Tàijíquán – True to the Art

Wee Kee Jin

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my late Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan, who imparted to
me the knowledge of the art of Tàijíquán.

All my students, whom accompany me on my journey of taijiquan, pointing out to

scenery that I might have missed.

To my wife, Janice (Siah Ait Tiang), sons Andy Wee Inn Siang, Louis Wee Inn Tze,
Jamie Wee Inn Zheng, and Francis Wee Inn Yu, all of whom support me in my
journey.

Acknowledgement with thanks to Paul Fretter, Sarah Stenson, Dean Cudmore and
all those who have contributed to the publication of this book.
Contents

1. The Quality of Tàijíquán Today . .......................................................... 7

2. The Roadmap to the Hall of Tàijíquán . ............................................. 11
3. The Chang San Feng Tàijí Classic ....................................................... 15
4. The Wang Ts’ung Yueh Tàijí Classic ................................................... 19
5. The Song of the Thirteen Postures . .................................................. 27
6. The Understanding of the Thirteen Postures . .................................. 39
7. The Song of Tuīshoǔ .......................................................................... 49
8. The Song of Substance and Function ................................................ 63
9. Important Points of the Yang Family ................................................. 69
10. The Body of Tàijíquán ....................................................................... 75
11. The Practice and Cultivation of the Tàijíquán Form .......................... 81
12. The Application of Tàijíquán .............................................................. 83
13. The Art of Partner Work in Tàijíquán ................................................ 93
14. Fājìn - Discharging or Releasing the Relaxed Force ......................... 99
15. Yielding and Neutralising ................................................................ 101
16. Tàijíquán the Art of Receiving ......................................................... 105
17. My Tàijí Journey .............................................................................. 111
18. Stories told by Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan ................................... 125
1. The Quality of Tàijíquán Today

The founder of Yi Chuan, teacher Wang Shen Cai, once commented that the quality
of Tàijíquán today has gone downhill and that he hopes one day a practitioner
will be able to restore it to its former standard and glory. Of course, most Tàijí
practitioners are offended by his comment, but I do not think that he is arrogant
in his remark as there will not be a reaction without an action. Li Ya Xuan, a
senior student of Yang Cheng Fu of whom Cheng Man Ching spoke highly, said
that ninety-nine per cent of Tàijí practitioners practice incorrectly. Unlike Wang
Shen Cai, he gave the reason, he said it is because they do not follow the Tàijí
classics in their practice. Looking into the Tàijí circle today, we will find that his
comment is justified and, instead of being offended, we should look at the causes
and find a remedy for them, as it is the duty of every Tàijí practitioner to improve
the quality of Tàijíquán.

Tàijíquán was brought out of the Chen village by Yang Lu Chang, the founder
of the Yang style and it was propagated throughout China by his grandson Yang
Cheng Fu, and Wu Chien Chuan the founder of the Wu style. It was then brought
out of China to other parts of Asia, America and Europe by Tung Ying Chieh, Cheng
Man Ching, Wu Kung Yi and their students.

In the late nineteen sixties, seventies and the eighties, the government of mainland
China began the mass promotion of Tàijíquán in order to promote health among
its population. Various different Tàijí forms were created based on movements
from the traditional styles. In most of these new forms the movements were
simplified, and it was done by people who had no in-depth understanding of
Tàijíquán. Their movements were based on the beauty of the performance rather
than the principles of Tàijíquán. We just have to look at Tàijí competitions, when

