Friday, May 31, 2013

Thirteenth Secret Song (歌訣十三) from the The Thirty-Six Songs of Bā​guà​zhǎng (八卦掌三十六歌)

歌訣十三

此掌與人大不同,
手未動兮膀先攻。
未從前伸先後縮,
吸足再吐力獨豐。
"This palm is very different from others.
Before moving the hands, one attacks first with the bladder.
Before extending forward, one withdraws.
One absorbs plenty before emitting abundant power."

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, May 24, 2013

Cheng Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan (鄭子太極拳十三篇)

One of the first books I bought on Tàijíquán (太极拳), it is certainly one of my classics. The book is divided in two sections, the second a more traditional instructional manual of the Yáng Style form in the way that Zhèng Mànqīng (鄭曼青) taught it.
The piece that is really interesting is the first section, the one that gives the title of the book. The thirteen treatises are insightful meditations on the nature, mechanics and impact of Tai Chi Chuan. They are rather clear explanations, away from the jargon of the art, that come from the personal experience of a master. Among the treatises, there are two I am particularly fond of: "Changing the Temperament" and "Strength and Physics".
"Changing the Temperament" is a very personal opinion on impacts of the practice on the practicioner psychology. What strikes me in the text is the modesty of the conclusion, or its non conclusion. He asserts that, despite his own experience, the real impacts on temperament remain to be demonstrated. Zhèng Mànqīng (鄭曼青) takes a refreshing position if compared to more usual and sometimes dogmatic views on the impacts of Tàijíquán (太极拳).
"Strength and Physics" is a clear explanation of the mechanics at play in the practice, an explanation that at the same time is accessible as it avoids the jargon and down-to-earth as it avoids some of the far-fetched pseudo-scientific comparisons of Tàijíquán (太极拳) and physics that one can find in western books.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Push Jin (按勁) from The Secret of the Eight Methods (八法秘訣)

按勁

按勁義何解?運用似水行。
柔中寓剛強,急流勢難當。
遇高則澎滿,逢窪向下潛。
波浪有起伏,有空無不入。

吳公藻
"How do we explain Push/An Jin? Put to use it looks like the flow of water.
Within softness there is hardness. The power of a torrent is hard to resist.
When met in the high it is like full waves. When met in the low, one gets submerged.
Waves move up and down, and there are no holes that it cannot penetrate."

By Wú Gōngzǎo (吳公藻), based on the translation 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).

Friday, May 10, 2013

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



五指各分,
其形似鉤,
虎口圓滿,
似剛似柔,
力須到指,
不可強求。

薑容樵
"The five fingers are well separated.
They take the form of hooks.
The tiger’s mouth is perfectly formed.
It seems firm and flexible at the same time.
Power must arrive to the extremity of the fingers.
But it should not be forced."

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

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Chapter 78 (七十八) from the Dào​dé​jīng (道德經)

七十八

天下莫柔弱於水,而攻堅強者莫之能勝,其無以易之。弱之勝強,柔之勝剛,
天下莫不知,莫能行。

是以聖人云:
受國之垢,
是謂社稷主;
受國不祥,
是謂天下王。

正言若反。

老子
"There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it; - for there is nothing so effectual for which it can be changed.
Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice."


Therefore a sage has said,
'He who accepts his state's reproach,
Is hailed therefore its altars' lord;
To him who bears men's direful woes
They all the name of King accord.'

Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical."

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

Friday, May 3, 2013

Twelfth Secret Song (歌訣十二) from the The Thirty-Six Songs of Baguazhang (八卦掌三十六歌)

歌訣十二

此掌與人大不同,
進步擡前乃有功。
退步還先退後足,
跨步盡外要離中。
"This palm is very different from others.
Step forward and lift the front (foot) to achieve success.
Step backward to move to a prior position by retreating the rear foot
To step at the maximum outwards is vital to keep away from the center (line of the opponent)."

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"