Taijiquan-Lilun 2

Taijiquan-Lilun� Journal of the Theory of Wu Style Taijiquan

Focus:Understanding basic philosophical terms in Taijiquan 2:

� yin and yang� bagua

Issue 2 · Price 5,50 E

Forum for traditional Wu Tai Chi Chuan

Imprint

Forum for Traditional Wu Tai Chi Chuan

Kontakt:

Martin Boedicker Zum Schickerhof 1847877 Willich/Germany Phone: +49-2154-885780

Email:[email protected] Website:www.wu-taichi.com

Taijiquan-LilunCopyright 2012 by Martin Boedicker Original Issue published in 2003 in German and English.In this journal (also in the citations) the official short characters and the pinyin of the PR of China are used.Cover picture: Patrick Kinzler

Graphic design: Martina Schughart and Monika Ozdarska

Translations: Martin Boedicker

Taijiquan-Lilun · Issue 2 3

Introduction/Contents

Dear Reader,

We are very pleased with how well Wu-style Taijiquan has developed in the West. But this developmenthas concentrated mainly on mastering the Taijiquan movements. In the first issue of Taijiquan-Lilunwe began to introduce the theory of Taijiquan. Following on from the success of that issue, Issue 2 aimsto increase contact with Chinese culture and philosophy, which is the root of Taijiquan. From this should

come a better understanding of Taiji quan theoryas well as the possibility to inte grate that theoryin the practice of Taijiquan.

Special thanks again to Dr Susanne Tietze for thetranslation, Kit Gerould for the editing and Racheland David Barrow for all the help. We hope you allenjoy our magazine.

Freya and Martin Bödicker

Imprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Introduction and Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Philosophy: A brief history of Chinese philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Classics:The classical texts of Taijiquan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Song of the 13 Basic Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Taijiquan Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Focus:Yin and yang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Names of the Sabre Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Shisanshi:The 13 Basic Movements of Taijiquan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Focus:The eight trigrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Susanne Tietze, David Barrow, Rachel Barrow

4

Philosophy

Many readers of the first issue of Taijiquan-Lilunasked us to describe the basis of Chinese philo-sophy in more detail. This issue begins with a briefchronological overview. In the next issues, wewill introduce the individual schools and philo-sophies.

According to Chinese myths, China is said tohave been ruled in the 3rd millennium BC by myth-emperors. These included Emperor Fu Xi, ShenNong, Hung Di (the yellow emperor) and Yu, whoallegedly founded the Xia Dynasty. Around 2000BC the first signs of a highly developed civilisa-tion began to emerge. In the middle of this mil-lennium, the Shang Dynasty ruled. For the firsttime, bronze was produced. From this period, theresurvive texts of oracle on the back of turtles, onbronze containers and inscribed on bones. In the11th century BC the Shang Dynasty was toppledby the Zhou tribe. In the following period, theZhous introduced feudal rule.

The decline of the Zhou Dynasty in the 5thcen tury BC led to the emergence of a series ofsmaller states. Because of continuous strife andwars be tween the feudal lords the time fromapproximately 480 BC until the unification ofthe realm in 211 BC is called “the period of thewarring states”. It was a time of hunger andturmoil because of the ongoing wars. The inven-tion of iron, of the plough and the introductionof monetary economics and consequent changesfuelled efforts to find new ways of living andvalues. The changes in society resulted in mani-fold forms of intellectual life. This time is alsocalled “the time of the hundred schools of philo -sophy”. In no other time before had speculativethinking been cherished and promoted to suchan extent. The competition between different in-tel lectual trends reflects the external conflicts ofthe time. Amongst the schools one finds famousrepresentatives such as the Confucians (rujia),the Mohists (mojia), the Daoists (daojia) as well

as the yin-yang School (yinyangjia), the Lega lists(fajia), the Dia lectians (mingjia) and the Strate -gists of War (bingjia). Their central themes becamesocial life, the ideal order and the relationshipbetween human beings and nature. Teaching wasbased on dialogue, edifying anecdotes or on exam-ples taken from daily life. The plethora of schoolsof philosophy was not to survive China’s politi-cal unification in 221 BC.

In 221 BC the state of Qin conquered itslast rival. Under its lord, from then on calledQin Shi Huangdi, the first unified Chinese stateemerged. Feudalism was abolished in orderto promote the process of unification.Mea sures, laws and writing systems wereharmonised. The Legalist School based onHan Feizi was made the state philosophy.The Legalist School was not concernedwith moral questions. Its aim was to es -tablish binding laws for everyone and thusto establish a stable political system unified underone ruler. The other schools of philosophy werepersecuted and their books and documents burned.Following the death of its first ruler Emperor QinShi Huangdi in 210 BC, the dynasty declined andthe Han Dynasty was established.

The Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) severedthe links with the Legalist School. At the begin-ning of the dynasty, Liu An, the uncle of the firstHan emperor, introduced the work of Daoist Huai-nanzi. However, it was not accepted as the primephilosophy. A slightly changed form of Con fucia -nism became the new state philosophy.

One of the leaders of this Han-Confucianism,which is also called New-text school, was DongZhongshu. He systematically described the con -nection of heaven, man and earth, i.e. between na-ture and social life. He merged in a complicatedway the old Confucianism with the ideas of otherschools e.g. those of the yin-yang School.

A brief history of Chinese philosophy

Taijiquan-Lilun · Issue 2

In terms of philosophical history, the Han Dy nas ty is usually categorised as a neo-classicaltime because its discussions frequently refer to theold schools. However, it should be noted that al -though no completely new school was foundedand despite the referral back to classic works,traditions were frequently changed drastically.