Tàijíquán – True to the Art | 7

all the ‘champions’ are performing their Tàijí form it looks more like a dance than Taking the Journey into the Art of Tàijíquán
Tàijíquán. Before embarking on a journey into the art of Tàijíquán, one should understand
the difference between Tàijí and other martial arts. Tàijí is not only a martial art;
The present day Tàijí could be divided into five categories:-
it is also an exercise for health and a philosophy of life. There are many other
1. Tàijí Exercise - This is commonly found in municipal parks in Asia, but exercises which focus on developing the physical body, but neglect to train the
it also includes people anywhere in the world that do the Tàijí form as mind, and there are meditations which focus on developing the mind but not
a movement without any Tàijí principles within it. Although it is better the body. As an exercise Tàijí develops (cultivates) both the mind and the body.
than taking no exercise at all, it is definitely not Tàijíquán. Although yoga also develops both the mind and body, unlike Tàijí, yoga is not a
martial art.
2. Tàijí Dance -This is the, so called, Tàijíquán promoted by the Wushu
Federation in China and Wushu Organisation outside China. It has The philosophy of Tàijí is based on the I Ching (The book of Changes) and its
beautiful movements and posture, the movement flows like a dance application as a martial art is similar to The Art of War by Sun Tze.
(occasionally the practitioners pause the performance at a beautiful
It is perhaps as a martial art that Tàijíquán really stands out from the others.
posture for the audience to take photographs) but it does not have
The commonly understood concepts in martial arts, and generally in human
any Tàijí principles in it. Most of the so-called Tàijí champions in wushu
thinking are that: the at the strong overcomes the weak, the fast overcomes
competitions fall into this category.
the slow, the hard overcomes the soft, and we use brute force and resistance
3. Holy Tàijí - This is most commonly found in the West, where the teacher against an incoming force. In the practice of Tàijíquán the emphasis is on the
who has practiced other forms of meditation combines them with Tàijí weak overcoming the strong, the slow overcoming the fast, the soft overcoming
form. While neglecting the Tàijí principles, they make yin and yang into the hard, using the mind and not brute force and when there is a force, then
something mystical and bring other spiritual practices into it. The teachers yielding to it. Because in Tàijíquán the emphasis is totally the opposite of what
in this category often promote ‘guru worship’ and in this group you often one would normally (habitually) do, the practitioners and would-be practitioners
find ‘gurus’ and ‘followers’, rather than teachers and students. of Tàijíquán must not use a conventional mind-set and methods to understand
and train it. This is most obvious when novices, other martial artists, and even
4. Tàijí gōngfū -These are mainly practitioners of other internal and external
many Tàijí practitioners watch a video of great Tàijí masters bouncing people
martial arts that have taken up Tàijí. Although they are practicing the
off to a great distance with both feet of these people off the ground, and they
Tàijí form, they talk about the principles but never apply them. When it
comment that it is fake. That is because they only use a conventional mind-set to
comes to the application in pushing-hands they only use the techniques
understand Tàijíquán. While other martial arts rely on speed and strength (brute
of the other arts they have learned and discard completely the Tàijí
force), Tàijíquán relies on skill and wisdom. When most martial art practitioners
principles.
pass their mid forties they start to go downhill, but a Tàijíquán practitioner’s
5. Tàijíquán - In this category the practitioners study and investigate the skill continues to refine and it is unhindered by age. It truly deserves the name
classics of Tàijí diligently. They put every principle of Tàijí in their Tàijí Tàijíquán, translated as the “Supreme Ultimate Fist”, which can only be practiced
forms and pushing-hands, are always looking deeper into the principles using wisdom (mind) not brawn (brute force).
and follow the traditional way of teaching and learning. Usually, regardless
of what style of Tàijí they are, they only stick to one style and system and
pursue the Tàijí principles and Dao through their life. Sadly this category
makes up a very small percentage of Tàijí practitioners.

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 2. The Road Map to the Hall of Tàijíquán

When driving in an unfamiliar city, we need a road map to guide us to our

destination so that we don’t drive in circles and miss our destination. Similarly,
in the practice of Tàijíquán there are sets of Tàijí Classic (principles of Tàijíquán)
to guide us into ’the hall of Tàijíquán’. What has caused the level of Tàijí to
deteriorate to such a state that prompted Wang Shen Cai and Li Ya Xuan to make
such a negative comment?

