Yang Cheng Fu's 10 Essential Principles
This translation is a work in process. If you have alternate ideas or corrections please email mark@AcuArtistry.com.
For a Literal Translation of Yang Cheng Fu’s 10 Important Points Click here.
For a Literal Translation of Yang Cheng Fu’s 10 Important Points Click here.
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Dictated
by Yang Cheng Fu
Recorded by Chen Wei Ming |
Click Image To View Chinese Text
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1. Elevate the Crown and lift the Spirit – Xu ling Ding Jin - 虛靈頂勁
Empty the thoughts and raise the head as if the crown of the head is pushing up against the heavens. The neck must be straightened to allow the head to be raised. This allows the shen and qi to arrive at the crown of the head. Do not use li or the neck will be stiff and qi and blood circulation will be hindered. One must have natural intention and emptiness in the mind. |
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Shen often translated as spirit. This should not be confused with the xin shen or heart mind which is one of the five aspects of the Shen. The five aspects of the Shen are shen, zhi, yi, hun and po.(mind, will, intention, caporial soul, astral soul.
Li is usually translated as physical strength. Exertion is another possibility. TaiJi Quan practitioners often think of this in a negative sense however in Yi Quan Li takes on a more complex meaning and is not used pejoratively. It is a form of power that should be understood and controlled by the practitioner.
The concept of qi is multi faceted and too complicated to examine in this translation. It will be the topic of future writings.
Li is usually translated as physical strength. Exertion is another possibility. TaiJi Quan practitioners often think of this in a negative sense however in Yi Quan Li takes on a more complex meaning and is not used pejoratively. It is a form of power that should be understood and controlled by the practitioner.
The concept of qi is multi faceted and too complicated to examine in this translation. It will be the topic of future writings.
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2.
Contain the chest, expand the back. – Han Xiong Ba Bei - 含胸拔背
When you depress the chest naturally qi will sink down to the Dan tian. If you expand the chest then qi will raise to the chest causing top heaviness and one will float. To expand the back is to allow the qi to adhere to the back. If one sinks the chest and you will be able to expand the back naturally. Then one can project qi from the spine. |
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Ba means to pull up or out, to
draw up by suction. Bei means to carry something on the back or shoulders. I
have use the word expand in the text but the meaning behind these words is far
more profound.
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3. Song the waist. – Song Yao -鬆腰
The waist is the commander of the body. When one is able to song the waist qi will increase in the legs and thus provide a stable base for firm rooting. Changes of movement from xu to shi and vice versa are derived from movement of the waist. There is a saying that the source of qi is from the waist, therefore if one lacks strength, one should pay more attention to the waist and the lower limbs. |
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Song is normally translated as
relax or loosen. It must be understood
that relax is does not mean collapse and certainly does not mean lack of use. Chen
Zhonghua has described song to mean a natural state of being.
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4.
Differentiate between xu and shi. – Fen Xu Shi - 分虛實
When ones weight is on the right, the right leg becomes shi and the left leg xu, or vice versa. When one is able to distinguish xu shi, one is able to turn and move with lightness and effortlessness. If not, steps will be sluggish and heavy, and ones movements can be easily influenced by others. |
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Xu shi is not as simple a translation as empty
and full or substantial and insubstantial. In Chinese medicine xu is regarded as deficiency and shi
as excess(too little or too much). When xu shi is written together it can take on the meaning of differentiating between true
and false or real and fake. What is
reality?
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5. Sink the shoulders and weigh down the elbows. – Chen Lian Zhu Zhou - 沈肩墜肘
Sinking the shoulders is to let the shoulders be song and drop downwards. If not both shoulders will rise causing qi to rise in them. No strength can be exerted from the body if this happens. Weighting down the elbow is to direct the elbows downward and be song. If the elbows rise up, the shoulders will have great difficulty in sinking, thus affecting the strength of your internal power, and you will not be able to throw your opponent away. This is similar to what is known as ‘stifling the power’ in external martial arts. |
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To say song the shoulders is not to say don't use the shoulders. Song does not mean lifeless. To say drop the elbows does not mean hold them down. This is an internal art and sensation often trumps appearance.
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6. Use Yi and not Li. – Yong Yi Bu Yong Li - 用意不用力
For practitioners of Taiji Quan the whole body must be song so that no li remains within the sinews and bones to restrict ones’s power. Only then will one be light and flexible, and move accordingly. One might doubt how one could develop such power without using li. It is because the human body contains jing luo, which enable the flow of qi. When li is used, this will cause the blockage of qi in these jing luo and result in sluggish movements. Any movement in a small part of the body will affect the whole body. Using the yi, qi will flow to where it is directed. It also helps the flow of blood and qi circulation and strengthens the body. A small movement in any part of the body will affect the whole. If you use mind or the yi then qi will flow where it is directed; qi and blood circulate together if there is no yi then there is no qi and the blood circulation is poor. If you practice this method every day and never stop then after a long time you will develop real internal force. |
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7. Coordinate
the upper body with the lower body. – Shang Xia Xiang Sui - 上下相隨
In Taiji theory, movement should be rooted in the feet, stabilized through the legs, commanded by the waist and expressed through the hands. When the movement of the feet, legs, waist and hands are in unison then intention will follow in the eyes. This is regarded as the complete coordination of above and below. If one of these is missing the movement becomes fragmented. |
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8.
Internal and external coordinate. – Nei Wai Xiang Ge - 內外相合
Taiji theory is in the shen. It is said, “The shen is the commander and the body serves as the messenger.” When the shen is raised and the body becomes light, the form consists of open and close; open means not only opening the hands and legs but also the mind within it. When closing it should be the same. Therefore, there is no gap between the external and the internal and they should be I unison. |
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9.
Continuity without breakage. – Xiang Lian Bu Duan - 相連不斷
In external martial arts, the power used is only physical strength and therefore there is a start and a finish to it. In between is the break where strength from the previous move is finished and before the new force is issued, which is the weakest point and can be easily exploited by the opponent. Taiji Quan uses yi and not li, hence the movements become continuous without ending like a roaring river without ceasing. When in circulation, the qi is described as like drawing silk from a cocoon, to signify continuous flow of movement. |
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10.
Seeking stillness within movement. – Dong Zhong Qiu Jing - 動中求靜
In external martial arts, power is generated by jumping, punching and kicking as hard as possible. Hence after prolonged practice, one is panting for breath and the blood vessels are enlarged. By contrast Taiji Quan emphasizes stillness over movement. Even though in motion, the form appears tranquil. Therefore when practicing, the slower the better, with long deep breathing, to allow the qi to sink to the Dan tian and thus prevent one from over exerting oneself physically. |
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