The end of the Han Dynasty in 220 AD heral-ded a time of disharmony and schism lasting foralmost 400 years. China split into a series of short-lived states and dynasties. The spiritual and moralvacuum of this time was filled by Neo-Daoismand by Buddhism, which came from India. Thecentre of the Neo-Daoists was a movement con-sisting mainly of artists and philosophers called“The Seven Wise Men from Bamboo Grove”. Thismovement rejected social and civic duties anddemonstrated this attitude by deliberately pro-voking the public. The Sui (581 - 618 AD) and the

Tang (618 - 906 AD) dynasties ended the time ofdis harmony. A strong central state supported bya system of examinations for civil servants as away of recruiting a ruling elite emerged. It was du -ring the Tang dynasty that Buddhism reached itspeak in China.

Following the 9th Century AD the adversariesof Buddhism focussed on Confucianism again. Du-ring the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) the lea-ding philosophers like Zhou Dunyi, Shao Yong andZhu Xi merged the ideas of Buddhism and Daoismwith Confucianism. This resulted in the so-calledNeo-Confucianism (see Taijiquan-Lilun, Issue 1).The articulation and interpretation of this philo-sophy was based on Zhu Xi and became the newstate philosophy.

In the Yuan Dynasty (1280 - 1368 AD) Chinawas conquered by the Mongols and fell for thefirst time under foreign rule. Politically, these wereinteresting times, but philosophically speakingthere were no new developments. During the Mingdynasty (1368 - 1644 AD) Zhu Xi´s school of ra ti -onalism dominated, but gradually Wang Shouren’sidealistic Neo-Confucianist school turned out tobe a competitor of its influence.

Under the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD) Chinawas conquered by the Manchures. This was thepeak of China’s economic and political develop-ment. Confucianism remained the most influen-tial philosophy. Within Confucianism, however,there were different traditions, from the philo-sophy of the classic Song and Ming Con fucia nismto the more modern ideas of, for example, KangYouwei.

Philosophy


The Mythemporer Huang Di


Classics

Following the decline of the Chinese empire and thebeginning of republican times, Taijiquan, whichhad been kept secret, was taught for the first timeopenly: “As early as 1911 the head of the society forphysical education in Beijing, Xu Yusheng (1879-1945) supported the traditional techniques forstrengthening the self. In 1912 he extended invi-tations to the Taiji masters Wu Jianquan, YangChengfu and his brother Yang Shaohou (1862 -1930) to teach at his institute in Beijing. This ishow Taijiquan “left the door”, that is to say, fromthis time onwards it left the private realm to be -come known to a broader public.” (Bödicker, Sievers, p. 47)

In 1912, Guan Baiyi published at the Beijing ins ti -tute five classic Taijiquan texts, which were pro-bably brought to Beijing by Yang Luchan (see Wile,p. 33). Their titles are:

� The Taijiquan Classic� The Taijiquan Treatise� Mental Elucidation of the

13 Basic Movements� The Song of the 13 Basic Movements� The Song of Striking Hands

The authorship of these five core texts is contested.Following the spreading of Taijiquan, more clas-sic texts and commentaries of various Taijiquanschools were published.

The family Wu received the five core texts from thefamily Yang. They were published in 1935 bothby Wu Gongzao in his book “Principles of Taiji -quan” (Taijiquan jiangyi) as well as by Ma Yueliangin “Wu Jianquan’s Taijiquan” (Wu Jianquan shide taijiquan). In 1980, Wu Gongzao published “TheTaijiquan of the Wu family (Wujia taijiquan)”.Because of the colour of its cover, it is known as“The Golden Book”. Besides the five core textsand other texts, it also contains a collection of 40titles: “Explanation of the method of Taijiquan(Taiji fashuo) ”, which have been reproduced from

the original handwritten text. Wu Gongzao ex -plains that these texts contain the teachings asthey were received by Quanyou, the father of WuJianquan, from Yang Banhou. The same 40 textswere pub lished in 1993 by Yang Chengfu’s son,Yang Zhenji, en ti tled “40 Chapters of the FamilyYang”. The Golden Book by Wu Gongzao is a sourcefor the theories of Taijiquan, which will be drawnon ex ten sively in this and future issues of Taiji -quan-Lilun.

· Bödicker, Martin, Sievers Armin, China im Wandel. Die Zeit der großen Tai Chi-Meister, Mach: Art, Ratingen, 1998.

· Wile, Douglas, Lost T’ai chi classics from the late Ch’ing dynasty,State University Press of New York, Albany, 1996.

The classical texts of Taijiquan

Cover of “Taiji fashuo“


Classics

The 13 basic movements – none of them should be treated lightly.It is known: the source (of the 13 basic movements) is the waist (yao).

You must pay attention to the interchange between insubstantial and substantial.The qi flows through the body without hindrance.

In silence one encounters movement, in movement one encounters silence.According with one´s opponent the transformation seems to be miraculous.

Keep each movement in your heart/consciousness (xin) and consider its purpose.It will come – even though one might not notice – through time and ceaseless practice (gongfu).

Keep the heart/consciousness (xin) always on the waist (yao).The lower abdomen is completely relaxed (song) and the qi ascends naturally.

The coccyx is erect and the spirit (shen) reaches to the top of the head.The whole body is light and agile, the head is suspended at the crown of the head.

Concentrate with care upon your study.Bending, stretching, opening and closing – let them happen freely.

The passing on of basic knowledge and the guidance to the way need to happen orally.Ceaseless practice (gongfu) is the method of self-cultivation.