Most Tàijí practitioners of today are oblivious to the existence of the Tàijí classics.
Some of them may know that in Tàijí you must be upright, relaxed and use the
hips to turn, but these are only a small part of the principles. Others talk about
the principles but do not put them into practice.

The learning of Tàijíquán and the studying of the Tàijí classics must go hand in
hand, right from the beginning. You do not learn the Tàijí movements of the form
and then try to look for the principles in the movements. On the contrary, you
should read the classics and when you practice the Tàijí form, put the principles
into the movements. This raises the question of how we put the principles into
the movements, and the answer is also found within the classics. In The Song of
The Thirteen Postures it says “The flow of the qì and the mind are the emperor
(commander), the flesh and bones (physical body) are the subjects”. When the
emperor gives the order, the subject must obey and, if the emperor does not give
the order, the subject will not know what to do. Therefore during the practice
of the Tàijí form the mind must ask and the body must respond. Whichever
principle the mind ‘asks for’ at a given moment, the body must respond to it.
After prolonged practice it will become a habit and become natural.

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It is more than a matter of simply reading the Tàijí classics; as practitioners we
must study them carefully and ask ourselves what each of the classics is trying to
tell us. The interesting thing about the Tàijí classics is that our own understanding
of the same sentence will evolve and change as we progress to a different level,
and sometimes the meaning could become the complete opposite of what was
understood previously. In the practice of Tàijíquán, there will be certain things
you may have listened to or looked at, but if you are not at that level then you
won’t really hear or see. You can only say that you understand the principles if
your body can experience it, otherwise your understanding is only theoretical.
Even when your body and mind can experience a principle, you should always
ask yourself if you can further refine it. Only then can one continue to refine; for
if one has the attitude of “I’ve got it” then one will stop progressing.

Regardless of the apparent differences between various styles of Tàijíquán, they

are all based on the same sets of Tàijí classics, which are:

1) Chang San-Feng Tàijí Classic

2) Wang Ts’ung-Yueh Tàijí Classic

3) The Song of Thirteen Postures

4) The Understanding of the Thirteen Postures

5) The Song of Tuīshoǔ (Pushing-hands)

6) The Song of Substance and Function (by Cheng Man Ching).

7) Important Tàijí Points from the Yang family (for Yang Style practitioners)

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太極拳論 3. Tàijí Classic (i) : Chang San-Feng

1. 一舉動，周身俱要輕靈， 1. At the moment of movements, the body should be light, agile and most
importantly connected together [synchronised].
尤須貫串。
2. The qì should be stimulated and the shén (spirit) gathered within.
2. 氣宜鼓盪，神宜內斂。
3. Do not have deficient places.
3. 無使有缺陷處。 Do not have any hollow or protruding places.
無使有凹凸處。 Do not have disconnected places.
無使有斷續處。
4. The root [of the relaxed force] is in the feet, discharged through the legs,
4. 其根在腳，發於腿。 controlled by the waist, and expressed through to the fingers.
主宰於腰，形於手指。 From the feet through the legs to the waist, should be one flow of qì.
由腳而腿而腰，總須完整一氣。 5. When moving forwards and backwards you should be in the right position
5. 向前退後，乃能得機得勢。 and the right moment.
有不得機得勢處，身便散亂。 When not in the right position or the right moment, and the body
becomes disrupted, the fault should be sought in the waist and legs.
其病必於腰腿求之。
6. Up or down, forwards and backwards, left or right, are all the same.
6. 上下前後左右皆然。 All these are within the mind and not physically manifested.
凡此皆是意，不在外面。
7. If there is up, there must be down. If there is forwards there must be
7. 有上即有下，有前則有後，有左則有右。 backwards. If there is left, there must be right. If the mind has an upward
如意要向上，即寓下意。 intention, simultaneously it must have a downward intention.
8. 若將物掀起，而加以挫之之力。 8. In lifting the opponent, first connect down, by doing so breaking the root,
斯其根自斷，乃攘之速而無疑。 so that he can be plucked out in a flash of a moment.

