錘。

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

39蹬脚。

PRESSING KICK

40左右披身伏虎。

LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY, SUBDUING THE TIGER

41囘身蹬脚。

TURN, PRESSING KICK

42雙風貫耳。

DOUBLE WINDS THROUGH THE EARS

43左蹬脚

LEFT PRESSING KICK

44轉身蹬脚。

TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK

45上步搬攔錘。

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

46如封似閉。

SEALING SHUT

47十字手。

CROSSED HANDS

48抱虎歸山。

CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN

49斜單鞭。

DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD

50左右野馬分鬃。

LEFT & RIGHT WILD HORSE VEERS ITS MANE

51上步攬雀尾。

STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL

52單鞭

SINGLE ROD

53玉女穿梭。

MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE

54上步攬雀尾

STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL

55單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

56抎手。

CLOUDING HANDS

57單鞭下勢。

SINGLE ROD, LOW POSTURE

58左右金雞獨立。

LEFT & RIGHT GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

59倒攆猴。

RETREATING MONKEY

60斜飛式。

DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE

61提手。

RAISE THE HANDS

62白鶴亮翅。

WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS

63摟膝拗步。

BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE

64海底針。

NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA”

65扇通背。

FAN THROUGH THE BACK

66撇身捶

TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH

67上步搬攔捶。

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

68進步攬雀尾。

ADVANCE, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL

69單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

70雲手。

CLOUDING HANDS

71單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

72高探馬。

RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE

73鵲雀蹬枝。 又名十字擺蓮。

MAGPIE PERCHES ON A BRANCH (also called CROSSED-BODY SWINGING LOTUS KICK)

74上步搬攔捶。

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

75上步攬雀尾。

STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL

76單鞭。

SINGLE ROD

77下勢。

LOW POSTURE

78左右披身。

LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY

79喜鵲穿枝。

MAGPIE FINDS A PATH THROUGH THE BRANCHES

80上步攬雀尾。

STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL

81單鞭

SINGLE ROD

82下勢。

LOW POSTURE

83上步七星。

STEP FORWARD WITH THE BIG DIPPER

84退步跨虎。

RETREAT TO SITTING TIGER POSTURE

85轉身擺蓮。

TURN AROUND, SWINGING LOTUS KICK

86彎弓射虎。

BEND THE BOW TO SHOOT THE TIGER

87上步搬攔捶。

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH

88如封似閉。

SEALING SHUT

89十字手。

CROSSED HANDS

90合太極

CLOSING POSTURE

–

太極拳名稱歌

SONG OF TAIJI BOXING POSTURE NAMES

太極起首攬雀尾。單鞭之後提手有。

白鶴亮翅須神靜。連續摟膝步法守。

廻環反覆琵琶式。前後照顧神莫走。

白鶴亮翅摟膝步。神明內運能持久。

繼以進步搬攔錘。如封似閉十字手。

抱虎歸山熊紆徐。肘後看錘神抖摟。

倒輦猴繼斜飛式。提手復接鶴亮翅。

摟膝步過海底針。扇通臂後撇身錘。

旣用上步搬攔錘。還看進步攬雀尾。

單鞭抎手要分淸。單鞭高探馬何偉。

左右分脚轉身蹬。摟膝栽錘君莫菲。

翻身白蛇吐信式。上步搬攔蹬脚起。

左右披身伏虎隨。囘身蹬脚風過耳。

轉身蹬脚若爭先。上步搬攔錘回旋。

如封似閉十字手。抱虎歸山斜單鞭。

野馬分鬃攬雀尾。玉女穿梭體勢全。

上步攬雀尾單鞭。鬃手單鞭下勢連。

金雞獨立分左右。倒輦猴後斜飛論。

提手後接鶴亮翅。摟膝拗步海底針。

扇通臂後撇身錘。上步攔錘次第尋。

後接進步攬雀尾。單鞭抎手用意深。

單鞭下勢高探馬。接連左右十字腿。

上步搬攔攬雀尾。單鞭姿勢君莫改。

鵲雀穿枝神洋洋。上步攬雀見精彩。

單鞭下勢莫躱藏。上步七星莫用力。

退步跨虎精氣練。轉脚擺蓮斯為得。

灣弓射虎敵難當。上步攔錘敵莫測。

如封似閉十字手。最後殿以太極合。

BEGINNING POSTURE, then CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL.