You may ask, what are the criteria of foundation and application?Imagination (yi) and qi as the rulers – bones and flesh as the servants.

Become aware of the ultimate purpose.To prolong life. To extend the years. Eternal spring.

This song has 140 written characters.Each word is clear and obvious and its meaning is beyond doubt.

If you are not searching in this direction, you will waste a lot of timeand ceaseless practice (gongfu) and you will leave behind nothing but a sigh.

The Song of the 13 Basic Movements(Shisanshi gejue)


Classics

Taiji is born out of wuji. It is the origin of move-ment and stillness and the mother of yin and yang.In movement, it separates; in stillness, it unites.There is no excess or insufficiency. Bending leadsto stretching. The other is hard, I am soft – thisis called going along with (zou). I follow, he doesthe opposite, this is called adhering (nian). If amove ment is fast, you respond quickly. If a move-ment is slow, you respond slowly. Although thetransformations are infinite, the principle re -mains unchanged. If one is practised in this,one will gradually achieve understan-ding of the jin-power (dongjin) .The understanding of jin-po weris followed by degrees by en -lightenment (shenming).Without consistent effort,however, one cannot sud -denly understand it.

Erect head and emptyneck (xuling dingjin). Theqi sinks into the dantian(qichen dantian). No til-ting, no leaning against it.Once hidden, once visible.Left weighted – left empty.Right weighted – right empty.Look up – higher. Look down – deeper.Retreat – longer. Advance – shorter. Not evena feather can be added. A fly can’t settle. The otherdoes not know me; I alone know the other. An in -vincible hero, isn’t he, who has mastered all of this?

There are many different kinds of martial artsschools. The movements might differ, but in ge -ne ral the following is shared: The strong oppres-sing the weak, slowness resigning in the light offastness. The one with power defeats the one with-out. The slow hand surrenders to the fast hand.All of these are indeed inherent natural abilities,which are not associated with study and prac-tice. The sentence “With the use of four ounces onecan easily deflect one thousand pounds”, shows

that one should win without the use of force.Behold, an old man beats away several enemies.How can this be by fastness?

Stand like a balanced scale. Smooth like a wheel.If one side sinks, one can follow (sui). Doubleweighting (shuangzhong) leads to stagnation.Often, one sees people who even after years ofserious practice are still far from having maste-red the ability to neutralise (hua). Often the other

person controls them, because they have notrealised the fault of double weight ing.

If one wants to avoid this fault, oneneeds to know yin and yang.

Adhere (nian) is to go alongwith (zou). To go along with

(zou) is to adhere (nian).Yin does not separatefrom yang. Yang doesnot separate from yin.Yin and yang comple-ment each other. This isthe way to understand

the jin-power (dongjin).Having understood the jin-

power, more practice follows,and greater refinement. Re -

cognise it silently, try to exploreit until one is free to follow the de-

sires of the heart (xin). The key is to give upyourself and to follow the other. Many mistaken-ly forsake the near to seek the far. It is said: todiverge by the breadth of one hair will lead youastray from the goal by 1000 Li [Chinese meas-urement of distance]. While studying, one needsto be aware of this.

The long boxing flows continuously like a longriver and the sea. There are 13 basic movements:peng, lü, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou and kao, which are inline with the eight trigrams (bagua), and jinbu(to advance), tuibu (to retreat), zuogu (to look left),youpan (to look right) and zhongding (centralequilibrium), which are in line with the five pha ses

“The Taijiquan Classic”(Taijiquan jing)


Classics

(wuxing). Peng, lü, ji and an be long to the trigramsqian, kun, kan and li and represent the four sides.Cai, lie, zhou and kao be long to the trigrams xun,zhen, dui and gen and represent the four obliqueangles. Jinbu, tuibu, zuogu, youpan and zhong -ding are equivalent to metal, wood, water, fireand earth.

(Note in the original: This is ta kenfrom the work of the teacherZhang Sanfeng of the Wudangmountain, who wants the he ro esof this world to use it to prolongtheir lives and not only for mar-tial arts.) (Wu, p. 104)

The “Taijiquan Classic (Taijiquanjing) ” is one of the five coreclassic texts of Taijiquan. Theauth orship is contested and,depen ding on the source, isattributed to Wang Zongyue orZhang San feng. Also, the titlesometimes changes dependingon the tradi tion, sometimes it iscited as the “Taijiquan Classic”and some ti mes as the “ TaijiquanTreatise”. The body of the text isdivided in to two main parts. Thesecond part beginning with “Thelong box ing...” is not alwayscited as part of the “TaijiquanClassic”.

The special quality of the “Taiji -quan Classic” is the merging ofChinese cosmology with the prac-tice of Taijiquan. This cosmologyfollows the “Expla nations of thetaiji-diagram” by Zhou Dunyi (seeTaijiquan-Lilun, Issue 1):

1. Explanation of the taiji-diagram by Zhou Dunyi

Wuji and then (respectively and yet) taiji. In move-ment taiji creates yang. When the movement hasreached its limits, there is stillness. When still,taiji creates yin. When stillness has reached its li-mits, there is a return to movement. Movement andstillness alternate. Each is the root of the other.

2. The Taijiquan Classic

Taiji is born out of wuji. It is the origin of move-ment and stillness and the mother of yin and yang.In movement, it separates; in stillness, it unites.

If one acknowledges that the cos-mos is built following the theo-ry of taiji, it follows that martialarts have to follow this theory inorder to be effective. This meansmore than anything else – as isalso stressed in the “TaijiquanClas sic” – knowing about yin andyang. Therefore one has to ana-lyse one’s own movements aswell as the attack and defencesys tems from a yin-yang per-spective.