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9. 虛實宜分清楚。 9. Substantial and insubstantial should be clearly differentiated.
一處有一處虛實， In every part there is both substantial and insubstantial.
處處總此一虛實。 The principle of substantial and insubstantial applies to every situation.

10. 周身節節貫串， 10. The whole body should be connected together, joint by joint like string.
無令絲毫間斷耳。 Do not allow the slightest disruption.

11. 長拳者，如長江大海， 11. The chángquán (long fist: an earlier description of Tàijíquán) practitioner is
滔滔不絕也。 like a river or ocean, continuously flowing and rolling without end.
12. 掤 擠按採 列肘靠， 12. The 13 Postures are: péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back), jĭ (press), and àn
此八卦也。 (push), căi (pluck), liè (split), zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on)
13. 進步退步左顧右盼中定，此五行也。 represent the eight trigrams.

14. 掤 擠按，即乾坤坎離，四正方也。 13. Step forward, sit backward, look left, look right and central equilibrium
relate to the five elements.
15. 採 列肘靠，即巽震兌艮，四斜角也。
14. Pèng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back), jĭ (press), and àn (push) relate to qián, kūn,
16. 進退顧盼定，即金木水火土也。 kăn and lí. These represent the four cardinal directions.
合之則為十三勢也。
15. Căi (pluck), liè (split), zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on) relate to xùn,
17. 原註云。此係武當山張三丰祖師遺論。
zhèn, duì and gĕn, being the four diagonals.
欲天下豪傑延年益壽。不徒作技藝之末也。
16. Step forward, sit backward, look left, look right and central equilibrium
are represented by metal, wood, water, fire, and earth respectively. All
together these make up the thirteen postures.

17. The original annotation: This classic was left by the [legendary] founder,
Chang San-Feng of Wudang mountain. The intended purpose was for the
followers to attain health and longevity, not just for combat.

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 Discussion on: Chang San-Feng Tàijí Classic

1. We can only concern ourselves with agility and the internal changes once
the body is balanced and relaxed, and there is zhōngzhèng (centre of
equilibrium). The foundation of agility is to be relaxed. The Chinese character
in this verse of the classic means ‘light’, but the same character when placed
in different sentences can have a different meaning. In this instance ‘light’
means relaxed, and to be relaxed is to let go of any unnecessary tension
when in position and in movement. Also, it is important to note that ‘relaxed’
in this context does not mean being soft and floppy. When you have agility,
you can be lively in your movements and that will give you the ability to have
whole-body synchronization in the movement. In the Chinese language, the
characters light (relaxed), agile and lively always go together. To be agile the
body must maintain its centre while in position, as well as during transition.
Synchronization requires an understanding of the sequence of changes
that create the movements, so they occur in relation to one another as
connected movements, and not just coordinated actions. Only when the
posture is totally connected and the movements are synchronised will there
be a continuous flow in the movements.

2. ‘The mind motivates the qì ‘, describes using the awareness to stimulate

the qì and circulate it throughout the body, and the Chinese character
shén (spirit) in this context means awareness. As an internal art, the mind
awareness should be kept within the body to feel and understand the
changes in the movements, and to cultivate the awareness of the relaxation
and sinking. The shén (spirit - focus) should also remain within to prevent
your attention wandering. You will only have relaxation and sinking if you

