My dictionary gives me multiples translations for Dǐng (頂) : it is both the crown of the head, the top and the action to push to the top. One can find the character in words like roof (屋顶), apex (頂部), peak or summit (頂端), hilltop (山頂), pillar (頂梁柱) ; but also to stand up or withstand (頂住), to face against the wind (頂風) or to answer back to a superior (頂撞). It is both the uppermost part of something and an action that goes up and out.
頂
In Internal Martial Arts it is of key importance: it is present in all guidelines about body posture from Tàijí Quán (太極拳), Xíngyì Quán (形意拳) and Bāguà Zhǎng (八卦掌). In most of them it is the first instruction given.
It is for example the first from the Ten Important Points of Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳十要) of Yáng Chéngfǔ (楊澄甫). In general in Tàijí Quán (太極拳) the concept is related to the what Féng Zhìqiáng (馮志強) mentioned as "bǎihuì (GV-20) towards the sky"(百會朝天), the fact that the head is erect and keeps its vitality. In "The Insubstantial Jin leads the Crown Upwards" (虛領頂勁) it is possible to read:
頂勁者，頭容正直，神貫于頂也。
"The crown upward Jin means the head looks upright and the spirit reaches the crown."
And again in the First Secret Song (歌訣一) of Bāguàzhăng (八卦掌):
空胸拔頂下塌腰。
"Empty the chest, lift up the crown of the head, and let the waist sink."
In Xíngyì Quán (形意拳) the concept is developed towards the inner movement of pushing towards the top. It actually is generalized to parts of the posture that lead outwards. For exemple, the second point of the "Push Up From Below (頂)" item from the "Xingyi Eight Characters Secret" (形意八字訣) reads as follows:
手掌外頂，有推山之功，則氣貫周身，力達四肢。
"If the palm of the hand is pushed outward, it has the skill of pushing mountains. The qi permeates the whole body and strength is extended to the four limbs."
Alternative Expressions and Connected Concepts
The fact that the same idea is expressed in different ways in many different texts, but systematically in the same position - i.e. in the beginning of the instruction -, indicates its importance. Among others, one can find:
- "bǎihuì (GV-20) towards the sky" (百會朝天), as mentioned above
- "the top of the head is suspended" (頭頂懸)
- "the starting point is to look upright" (起點面正)
- "the head should push upwards" (頭宜上頂)
The common idea between these different expressions are the "uprightness" and what I call the "contact" of the top of crown of the head, the sensation that it touches something - the sky on the more imaged expressions.
Almost systematically, the idea of Dǐng (頂) comes close in the text with its complement, the idea of loosening or relax - Sōng (鬆). Both together actually fix the postural instruction for two acunpuncture points central to the practice: Governing Vessel's 20th point - bǎihuì (百會) and Conception Vessel's first point - huì yīn (會陰).
Criteria
Push the top of the head - Dǐng (頂) is a key element in the postural instructions and should not be neglected. Quite the opposite, as a foundation block it should always be presente and the body needs to be trained to reach it naturally.It is also a first step for the unification of the body, in particular in relation to Loosening - Sōng (鬆).
Because of its importance, it is necessary to gauge it, which is not always evident. The criteria found in the literature are mostly visual and therefore dependent of a teacher. One that comes to mind is mentioned by Sūn Lùtáng (孫祿堂) in the Study of Bagua Sword (八卦劍學):
起點面正，身子直立不可俯仰。
"The body stands upright, it should not pitch forward or backward."
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