After SINGLE ROD, there is RAISE THE HANDS.

During WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS, your spirit must be calm.

Continue into BRUSH KNEE STANCE, a method of guarding.

Withdraw and perform LUTE POSTURE, then do so again [after repeating BRUSH KNEE].

Always attend to your spirit so that none of it wanders off.

WHITE CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS, then BRUSH KNEE STANCE.

The spirit moving inside can last long.

Continue with ADVANCE, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH,

then SEALING SHUT and CROSSED HANDS.

CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN as leisurely as a bear.

In GUARDING PUNCH BEHIND THE ELBOW, your spirit is alert.

RETREATING MONKEY continues into DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE.

RAISE THE HANDS then connects into CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS.

BRUSH KNEE STANCE goes on into NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA”.

After FAN THROUGH THE ARMS, then TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH.

Now apply STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH,

then again demonstrate ADVANCE, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL.

SINGLE ROD and CLOUDING HANDS should be distinct.

SINGLE ROD, then do RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE imposingly.

KICK TO BOTH SIDES, then TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK.

BRUSH KNEE, then PLANTING PUNCH without humility.

TURN AROUND with the posture of WHITE SNAKE FLICKS ITS TONGUE.

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH, then a PRESSING KICK lifts up.

Follow with LEFT & RIGHT DRAPING THE BODY, SUBDUING THE TIGER,

then TURN, PRESSING KICK and WINDS THROUGH THE EARS.

Perform TURN AROUND, PRESSING KICK like you want to arrive first.

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH brings you back to where you were before.

SEALING SHUT, then CROSSED HANDS.

CAPTURE THE TIGER AND SEND IT BACK TO ITS MOUNTAIN, then DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD.

WILD HORSE VEERS ITS MANE, then CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL.

With MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE, the action is complete [i.e. covers each direction].

STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL, then SINGLE ROD.

MANE HANDS [CLOUDING HANDS], then SINGLE ROD continuing into LOW POSTURE.

GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG on both sides.

After RETREATING MONKEY, then DIAGONAL FLYING POSTURE.

After RAISE THE HANDS, continue into CRANE SHOWS ITS WINGS.

BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE, then NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA”.

After FAN THROUGH THE ARM, then TORSO-FLUNG PUNCH.

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH follows in sequence.

Then continue into ADVANCE, CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL.

SINGLE ROD and CLOUDING HANDS deeply use intent.

SINGLE ROD, LOW POSTURE, then RISING UP AND REACHING OUT TO THE HORSE.

Continue into LEFT & RIGHT CROSS-SHAPED KICKS.

STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH, then CATCH THE SPARROW BY THE TAIL.

With the SINGLE ROD posture, be stubborn.

With MAGPIE FINDS A PATH THROUGH THE BRANCHES, your spirit extends far.

STEP FORWARD, CATCH THE SPARROW, demonstrating brilliantly.

SINGLE ROD, then LOW POSTURE, but not to dodge away.

STEP FORWARD WITH THE BIG DIPPER without using effort.

With RETREAT TO SITTING TIGER POSTURE, your essence and energy get trained.

SPIN AROUND ON THE FOOT, SWINGING LOTUS KICK will be successful.

With BEND THE BOW TO SHOOT THE TIGER, the opponent will have difficulty enduring it.

With STEP FORWARD, PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH, he will not know what is happening.

SEALING SHUT, then CROSSED HANDS.

Finally conclude with CLOSING POSTURE.