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 have an awareness of it taking place, and it will not happen if you are only Once the feet are firmly rooted, bring the jìn (relaxed force) up through
thinking of it. The mind awareness will also enable you to cultivate putting the legs. The yāo (waist), is positioned by turning from the hips, and
the Tàijí principles into your body and your movements, and as you progress this determines the direction of the discharge of relaxed force. The jìn is
in your Tàijí practice, your movements will become internalised. then transferred into the upper body by drawing under the tail-bone and
keeping the hips seated, into the arms by ‘melting’ the upper body and
3. Deficiencies in Tàijí include not maintaining the zhōngzhèng (centre of
dropping the shoulders, and then through the palms and into the finger-
equilibrium), not being sōng (relaxed), not turning from the kuà (hips) and
tips. As stated in the Tàijí classic The Understanding of the Thirteen Postures,
yāo (waist) and being dun (disconnected). In tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands) using
“When executing fājìn (releasing the relaxed force) the body should sink and
lí (brute strength), resisting, not sticking or adhering are also deficiencies. To
completely relax”. Therefore when releasing (discharging) the relaxed force,
avoid deficiencies, every word in the Tàijí classics should be strictly followed.
the feet, the calf and thigh muscles, the body, arms and palms must be
Therefore, both the physical postures and the movements should adhere
completely relaxed and the sinking process must continue.
completely to the Tàijí classic. When one movement is not complete and the
practitioners move on to the next movement it is considered to be a hollow. From the feet to the legs and into the waist is a continuous synchronised
On the other hand, if a movement is overdone then that is protruding. In movement and wave of mind awareness, and therefore one flow of qì
the Wang Tsúng-Yueh classic it is stated, “It must not be overdone or fall without a break.
short”. If, in the practise of Tàijíquán, the practitioner does not adhere to all
Importantly, when releasing the relaxed force in any posture of the Tàijí
the Tàijí classics in the Tàijí form or pushing-hands, then the practitioner has
form, there should not be any decrease of connection of the feet with the
deficiencies in his or her practise.
ground, otherwise no force can be borrowed from the earth. You should
4. The yŏngquán (bubbling well) in the feet is the root of the body structure. clearly feel the force being released through the legs without exerting
When the feet are firmly grounded (rooted) you connect to “borrow the unnecessary effort. There shouldn’t be any increase of tension in the arms,
energy of the earth”, and any incoming force can then be neutralised palms or even fingers. In tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands) the force is issued from
by being emptied into the ground. The upper body will be free to relax, the legs, and the only functions of the arms and hands are sticking, adhering
becoming agile and able to maintain the zhōngzhèng (central equilibrium) and listening. As Professor Cheng Man Ching says, “when you push (issue
with ease. the force), push as if you are pushing with the legs”.

The ‘Song of Substance and Function’ states that, “if the yŏngquán (bubbling 5. If moving forwards and backwards is awkward, there will be a disconnection
well) has no root, the yāo (waist) has no control”. To cultivate the root in the that prevents the body from moving as one. The cause is likely to be the
feet, it is essential to relax the toes, not grip the floor, distribute the weight position of the legs in relation to the upper body, or the yāo (waist) having
evenly over the whole sole, and soften the arch until the yŏngquán is in lost its mobility due to the kuà (hips) not being seated into the pelvic sockets.
contact with the ground. Tàijí movements are synchronised whole body movements, not regional
or independent movements. Turning must always be from the kuà (hips)
Whenever practising chén (sinking) in the Tàiji form, the mind awareness
and yāo (waist) otherwise the body becomes locked and the movement
must be sent into the feet, through the yŏngquán (bubbling well), and
will be disconnected. All other Tàijí movements begin from the base.
projected deep into the ground. Sinking enables the practitioner to cultivate
Cheng Man-Ching also said that “adjustments must be initiated from the
the root in Tàijíquán.
legs”, and that “the legs are yáng, the upper body is yīn”. Even the slightest

