Friday, December 27, 2013

Twentieth Secret Song (歌訣二十) from the The Thirty-Six Songs of Baguazhang (八卦掌三十六歌)

歌訣二十

剛在先兮柔後藏,
柔在先兮剛後張。
他人之柔腰與手,
我則吸腰步穩揚。
"If hardness comes first, then the softness is concealed behind.
If softness comes first, then the hardness is manifested later.
Other people’s softness from the waist and hands
Can be beaten by the absorption of the waist and a steady step."

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, December 20, 2013

The Xíngyì Song of Tài​jí (形意太極歌) by Jiāng Róngqiáo (薑容樵)

形意太極歌

無極乃生陰陽母
動分靜合兩儀輔
三才四象皆無遺
五行六合七曜主

薑容樵
"Wuji is the mother of Yin and Yang.
Movement separates, stillness combines and the Liang Yi supports.
Neither the San Cai nor the Si Xiang are lost.
It is the ruler of the five elements, six combinations and seven stars."

From the book Xing Yi Mother Fists (形意母拳) and The Miscellaneous Form and Eight Postures Form of Xing Yi (形意杂式捶八式拳合刊), by Jiāng Róngqiáo (薑容樵), based on the translation by Joseph Crandall.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao (圍魏救趙) from the Thirty-Six Stratagems (三十六計)

圍魏救趙

共敵不如分敵,敵陽不如敵陰。
"When the enemy is too strong to attack directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that in all things he cannot be superior. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead."

Quoted from Chinese Classics and Translations

Friday, December 6, 2013

The Song of the Emptiness of Three Hearts (心空歌) from The Major Methods of Wudang Sword (武當劍法大要)

心空歌

歌曰:
手心空,使劍活。
足心空,行步捷。
頂心空,心眼一。
"The song says:
When the palm of the hand is empty, the sword is alive.
When the center of the feet is empty, the stepping is nimble.
When the crown of the head is empty, the mind and the eyes are one."

Based on the translations by Chang Wu Na (張悟納) and Dr. Lu Mei-hui (呂美惠) in "The Major Methods of Wudang Sword " (武當劍法大要)
Disclaimer: I don't practice Wudang Sword myself. However the school's texts and insights are of interest for any internal martial arts practitioner.
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