Sixth Secret Song (歌訣六) from the The Thirty-Six Songs of Baguazhang (八卦掌三十六歌)

歌訣六

穿時指掌貼肘行，
後肩改做前肩承。
莫要距離莫猶疑，
步入襠兮是準繩。

"When boring, the palm moves straight forward closely along the elbow
The rear shoulder transforms and continues as the front shoulder
One shall not separate nor hesitate,
To step into the opponent’s crotch is the standard."

Based on the translations by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) and Liang Shou You (梁守渝) in "Baguazhang - Theory and Applications" (峨嵋八卦掌) and by Frank Allen and Tina Chunna Zhang in "The Whirling Circles of Ba Gua Zhang"

Sūn Lùtáng (孫祿堂) in Wújí Stance (無極势)

The Song of the Shoulders (肩) in the Nine Songs of Xing Yi Quan (形意拳九歌) by Jiāng Róngqiáo (薑容樵)

肩

頭宜上頂，
肩宜下垂，
左肩成拗，
右肩自隨，
身力到手，
肩之所為。

薑容樵

"The head should push upwards.
The shoulders properly hang down.
The left shoulder is completely twisted.
The right shoulder will naturally follow.
The body’s strength will arrive at the hands.
It is the shoulder’s position that allows it."

From the book Xing Yi Mother Fists (形意母拳), by Jiāng Róngqiáo (薑容樵), based on the translation by Joseph Crandall

Five Elements in Xíngyì Spear (形意五行枪) and Long Spear (大枪) by Shā Jùnjié (沙俊傑)

Excerpt from Variations in Tactics (九變) in The Art of War (兵法)

故用兵之法，無恃其不來，恃吾有以待之；無恃其不攻，恃吾有所不可攻也。

孫子

"The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable."

Unless noted otherwise, all quotations of classical texts and accompanying translations come from the Chinese Text Project

The Insubstantial Jin leads the Crown Upwards (虛領頂勁) from The Ten Important Points of Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳十要)

虛領頂勁

頂勁者，頭容正直，神貫于頂也。不可用力，用力則項強，氣血不能流通，須有虛靈自然之意。非有虛領頂勁，則精神不能提起也。

楊澄甫

"The crown upward Jin means the head looks upright and the spirit reaches the crown. One should not allow to use force. The use of the force makes the crown stiff and the Qi and blood cannot circulate smoothly and fluidly. The Yi of the insubstantial must be present, agile, natural. Without the insubstantial Jin to lead the crown upward, then the spirit of vitality cannot be raised."

By Yáng Chéngfǔ (楊澄甫), based on the translation by by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Yang Style (太極拳楊氏先哲秘要) and various translations on the internet