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 response and adjustment begins from the legs and it must be a whole body located beneath their substantial foot. When the opponent’s substantial
synchronisation. force contacts any part of your body, that point must immediately become
insubstantial. Substantial and insubstantial are not simply one being left and
6. Sometimes in Tàijí, up, down, forwards, backwards, left and right are not
the other right, or similarly up and down, but both are present in every
physical movements, but only mind intentions. [These are the internal
part of the body, constantly interchanging, re-balancing and adjusting to
representations of the four cardinal directions]
the situation. Substantial and insubstantial have no fixed place or time and
7. Everything is relative to its opposite. If there is yīn, there is yáng; if there they change with the movement and the situation. Throughout the Tàijí
is up, there must also be down; if there is forwards, there must also be form the substantial and insubstantial changes with the movement, and in
backwards; and if there is left, there must also be right. pushing-hands your own substantial and insubstantial should change with
the opponent’s movement.
In tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands) when you draw someone up to a point where
they begin to lose connection, they will most likely withdraw downwards. 10. To achieve a whole body synchronisation, every part of the body must move
When you draw people forwards beyond their centre, they will attempt to and change while connected to, and in relation with, each other. When
sit back. When you lead people to the left further than their balance allows, complete synchronisation is achieved there is no likelihood of disconnection
they are likely to turn back to the right. In all of these situations the moment and when the movements are synchronised then there are no gaps for the
of change of direction presents an opportunity where the opponent can be opponent to take advantage of. In the Song of Tuīshǒu it says,” When the
easily toppled. upper and lower body is moving in synchronisation, it is difficult for your
opponent to come in”.
To maintain grounding and a connection to your own (and opponent’s)
root, as the mind has an upward intention there must simultaneously be 11. In ancient times Tàijíquán was referred to as chángquán (long fist). Regardless
another wave of mind awareness sent deep into the earth. Otherwise, you of name, when a practitioner performs the form or tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands),
will actually be uprooting yourself. their movements should be like the rolling flow of the river, never ending
and leaving no gap for an opponent to enter. The circulation of qì (vital
8. To lift an opponent you first must send your mind awareness into the ground energy) is comparable to the currents and tides of the ocean, and the jìn
under your feet and, when you are connected in your own feet, then your (relaxed force) generated, relates to the waves and surf.
force will also be in the feet of the opponent to break the root (this process
is the same as you are sinking in the Tàijí form). Once the root is broken, 12. Péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back), jĭ (press) and àn (push), căi (pluck), liè (split),
pushing in any direction is an easy matter. zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on) are the four cardinal directions and
four diagonal directions respectively. Together they make up the eight
9. Substantial and insubstantial are not referring to weight distribution, but force trigrams.
distribution. Wherever there is force, whether on oneself or the opponent,
it is substantial - yáng, and where there is no force it is insubstantial - yīn. It 13. Step forward, move backward, look left, look right, central equilibrium,
is essential to distinguish both your own and your partner’s substantiality equate to the five elements; Look right (metal), look left (wood), move
and insubstantiality. When executing fājìn (releasing the relaxed force) from backward (water), move forward (fire) and central equilibrium (earth). Step
the right substantial foot, the principle of cross-alignment requires that forward, move backward, look left, look right and central equilibrium are
it is transmitted through the left substantial arm, and vice-versa. The jìn the external, while the internal are sticking, joining, adhering, following,
(relaxed force) should be directed into the root of the opponent, which is non-resisting and non-disconnecting.

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14. Péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back), jĭ (press) and àn (push) relate to qiàn, kūn,
kǎn and lí. These represent the four cardinal directions, which are ward-off
(south), push (north), roll back (west) and press (east). The external is the
cardinal directions and the internal are the ward off, roll back, press and
push forces.

15. Căi (pluck), liè (split), zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on) relate to xùn
(wind), zhèn (thunder), duì (swamp or lake) and gěn (mountain). These
represent the four oblique directions, which are lean-on or shoulder (south-
west), elbow (north-east), split (south-east) and pluck (north-west). The
external are the oblique directions and the internal are the pluck, split,
elbow and shoulder forces.

16. Together, the four cardinal directions, the four oblique directions and the
five elements, make up the classical thirteen postures.

