Friday, November 23, 2012

Rollback Jin (履勁) from The Secret of the Eight Methods (八法秘訣)

履勁義何解?引導使之前,
順其來時力,輕靈不丟頂,
力盡自然空。丟擊任自然,
重心自維持,莫被他人乘。

吳公藻
"How to explain the correct meaning of Rollback/Lü Jin? One guides the opponent forward,
follows the timing of the incoming force, being agile without stopping pushing up the crown of the head.
When the incoming force is exhausted, it will naturally empty itself.
One should maintain one’s center of gravity and do not let the opponent take advantage of it."

By Wú Gōngzǎo (吳公藻), based on the translation by by Yang Jwing Ming (楊俊敏) presented in the book Tai Chi Secrets of the Wu Style (太極拳吳氏先哲秘要).

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Excerpt from Manoeuvering (軍爭) in The Art of War (兵法)

故兵以詐立,以利動,以分合為變者也,故其疾如風,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不動如山,難知如陰,動如雷霆。掠鄉分眾,廓地分利,懸權而動,先知迂直之計者勝,此軍爭之法也。

孫子
"In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed. Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest. In raiding and plundering be like fire, is immovability like a mountain. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. When you plunder a countryside, let the spoil be divided amongst your men; when you capture new territory, cut it up into allotments for the benefit of the soldiery. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. He will conquer who has learnt the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering."

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

Friday, November 9, 2012

Seventh Secret Song (歌訣七) from the The Thirty-Six Songs of Baguazhang (八卦掌三十六歌)

歌訣七

胸欲空兮氣欲沈,
背緊肩垂意前伸。
氣到丹田縮穀道,
直拔顛頂貫精神。
"The chest is empty and the Qi is sunk,
The back is straight, the shoulders are dropped, and the intention is forward.
Qi is led to Dan Tian, the coccyx is withdrawn.
The head is pulled straight upward to let the spirit of vitality pass through."

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"

Friday, November 2, 2012

Ward-off (掤) in The Explanation of Tai Chi Chuan's Harmonious Stepping in Four Sides of Pushing Hands (太極拳合步四正推手解)

掤法向外,駕禦敵人之按手,使不得按至胸腹貼近。故曰掤。此掤字取意,與說文釋義稍異。掤之方式,左右同其用法,最忌板滯。板者,不知自己之運動。滯者,不知敵人之取舍。既不知己,又不知彼,則不成為推手矣。遲重者,必以力禦人,便成死手,非太極家之所取也。必曰掤者,黏也非杭也。手向外掤,意欲黏回,又不使己之掤手與胸部貼近。得化勁全賴轉腰,一轉腰則我之掤勢巳成矣。

楊澄甫
"The technique of Ward-off (Peng) is directed outward. It is used to defend against the opponent's Press (An) to make him unable to Press (An) and block the chest and the abdomen. This is called Peng (Ward off). The meaning of the Ward-off (Peng) character differs slightly from the explanation in the Shuowen (traditional dictionary from the Han dynasty). In the Ward-off (Peng) manner, both right and left are treated in the same way, the most important is to avoid stiffness. If stiff, one cannot feel one’s own movements. If sluggish, one cannot know the opponent’s choices. If one is not aware of oneself and does not know the opponent, then it cannot push hands. When one is slow and heavy, Muscular Force (Li) has to be used to resist the opponent. The hands become ordinary dead hands. This is not what is aimed by the Taiji styles. Ward-off (Peng) is necessarily adhering and not resisting. The Ward-off (Peng) hands are directed outward, the Yi Intention (Yi) is to adhere and revolve, and one does not allow the hands press to one’s own chest. One should use Neutralizing Jin (Hua Jin) by relying on the waist's turning. Once the waist is turned, then the formation of Ward-off (Peng) is completed."

Dictated by Yang Chengfu (楊澄甫口述), noted by Chen Weiming (陳微明筆述), 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