With the help of this knowledgeone can align oneself with thecosmological structure. In doingthis one achieves the freedom tofollow one’s own wishes. Not onlydoes one practise martial arts, butone is also able to prolong one’slife through Taijiquan.

· Wu Gongzhao, Wujia Taijiquan, Xianggang Jianquan Taijiquanshi Chubanxiaozu, Hongkong, 1981.

9

The taiji-dia gram of Zhou Dunyi

Focus

10

Yin and yang

The yin-yang sign frequently symbolises the mar -tial art of Taijiquan. It expresses the cyclic changebetween yin and yang, with the black part stan-ding for yin and the white part for yang.

The central significance of yin and yang for Taiji -quan is also discussed in the “Taijiquan Classic(Taijiquan jing)”. This starts with the sentences:“Taiji is born out of wuji. It is the origin of move -ment and stillness and the mother of yin and yang”(see previous article). It is important that the stu-dent of Taijiquan is knowledgeable about yin andyang, because this is the only way to understandthis martial art and to avoid serious mistakes.

This article is meant to contribute to an improvedunderstanding of yin and yang. First, general con-cepts of yin and yang will be explained. Then op -posite pairs will be allocated to either yin or yang.Finally, aspects of yin and yang when practisingTaijiquan will be explained.

The concept of yin and yang

Mathew’s Chinese-English Dictionary providesthe following explanation:“Yin: Shady; secret; dark. Mysterious. Cold. Thenegative or female principle in nature; it is theopposite of yang. The south of a river; the northof a hill.Yang: Clear; bright. The sun. Heat. Pertaining tothis world. Superior. Upper. Front. The north of ariver; the south of a hill.”

Even though yin is called the opposite of yang,under yin and yang there are not only opposite

pairs such as dark/light; cold/heat, but also thenorthern/ southern bank of a river and the southern/northern side of a hill, which describe the oppo-site aspects of the same thing. The new Chinese-German dictionary lists do not provide a directtranslation as the first meaning. Yang is stated as:“Yang: Yang, n” is the male or positive principle innature, following traditional Chi nese philosophy,medicine and so on. For yin, male is replaced byfemale and positive by negative.

Historical discussion of yin and yang

The usage of the notions of yin and yang as phi-losophical terms started around 400 BC. They arefound in an appendix of Yijing, at Zhuangzi andMozi, but were also used in the calendar system,in geomancy and in the Shijing (a collection offolk songs). Granet comments: “Between the 5thand 3rd century the symbols yin and yang wereused by different theoreticians of different schools.This quite general use of these symbols points totheir vast influence on a variety of processes andteachings.” (Granet, p. 87)

In the Shijing (approximately 500 BC) yin is asso -ciated with cold and dull weather, a cloud-coveredsky, of the interior and it describes the “dark anddank chamber, which was used to store ice inwinter.” (Granet, p. 88) Yang is associated withsun and warmth and it “characterises those daysof spring, which resonate with the gradual in creaseof warmth.” (Granet, p. 88) Needham points outthat even the old Chinese “characters for yin andyang are connected with darkness and light. Yin involves graphs for hill (-shadows) and clouds,and the yang character has slanting sun-rays ora flag fluttering in the sunshine.” (see Needham, p. 160)


Focus


The written characters for yin and yang consist to the left of the radical (character for a category)for hill:

The right-hand side of yang contains the sun:

The right-hand side of yin contains a cloud(yun):

And jin

as a sound-giving element. The pronunciation ofyin is composed of yun and jin(cf. Needham, p. 137).

In the Shuowen jiezi, a dictionary originatingfrom about 200 AD, which explains the meaningof such written characters, the following mea-nings are listed: Yin: darkness; southern side of theriver; northern side of a hill. Yang: opposite of yin;lightness.

yin yang

Seal script

Standard script

In the context of the reform of the written language in thePeople’s Republic of China in the year 1958, which centred onthe reduction of lines in the characters, the right-hand part ofthe character yang was reduced to the radical “sun”. The radical “moon” replaced the right-hand side of the sign yin.

yin yang

Standard script (short characters)

Focus

The southern side of a mountain is, like the nor-thern part of a river, the part which catches thesun. The other part is in the dark.

As the extract from the dictionary shows, the us -age of the words yin and yang reaches far be yondthis concrete picture. Granet comments: “The anti -thetical relationship between yin and yang is evi -dently... to point at every opposite. This explainsthe willingness to find in its opposite the antithe sisof yin and yang, which expresses the essence ofeach opposite.” (Granet, p. 92) If opposites areseen as the opposites of yin and yang, it must bepossible to attribute opposite pairs to either yinor yang. Using an old table, one finds the followingpairings.

yang yin

warm coldlight darksun moonday nightsummer winterspring autumnbirth deathabove belowheaven earthman womanoutside inside

Following Western thought this table seems toimply that the elements of one category share cer-tain characteristics and are connected by a sharedessence. But as Ames points out, in Chinese think-ing, categories are not defined in this manner.The establishment of categories is based on ana -logy, which is similarity as well as temporal andspatial proximity.