17. A notation on the original document states that, “this ‘Classic’ was left by
Chang San-Feng from Wudang mountain”, being the legendary founder and
birthplace of Tàijí. The author goes on to identify the purpose of the art
as being for students to live long healthy lives, not simply as a method of
fighting.

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山西王宗嶽 4. Tàijí Classic (ii) : Wang Ts’ung–Yueh
太極拳經
1. Tàijí is born from wújí. It is the mother of yīn and yáng.
1. 太極者無極而生。陰陽之母也。
2. In movement it [yīn and yáng] separates and in stillness it unifies.
2. 動之則分靜之則合。
3. It must not be overdone or fall short.
3. 無過不及隨曲就伸。 Respond to the curve with expansion.
4. 人剛我柔謂之走， 4. When the opposition is strong, become supple; this is yielding.
我順人背謂之黏。 Follow the person back without disconnection; this is sticking.

5. 動急則急應， 5. When the movement is fast, respond quickly.

動緩則緩隨。 When the movement is slow, follow slowly.
6. Although there are many variations, there is only one principle.
6. 雖變化萬端，而理為一貫。
7. Proficiency evolves into understanding the forces.
7. 由 熟而漸悟懂勁。 Understanding precedes spiritual clarity.
由懂勁而階及神明。
8. Only through persevered practice will profound understanding be attained.
8. 然非功力之久，不能豁然貫通焉。
9. Be conscious on the crown of the head. Sink the qì to the dāntián.
9. 虛靈頂勁氣沉丹田。 10. Do not tilt or lean. Suddenly conceal and suddenly reveal.
10. 不偏不倚忽隱忽現。 11. When the left is substantial, the left becomes insubstantial
and when the right is substantial, the right becomes insubstantial.
11. 左重則左虛，右重則右杳。
12. When the opponent attacks upwards, I lead him higher
12. 仰之則彌高， When the opponent attacks downwards, I draw him lower.
俯之則彌深。 When he steps forward, I over extend him.
進之則愈長， When he withdraws I close onto him.
退之則愈促。

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13. 一羽不能加，蠅蟲不能落。 13. A feather cannot be added. A fly cannot settle.
人不知我，我獨知人。 14. The opponent is not aware of me, but I’m fully aware of him.
He who has achieved all of this, will be invincible.
14. 英雄所向無敵，蓋皆由此而及也。
15. There are a lot of other martial arts, with differences in style and
15. 斯技旁門甚多，雖勢有區別。 movement. However, their basis is the strong overcoming the weak or the
概不外乎壯欺弱，慢讓快耳。 slow giving way to the fast.

16. 有力打無力，手慢讓手快。 16. The strong overcoming the weak and the slow giving way to the fast is
是皆先天自然之能，非關學力而有為也。 simply an innate skill and not an achievement of martial art study.
17. Considering the verse; “Only four tael are required to neutralise a
17. 察四兩撥千斤之句，顯非力勝。 thousand catty of force”, shows that victory is not due to superior
觀耄耋能禦眾之形，快何能為。 strength. Observing an old man defeating a mob raises the question; what
is [the value of] speed?
18. 立如平準，活似車輪。
偏沉則隨，雙重則滯。 18. Stand like a level scale, be mobile like a wheel.
Sinking allows you to follow, double heaviness causes you to be stagnant
19. 每見數年純功，不能運化者， (hindered).
率自為人制，雙重之病未悟耳。 19. Someone after years of dedicated practice being unable to adjust or
20. 欲避此病，須知陰陽相濟，方為懂勁。 neutralise, and is easily defeated by others, has not understood the fault
of double heaviness.
21. 懂勁後，愈練愈精，默識揣摩, 20. To avoid this fault, you must understand the harmony (dynamic
漸至從心所欲。 association) between yīn and yáng. This will lead to dongjìn
(understanding the forces/energies).
22. 本是舍己從人，多誤舍近求遠。
所謂差之毫釐，謬以千里。 21. Once dongjìn is achieved; further practice and analysis develops greater
學者不可不詳辨焉。是為論。 refinements. Gradually you will reach the stage where everything extends
from the will of the mind and xīn (heart).
22. The foundation is to forget yourself and follow the other.
Most mistakenly neglect the near and pursue the far.
It is said: “To miss by a fraction of a lì is to miss by a thousand lì.
The student must comprehend all of these points fully,
so I [Wang Ts’ung – Yueh] say.