–

太極拳八方五位圖

MAPS OF THE EIGHT DIRECTIONS & FIVE POSITIONS

八方圖

Map of the Eight Directions:

巽 離 坤

☴ ☲ ☷

靠 攄 挒

(bump) (rollback) (rend)

[Left Front] [Front] [Right Front]

震 兌

☳ ☱

擠 按

(press) (push)

[Left] [Right]

艮 坎 乾

☶ ☵ ☰

肘 掤 採

(elbow) (ward-off) (pluck)

[Left Rear] [Rear] [Right Rear]

–

五位圖

Map of the Five Positions:

火

fire

進

(advance [south])

木 土 金

wood soil metal

顧 定 盼

(left [east]) (center) (right [west])

水

water

退

(retreat [north])

說明

EXPLANATION OF THE MAPS

八方者。八卦也。五位者。五行也。太極拳法之方向。有奇正。有八方。其姿式。由首至尾。式式合於易理。動靜便有奇正。拳譜載。坎離震兌。四正方。卽以喩掤攄擠按者。乾坤艮巽四斜角。亦卽採挒肘靠也。不惟四隅四正。可喩八卦。卽各姿式中。亦莫不各。有奇正。一奇正卽二卦也。以玉女穿梭言之。每一式有二動作。第一動作。由正面向起點轉身是為坎卦。第二動作。進步向起點右角。是為巽卦。卽一百十四圖。一百十五圖也。再演由起點轉向正面。是為離卦。再進步向右前方。是為艮卦卽一百十六圖。一百十七圖也。合四式。共八動作。四正四隅。卽八卦也。亦卽奇正之八方也。太極之步法。有五位。五位卽五步之代名詞。五步卽以喩五行。五行卽金木水火土也。五行又具五性。互相生剋。因以喩進退顧盻定五者。前進喩火。言其一發便至。令人不及掩耳而閉目也。如世俗之事急者。曰火速。火急。心火自生等類是。後退喩水。水曰潤下。平則停滯。俯則隨轉。左顧喩木。以木有曲直形。梢齊根堅。一枝莫動。百枝不搖。右盻喩金。金屬從革。為最堅固之物。金於五行中。則位於西。故右盻屬焉。中定喩土。土於五行。位於中央。以其圓滿厚實。猶萬物之生於土也。蓋太極拳之姿式。每一動作。此五行之作用俱備焉。所謂不動如山。動如雷霆。退如流星。左顧右盼。上下前後無不貫通焉。

The eight directions correspond to the eight trigrams. The five positions correspond to the five elements. The orientations of the techniques in the Taiji Boxing set are straight or angled, and move to each of the eight directions. From start to finish, its postures all conform to the principles in the Book of Changes. Movement or stillness may be facing to a straight or angled direction.

The Boxing Manual says: “Warding off, rolling back, pressing, and pushing correspond to ☵, ☲, ☳, and ☱ in the four principle compass directions [meaning simply that these are the primary techniques]. Plucking, rending, elbowing, and bumping correspond to ☰, ☷, ☶, and ☴ in the four corner directions [i.e. are the secondary techniques].” It is not only the four primary and four secondary techniques that are analogous to the eight trigrams. Within each posture, there are always straight and angled directions. Whenever you face to a straight and then an angled direction, there are two trigrams that are addressed.

For instance, in the technique of MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE, each of its postures has two movements. In the first movement, turn your torso from the Front to the Rear, the direction of ☵, then in the second movement, advance to the Right Rear, the direction of ☴[☰], as in photos 114 and 115. Likewise, then turn your torso from the Rear to the Front, the direction of ☲, and advance to the Right Front, the direction of ☶[☷], as in photos 116 and 117. This technique is comprised of four postures, making a total of eight movements, aligning toward each of the cardinal and compass directions, all eight trigrams, thus both the straight and angled of the eight directions.

The footwork in Taiji has five positions. The five positions are the five kinds of steps. The five steps correspond to the five elements – metal, wood, water, fire, earth. The five elements are also five situations, generating and overcoming each other – advance, retreat, step to the left, step to the right, stay in the center.

Advancing corresponds to fire. This one is understood easily enough to keep people from plugging their ears or covering their eyes in confusion. It is typically associated with terms of urgency, such as “huosu” [“fire fast”], “huoji” [“fire urgent”], times when “xinhuo” [“heart fire”] would be building up.

Retreating corresponds to water. [From the Book of Documents, document 32:] “Water soaks downward.” When the terrain is flat, it slows its flow. Where the terrain curves, it follows the curves.

Stepping to the left corresponds to wood. “Wood is flexible yet resilient.” The more regular are the twigs of a tree, the stronger its root. If one branch is not swaying, none of them will be.