Following Chinese thinking, therefore, one canes tablish connections within a category. Pairingwarm – cold and light – dark, yang fits summer,day and yin, winter, night. The moon belongs tothe night, the son to the day. With regard to theordering of male – female, Granet points to thetraditional Chinese society, in which the divisionof labour was based on men doing agriculture workand women weaving hemp cloth. Working thefields is an outdoor activity (outside), taking placein the sunlight and during the warm seasons. Fe -male weavers work during the winter months in -side the house (inside). “Both sexes were subjectto an antithetical discipline. Their realms of acti -vity were the inside (nei) and the outside (wai) –which were also the areas of activity of yin andyang, of shadow and of light. This is why the op -posite of the sexes found its mythical expressionin the opposition of yin and yang.” (Granet, p.1004) The relationship between above and be -low, between heaven and earth or the hierarchicalordering between human beings is thus explai-ned with yin (below) and yang (above). Ames usesthe image that the higher “overshadows” the lower.(Ames, p. 52, Lau, Ames, p. 103)

The yin-yang relationship

Pairs of opposites, which can be considered as ayin-yang relationship, are characterised by a spe-cific relationship. Yin and yang are not irreconci -l able opposites, and they are never really consi-dered separate entities:

“The idea of the pair is never separated from theidea of a connection; the essential rule of dualityis the notion that both parts together form a whole.”The opposite duality of yin and yang is never andnever was understood as a principal and abso luteopposite, comparable to the to be or not to be, togood and evil. Rather it is a relative duality of arhythmic nature, which consists of two rival, yetcomplementary, groups, just like opposite sexes,and which work interchangeably and alternatein dominance. (Granet, p. 107)

Following Granet’s statement that yin and yangare dominant in an alternate manner, it becomesclear that the change between yin and yang is ofa cyclic nature.


S N


Focus

The exchange occurs when either yin or yang havereached an extreme. This becomes clear in the areaof the calendar. The change from winter (yin) tospring (yang) and from summer (yang) to au tumn(yin) occurs at the sun’s solstice, which is the dateof the longest night (greatest darkness) or thelon g est day (greatest light).

It is therefore not a contradiction that yin and yangare also grouped with more static pairs of oppo-sition, such as the sunny and shadowy sides of amountain. “This change does not only occur in thesequence of dark times (night, winter) and lighttimes (day, summer), but also in the evocation ofthe two sides of a landscape, which can changefrom a shadowy slope (yin) to a sunny slope (yang).”(Granet, p. 95)

The change from yang to yin is always implied.Ac cording to Ames (p. 103), the “day” is not simp-ly “day” (yang), but “day-becoming-night” and“night” (yin) is “night-becoming-day”. This im -plies that without yin there cannot be yang andvice versa. Yin and yang are to be applied to a con-crete pair in a concrete situation. Man carries ingeneral yang-aspects. This aspect he will containin the relationship with a younger brother, forexample, or his wife. In the relationship with hiselder brother, however, he is yin.

This means that in a specific situation and refer-ring to specific characteristics this general ordercan change. It is important to consider which twothings or persons are positioned in relation towhich feature. (see Ames, pp. 47)

Yin and yang in Taijiquan

The meaning of yin and yang in Taijiquan can bein ferred from the word taiji. As outlined in Issue 1of Taijiquan-Lilun, in Chinese philosophy the ideaof taiji is closely related to the idea of yin and yang.This is also the basis of the theory of the martialart of Taijiquan, as one can tell from, for exam-ple, the first sentence of the “Taijiquan Classic(Taijiquan jing) ” . There it states that taiji is “themother of yin and yang”. The next sentences of thistext contain several opposite pairs, ba sed on aconsideration of aspects of yin-yang: movement/stillness; bending/stretching; hard/soft.

Wu Yinghua and Ma Yueliang comment on thepair movement (yang) and stillness (yin) in theirex planation of the notion of “Taijiquan”: “For thepurpose of self-cultivation, it is taiji when thereis stillness in movements, that is, when yin coin -ci des with yang.” (Wu, Ma. p. 13) The pair of ben-ding and stretching can be found in the text“Names (Cheng)”, which is over 2100 years old,and which contains a list of yin and yang phe-nomena: (Yates, p. 167)

“Heaven is yang, earth is yin.Spring is yang, autumn is yin.Summer is yang, winter is yin. (...)Those who stretch are yang,those who bend are yin.”

The “Taijiquan Classic (Taijiquan jing)” points onthis occasion to a change between yin and yang:“Following the bending leads to stretching.”

Hard (gan) and soft (rou) are in “Taijiquan Clas -sic” distributed between the other (gan) and thestudent of Taijiquan (rou). This considers a rela-tionship between two people. Wu Yinghua andMa Yueliang explain this section: “Rou means softand flexible, gan means hard and energetic. Rouas the negative force belongs to yin, gan as posi-tive force belongs to yang. If in tuishou the forceyou use is antagonistic to that of your opponent,we call it the gan force, regardless of its quality,that is, whether it is heavy or light.

“On the other hand, if your force does not resistor oppose the other’s, we call it the rou force. Thedextrous and quick interweaving action of thesetwo different forces are the fundamentals of themartial art of Taijiquan.” (Wu, Ma. p. 9) This isfollowed by the comment that if two persons usegan force exclusively, the physically stronger per-son will win; when more lithe, soft power is used,it is frequently possible that the gan force – theso-called dead force – is cancelled out.

The central ideas to this are to go along with(zou) and sticking (nian). To go along with, reac-ting with rou force to an attack based on ganforce, is called neutralising an attack. Sticking iscalled controlling the enemy. As a counterattackthe use of gan force is desirable and is adequatewith the change of one’s own force from yin to


Focus

yang: “But retreating without attacking also runscounter to the principles of Taijiquan, which callsfor the interaction of rou and gan.” (Wu, Ma, p. 11)

If the other person is in a difficult position, it isappropriate to attack with gan force. Even the un -derstanding of the individual figures and move-ments of Taijiquan can be deepened by understan -ding yin and yang. For example, Wu Yinghua andMa Yueliang (see Wu, Ma. p. 26) explain hand po-sitions by referring to yin and yang. They differen -tiate open hands between the yin palm, the yangpalm and the upright hand. The yin palm is a palm

which points downwards or is turned inside. It isused to absorb the opponent’s force. The yang palmpoints to the outside with upright fingers or isupright.

These examples demonstrate how closely Taiji -quan combines basic concepts of Chinese philo-sophy with the theories and practice of Taiji -quan. Ma Jiangbao comments: “In combining one’sown practical experiences with the study of thetheories of the old texts, it becomes possible toimprove one’s Taijiquan more effectively.” (Ma, p. 5)

· Ames, Roger, Sun-tzu: The Art of War, Ballantine Books, New York, 1993.

· Das neue chinesisch-deutsche Wörterbuch, The Commercial Press, Hong Kong, 1986.

· Granet, Marcel, Das chinesische Denken, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main, 1997.

· Lau, D.C., Ames, Roger, Sun Pin: The Art of War, Ballantine Books, New York, 1996.

· Ma, Jiangbao, Grundlagen und Geschichte des Wu-Stil Tai ChiChuan, Mach:Art, Ratingen, 2001.

· Mathews R.H., Mathews´ Chinese-English Dictionary, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2000.

· Needham, Joseph, The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1978.

· Shuowen jiezi, Tianjinshi Xinhua Shudian Faxing, 1980.

· Wu, Yinghua, Ma, Yueliang, Wu Style Taichichuan, Shanghai Book Co, Hong Kong, 1991.

· Yates, Robin D.S., Five Lost Classics: Tao, Huang-lao, and Yin-yangin Han China, Random House, New York, 1997.


Focus

Left hand: yin palmRight hand: yang palm

Left hand: yang palmRight hand: upright hand

Left hand: yin palmRight hand: yang palm

Freya Bödicker


Sabre Form

The Names of the Sabre Form

1. Beginning Form2. Outline the sparrow’s tail3. Brush knee and step4. Parting sabre5. Draw like lightening and look at sabre6. Step back and steal the sabre7. Stab in the middle of the chest8. With the sabre in front of the gate9. Open the window and look at the moon

10. Turn and split11. Turn and draw the sabre upwards12. Open the window and look at the moon13. The sparrowhawk turns around14. Turn and draw the sabre upwards15. Advance and steal the sabre16. Stab the face17. Turn and hide the sabre18. The green dragon stretches its claws

Bart Saris


Sabre Form

19. To kill the tiger20. Advance and draw the sabre upwards21. Step forward and steal the sabre22. Stab in the middle of the chest23. Turn and hide the sabre24. Three times open25. Mr Zhen takes off his boot26. Turn and hide the sabre27. To stab against the direction of the scales28. Turn and split29. Step forwards and draw the sabre upwards30. To circle above the head and single whip31. With the sabre in front of the gate32. Turn and draw the sabre upwards33. To stab against the direction of the scales34. Turn and split35. Step forwards and draw the sabre upwards36. To explore the sea37. Step back and steal the sabre38. Stab in the middle of the chest39. With the sabre in front of the gate40. Open the window and look at the moon41. Jade-ring and hold sabre high42. The wild tiger jumps over

the mountain brook43. Stab in the middle of the chest44. Night fight, eight directions

and hide the sabre45. Wrap around the brain and hide the sabre46. Stab into the middle of the chest47. Lying dragon48. Arrival and the sabre parts the cloud49. Hide the sabre50. Dividing sabre, at the side of the body51. Retreat, wind round the head

and hide the sabre52. Step forward and resting fish53. Protect the knee and hide the sabre54. Stab the face55. Retreat and hide the sabre56. Step forward and resting fish57. The sabre parts the cloud58. Hide the sabre59. Stab the face60. Turn and deflect sabre61. Stab into the middle of the chest62. Turn the horse and lift the bell63. Flying oblique64. Into the middle of the chest

and embrace the moon65. Leap and stabbing sabre

66. The big bird Peng stretches its wings67. Step forward and lift the sabre68. To kill the tiger69. Step back and draw like lightening70. Advance and splitting sabre71. Stab into the middle of the chest72. With the sabre in front of the gate73. Advance and draw the sabre upwards74. Turn and split75. Step forward and draw the sabre upwards76. Crossed step back;

to circle above the head and single whip77. The green dragon shows its claws78. Flying oblique79. Clouds cover the mountain Wushan80. Push the boat down the river81. The meteor chases the moon82. With the left hand draw the sabre

to the right and upwards83. Draw the sabre to the left and upwards84. Step back and steal the sabre85. Leaping sabre86. Step forward and push with the sabre87. Turn and splitting sabre88. To stab in the middle of the chest89. Turn the arm and cut the bamboo90. To turn the ring and to lift the basket91. Sabre splits the horse92. In series splitting sabre93. To turn left and splitting sabre94. To turn right and splitting sabre95. To wind around the head

and hide the sabre96. To wind around the brain

and hide the sabre97. To stab into the middle of the chest98. To turn over the sabre

and to embrace the concubine99. To finish the sabre form


Shisanshi

Usually, the beginner first learns the slow form ofTaijiquan. Anyone who at this stage is interestedin the classic texts of Taijiquan will find time andtime again the notion of the 13 basic movements.So what are these 13 basic movements? In Chi nesethey are called shisanshi.