Stepping to the right corresponds to metal. “Metal is malleable yet resistant.” It is the hardest substance. Amidst the five elements, metal is associated with the west, therefore with stepping to the right.

Staying in the center corresponds to earth. As the center position of the five elements, it is round and full, like the Earth itself which generates all things.

In each movement of each posture, the function of the five elements is prepared. Whether we are still as a mountain, moving like a thunderclap, retreating like a shooting star, or we are stepping to the left or right, moving upward or downward, forward or back, they pervade always.

–

太極圖式說明

EXPLANATION OF THE TAIJI DIAGRAMS

雙魚太極圖式一

Double-fish taiji diagram 1:

雙魚太極圖式二

Double-fish taiji diagram 2:

周蓮溪太極圖

Zhou Lianxi’s Taiji Diagram:

太極 無極

taiji / wuji

陽動 陰靜

active – movement / passive – stillness

火 水

fire / water

土

earth

木 金

wood / metal

坤道成女

The way of the ground makes the female quality,

乾道成男

the way of the sky makes the male quality,

萬物化生

[and together] they produce all things.

第一二式之太極圖。為世俗所傳者。中繪雙魚形。陰陽交接。互相啣連。蓋天地未分以前。曰太極。此圖卽示混沌未判之意。易經易有太極。是生兩儀。故近世習太極拳。其活步推手。多從此中樞求奧妙。而八卦掌。拳械。則更由此圓圈中求功夫也。第三圖。為宋周敦頤撰。敦頤推道體之本原。曰無極。無極而生太極。太極生兩儀。兩儀生四象。四象生八卦。如吾心寂然。無思。萬善未發。是無極也。然此心未發。自有照然不昧之本體。是太極也。陽動以喩太極。陰靜以喩無極。動之始則陽生。動之極則陰生。始靜則柔。極靜則剛余友孫君祿堂嘗云。太極形意。八卦為一體。余初未深信。後屢得諸老前輩之指導。稍窺門徑。乃知太極之理。實為至道。以及形意八卦。亦皆由無極而太極。由五行而八卦。苟能參透逆運之術。旋乾轉坤。抽坎塡離。迨至一旦貫通三派之理法。謂為同出一源。烏得不可。而太極。圈中之生活。要在讀者自觀省耳。

The first two drawings above are common ways to display a taiji diagram. Within each is drawn a pair of fish representing passive and active interconnected by the way they link at their mouths. The condition before skyness and groundness become distinct from each other is called the Grand Polarity. These drawings depict the concept of the primal murkiness before there were such distinctions. According to the Book of Changes: “Change has a grand polarity, which generates the dual aspects.” Even in our modern times, whenever you practice Taiji Boxing, all the way through to moving-step pushing hands, it is by always following this central principle that you will seek out the secret. In Bagua Palming, its boxing techniques and weapons, skill is to be sought that much more from such circles.

The third image was made by Zhou Dunyi of the Song Dynasty. He advanced the basic origin of the Way as Nonpolarity [rather than Change]. Nonpolarity generated the Grand Polarity, the Grand Polarity generated the dual aspects, the dual aspects generated the four manifestations, and the four manifestations generated the eight trigrams. When one’s mind is silent, without any thoughts, even all good things making no voice, this is called Nonpolarity. But before emerging from such a state of mind, there is already an essence of Being bringing light to the void, and this is called the Grand Polarity. When active, when there is movement, this is like the Grand Polarity. But when passive, when there is stillness, this is like Nonpolarity. When movement starts, then the active aspect is generated. When movement reaches it limit, then the passive aspect is generated. As stillness begins, there is softness. As stillness peaks, there is hardness.

My colleague Sun Lutang once said to me: “Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua are of the same essence.” I was not yet fully convinced of this, and so I repeatedly sought guidance from various masters, gaining a slight understanding. When I finally perceived that Taiji principles indeed arrive at the Way, Xingyi and Bagua were also there. They all go from nonpolarity to grand polarity, from five elements to eight trigrams. If you are able to understand the art of reversal, of switching skyness and groundness, of extinguishing waterness with fireness, then one day you will make the connection between the methods of the three systems, and will proclaim they all come from the same source and that it could not be otherwise. In Taiji, liveliness is to be found within circularity. What is important is that you pay attention and become aware of this point yourself.