Shisan is the number 13 and the second shi meansbasic movement. In a direct translation shi is gi -ven as “posture”, “position”, “gesture” or, as inSunzi, “strategic advantage”. When talking aboutTaiji quan it is best to use the word “movement”to express the dy namic character of shi. The 13basic movements are sub divided intoeight hand tech ni ques (ba men,litera lly: eight ga tes) and fivesteps (wubu). The eight handtech niques are al locatedto the com pass pointsre spectively to theeight trigrams.

The five steps areal lo ca ted to the fivephases (wu xing). Theeight directions arein China tradition -a lly the four sidesNorth, South, East andWest and the four cor-ners, NE, SE, SW, NW.Together, these make up the13 basic movements of Taiji quan.They are explained in the “Explana -tion of the method of Taijiquan (Taiji fashuo)”in text 1:

The eight hand techniques and the five steps (Bamen wubu)

Direction Eight Gates

peng South kanlü West li ji East duian North zhencai Northwest xunlie Southeast qianzhou Northeast kunkao Southwest gen

“The compass points and the eight hand techni-ques demonstrate the law of the cyclic changebetween yin and yang, which changes eternally.In brief, one has to learn the four sides and thefour corners. Peng, lü, ji and an are the hand tech-niques of the four sides. Cai, lie, zhou and kao are

the four hand techniques of the fourcorners. Combining the hand tech-

niques of the four sides andthe four corners we achieve

the allocation of the ga tes to the trigrams.

The differentiationbe tween five steps(wubu) is based onthe idea of the fivephases (wuxing) andsupports the eightdi rections. The five

phases are: jinbu (toadvance)/fire, tuibu (to

retreat)/water; zuogu (tolook left)/wood, youpan

(to look right)/metal; zhong -ding (central equilibrium), the

cen tre of the directions/earth. Ad van-cing and retreating are the steps of water and

fire and to look left and right are the steps of metal

The 13 Basic Movements of Taijiquan

19

Shisanshi

and wood. The central equilibrium of the earth isthe central point of the axis. The eight trigramsare hidden in the body, and the feet step the fivephases. The eight hand techniques and five stepsmake 13. This is how the 13 basic movements arecreated naturally and are called the eight gatesand the five steps.“ (Wu, p. 16).

The 13 movements are the basis of Taijiquan. Bycombining the hand techniques with the diffe-rent steps, one can achieve a large variety of move -ments. The execution of the 13 movements isdiscussed in the “Explanation of the method ofTaijiquan (Taiji fashuo)” in text 2:

The method of application of the eight hand techniques and five steps(Bamen wubu yonggongfa)

“The eight trigrams and the five phases are part ofman’s natural endowment. First one has to un -der stand the meaning of the notion of consciousmove ment (zhijue yundong). Once one has un der-stood it, one has mastered the understanding ofjin-power (dongjin). Following the understandingof jin-power (dongjin) one can achieve enlighten-ment (shenming). So at the beginning of one’sstudies one has to achieve knowledge about theconscious movement (zhijue yundong), which alt-hough it is part of our natural endowment, is dif-ficult to grasp.” (Wu, pp. 16)

The meaning and function of the 13 basic move-ments is again explained in the “Song of the 13basic movements (Shisanshi gejue) ” (see thisissue, p. 7). Because of the importance of the 13basic movements for Taijiquan, the next issuesof Taijiquan-Lilun, beginning with this one, willpresent in detail first the eight hand movementsand then the five steps. We will begin in thisissue with the hand techni que called lü:

In Issue 1 lü was used as an example to de -monstrate the difficulty of translating technical

Taijiquan vocabulary. It was shown that no directtranslation exists, but that there are only expla-nations of the quality of lü. This is why it is so im-portant to engage with these explanations.

Ma Jiangbao says that lü is the hand techniquewhich needs to be learned first. It is the first, be -cause it is meant to introduce the student to oneof the essential abilities of Taijiquan: In using lüthe power of the other is diverted and neutralised.Chinese texts often use for an explanation of lüthe words yin or yindao, which means “to lead”or “to guide”. This is how it is for example used inthe “Secret song of the eight methods (Bafa mijue) ”,where one finds about lü:

“How to explain the meaning of lü?To lead the other (yindao)and let him come forward.Following the other’s incoming force.Light and subtle, without losing contact or resisting.The power ebbs out naturally (ziran)into the emptiness.Throw or attack follows naturally (ziran).Maintain your own centre.This can not be exploited by the other.”(Wu, p. 102)

Ma Yueliang explains:

“Lü is an overt power (mingjin). If the other at -tacks, this is the moment to familiarise oneselfthrough peng with his direction. Then, one leadshim on – without even noticing – to continue theadvance. Thus one can divert the attack to theright or to the left. The power and speed of thediverting depends on the power and speed of theattack. One waits until the other’s power is wan -ing (shishi), which is when one lets go and startsthe counter-attack. Mechanically, lü works likean axis, going either to the right or the left.”(Ma, Xu, S. 10)

Ma Jiangbao points to the explanation of lü alsoin the “Song of striking hands (Dashouge)” (seeIssue 1), where it says: “Divert (yin) the attack(jin) into emptiness (luokong)”. In doing so hecon centrates on the quality of a good lü, whichshould give the attacker the feeling of falling intoan abyss.



Shisanshi

Ma Hailong comments on lü: “Lü is the diverting(yin) power. It has a circular effect, follows thepower of motion and retains control. If doing lü,one has to keep one’s centre.” (Wu, Ma, p. 169)

Lü is therefore a technique that leads the at tack-ing power into a circle, so that it misses one’sbody and head into emptiness. It is important tonote that the diverting is based on a minimumof power and one’s centre is not in danger. If onecan achieve this, one can also realise the principle

of lightness (qing) and one can easily deflect thepower of a thousand pounds with the use of fourounces.

· Ma, Yueliang, Xu, Wen, Wushi Taijiquan Tuishou, XianggangShanghai Shuju Chuban, Hongkong, 1986.

· Wu, Gongzhao, Wujia Taijiquan, Xianggang Jianquan TaijiquanshiChubanxiaozu, Hongkong, 1981.

· Wu, Yinghua, Ma, Yueliang, Wushi Taijijian, Renmin TiyuChubanshe, Peking, 2001.

Robert Rudniak und Martin Bödicker


Focus

The eight trigrams (bagua)

In some of the classic texts of Taijiquan there isa connection between the eight hand techni-ques (bamen) and the eight trigrams (bagua).The system of the eight trigrams is of funda-mental importance for Chinese philosophy andthey are the foundation of the book of changes(Yijing). It is said that the eight trigrams werederived by the legendary Emperor Fu Xi’s obser-vations of nature. It is certain that the eight tri-grams were used in the early Zhou period as abasis for oracles. Only later were they integratedinto the theory of the five phases (wuxing) bythe yin-yang school. The eight trigrams are formedfrom three parallel, horizontal lines, which areeither uninterrupted and hard (gang) or brokenand soft (rou). Generally speaking, the hard linesare yang and the soft lines yin. Each trigram car-ries a particular meaning and feature:

qian kunheaven earthThe Creative The Receptive

kan liwater fireThe Abysmal The Clinging

zhen xunthunder windThe Arousing The Gentle

gen duimountain lakeThe Keeping Still The Joyous

Based on these features, the trigrams became thebasis of a distinct cosmology.

From the commentaries to the Yijing:

“§1 Heaven is high, the earth is low; thus the Crea-tive and the Receptive are determined. In corre-spondence with this difference between low andhigh, inferior and superior places are established.Movement and rest have their definite laws; ac-cording to these, firm [hard] and yielding [soft]lines are differentiated. Events follow definitetrends, each according to its nature. Things aredistinguished from one another in definite clas-ses. In this way good fortune and misfortune comeabout. In the heavens phenomena take form; onearth shapes took form. In this way change andtransformation become manifest.” (Wilhelm, p. 280)

“§2 Therefore the eight trigrams succeed one an-other by turns, as the firm [hard] and the yiel-ding [soft] displace each other.” (Wilhelm, p. 283)

In this cosmology, the eight trigrams are also as -signed to the heavenly directions. There are twoways of pairing, which are complementary. Ac cor-ding to Fu Xi the first pairing tries to achievesymmetry. It is called the order of the early heaven(please note that in Chinese, South is at the top):

Thetrigrams

according toFu Xi

Focus

An explanation for this is given in the commen-taries to the Yijing:

“Heaven and earth determine the direction.The forces of mountain and lake are united.Thunder and wind arouse each other. Water and fire do not combat each other.Thus are the eight trigrams intermingled.”(Wilhelm, p. 265)

The second pairing is that of the late heaven, whichis attributed to King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty. Inthis pairing, the trigrams are shown in the orderof their appearance in the seasons.

From the commentaries to the Yijing:

“All living things come forth in the sign of theArousing. The Arousing stands in the east. Theycome to completion in the sign of the Gentle.The Gentle stands in the southeast. Completionmeans that all creatures become pure and perfect.The Clinging is the brightness in which all crea -tures perceive one another. It is the trigram of thesouth. That the holy sages turned their faces to thesouth while they gave ear to the meaning of theuniverse means that in ruling they turned towardwhat is light. This they evidently took from this tri -gram. The Receptive means the earth. It takes carethat all creatures are nourished. Therefore it is said:“He causes them to serve one another in the sign

of the Receptive.” The Joyous is midautumn, whichrejoices all creatures. Therefore it is said: “Hegives them joy in the sign of the Joyous.”

“He battles in the sign of the Creative.” The Crea -tive is the trigram of the northwest. It meansthat here the dark and the light arouse each other.The Abysmal means water.

It is the trigram of due north, the trigram of toil,to which all creatures are subject. Therefore it issaid: “He toils in the sign of the Abysmal.” Keep -ing Still is the trigram of the northeast, wherebeginning and end of all creatures are completed.Therefore it is said: “He brings them to perfectionin the sign of Keeping Still.” (Wilhelm, p. 269)

Also based on the notes of Yijing is a graph thatexplains the development of the eight trigramsfrom the taiji (see picture on right). This is basedon the Neoconfucian scholar Shao Yong (1011 -1077 AD) and it refers to the sentence:

“In the yi [Change] there is the Great Ultimate(taiji), which produced the two Forms (yi). Thesetwo Forms produced the four emblems (xiang),and the four emblems produced the eight trigrams.(Fung, p. 384)

Within Taijiquan theory the eight hand techni-ques (bamen) are allocated to the eight trigrams.The allocation of trigram to hand technique variesaccording to the “Taijiquan Classic (Taijiquan jing)”and in “The eight hand techniques and five steps(Bamen wubu).” It is not known what these dif-ferences actually mean.

· Fung, Yu-Lan, A History of Chinese Philosophy, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1952.

· Wilhelm, Richard (transl.), I Ging, Diederichs, Munich, 2001.

22 Taijiquan-Lilun · Issue 2

Thetrigrams

according toKing Wen


Focus

The development of the eight trigrams from the taiji according to Shao Yong


Documents

Taijiquan-Lilun 2