–

[MOVEMENT CHARTS – presented here with this orientation:]

右前方 右方 右角

Right Front Right Right Rear

正前方 起點

Front Rear

左前方 左方 左角

Left Front Left Left Rear

–

太極拳第三章動作部位路綫圗

Chart of the movements of the Taiji boxing set in Chapter Three:

NONPOLARITY POSTURE (photo 1) 圗一式極無

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 2) 圗二尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 3) 圗三尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 4) 圗四尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 5) 圗五尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 6) 圗六尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photos 7 & 8) 圗八圗七尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 9 & 10) 圗十圗九尾雀

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 11) 圗一十尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 12) 圗二十尾雀攬

SINGLE ROD (photo 13) 圗三十鞭單

SINGLE ROD (photo 14) 圗四十鞭單

RAISE THE HANDS (photo 15) 圗五十手提

RAISE THE HANDS (photo 16) 圗六十手提

WHITE CRANE’S WINGS (photo 17) 圗七十翅鶴白

WHITE CRANE’S WINGS (photo 18) 圗八十翅鶴白

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 19) 圗九十步膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 20) 圗十二步膝摟

LUTE POSTURE (photo 21) 圗一十二式琶琵

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 22) 圗二廿步膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 23) 圗三廿步膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 24) 圗四廿步膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 25) 圗五廿步膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE – Part 7 (no photo) 圗無式七膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 26) 圗六廿步膝摟

LUTE POSTURE (photo 27) 圗七廿琶琵

SHOW WINGS (photo 28) 圗八廿翅亮

SHOW WINGS (photo 29) 圗九廿翅亮

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 29) [no photo] 圗九廿步膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (no photo) 圗無步膝摟

LUTE POSTURE (photo 30) 圗十三式琶琵

PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH (photo 31) 圗一卅捶攔搬

PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH (photo 32) 圗二卅捶攔搬

PARRY, BLOCK, PUNCH (photo 33) 圗三卅捶攔搬

SEALING SHUT (photo 34) 圗四卅閉似封如

SEALING SHUT (photo 35) 圗五卅閉似封如

CROSSED HANDS (photo 36) 圗六卅手字十

–

太極拳第四章動作部位路綫圗

Chart of the movements of the Taiji boxing set in Chapter Four:

CAPTURE THE TIGER (photo 37) 圗七卅山歸虎抱

CAPTURE THE TIGER (photo 38) 圗八卅山歸虎抱

CAPTURE THE TIGER (photo 39) 圗九卅山歸虎抱

CATCH THE SPARROW – Part 1 (no photo) 圗無一尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW (photo 40) 圗十四尾雀攬

CATCH THE SPARROW – Part 3 (no photo) 圗無三尾雀攬

DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD (photo 41) 圗一十四鞭單斜

DIAGONAL SINGLE ROD (photo 42) 圗二十四鞭單斜

PUNCH UNDER ELBOW (photo 43) 圗三十四捶底肘

RETREATING MONKEY (photo 44) 圗四十四猴攆倒

RETREATING MONKEY (photo 45) 圗五十四猴攆倒

RETREATING MONKEY (photo 46) 圗六十四猴攆倒

RETREATING MONKEY (photo 47) 圗七十四猴攆倒

DIAGONAL FLYING (photo 48) 圗八十四式飛斜

DIAGONAL FLYING (photo 49) 圗九十四式飛斜

DIAGONAL FLYING (photo 50) 圗十五式飛斜

RAISE THE HANDS (photo 51) 圗一十五手提

RAISE THE HANDS (no photo) 圗無手提

WHITE CRANE’S WINGS – Part 1 (no photo) 圗無一翅鶴白

WHITE CRANE’S WINGS – Part 2 (no photo) 圗無二翅鶴白

BRUSH KNEE IN A CROSSED STANCE (no photo) 圗無步拗膝摟

BRUSH KNEE STANCE (photo 52) 圗二十五步膝摟

NEEDLING “UNDER THE SEA” (p