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 Discussion: Wang Ts’ung–Yueh Tàiji Classic

1. Wújí is a state of nothingness; no thoughts nor movements. The moment

a thought enters the mind, wújí ceases to exist. It then changes into the
state of Tàijí, which comprises of yīn and yáng aspects. Therefore Tàijí is the
mother of yīn and yáng.

2. In movement, yīn and yáng are born and are separate but remain in harmony.
In stillness they return to the state of wújí

3. Movements in the Tàijí form and tuīshŏu (pushing-hands) must not be

excessive or deficient. This emphasises the importance of accuracy within
the movements. Overdoing or under-doing movements results in locking
yourself up or becoming vulnerable to an opponent’s attack. These faults
cause either the disconnection from, or the obstruction of, the relaxed
forces.

To counter the opponent’s neutralisation in tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands), cut

into their curve and expand in a straight line. This response will negate
their neutralisation and enable you to successfully complete your release
(bisecting a circle always locates its centre).

Respond to the curve (curve also means to contract or withdraw) with

expansion means no resistance or disconnection. When the opponent
curves (contracts) I extend to adhere (stay in connection); and when he
extends I curve (yielding, with no resistance).

4. When the opponent is hard I become supple; that is yielding. Yielding is not
running away, it is to move into a better (more advantageous) position and
the timing of it has to be in relation to the incoming force. Yielding must

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 always be accompanied by sinking, so the incoming force can be taken into developed the deep sensitivity to ‘listen’ without depending on physical
the ground and completely neutralised, otherwise it is merely extended and contact.
weakened and therefore still on you. Yielding is not defending; defending is 8. Spiritual clarity (Tàijí enlightenment) only comes after many years of
passive aggression. One must yield to every movement of the opponent, not consistent practice, and Tàijí is a life-long process.
only when they are coming in for a push. By only yielding when an attack is
imminent it will be too late, just like a chicken trying to struggle free after it 9. Being conscious of the crown of the head carries the same meaning as
had been caught by the legs. visualising the head to be suspended from above. The aim is to keep the
body erect and upright, and control the centre of equilibrium, thereby
To flow with the back of the person, that is adhering. The back of the reducing the likelihood of the chest collapsing (shoulders hunching) when
person is referring to the direction of the force from the opponent, not their relaxing the body. When there is a consciousness at the crown of the head
physical back. There is a difference between sticking and adhering. To stick one will feel that the spine is being lengthened. The qì sinks into the dāntián
is to make contact, and you initiate it. Adhering is to maintain the contact at by using the mind awareness to guide it there, and must not be done
all times both in movement and in position; i.e. when the opponent initiates forcefully. The qì needs to be gathered and stored in the dāntián (the sea of
a movement you must follow without losing contact. qì) before it can be directed to other parts of the body (after the qì is stored
5. The speed of the movements in tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands) is determined by in the dāntián it is then directed down the legs, through the “bubbling well”
your opponent. To be able to synchronise with the speed, whether fast or into the ground. This is the sinking process, and then from the ground it is
slow, you must stick, adhere, and follow letting the opponent initiate every directed back up through the legs and the body to the finger tips, this is the
movement. process of borrowing the energy from the earth). The ability to sink the qì
into the dāntián represents entering the first stage of the ‘Earth’ level.
6. Although there are many different movements, the guiding principle is
consistent throughout. Although there are tens of thousands of movements 10. The body must be upright and level. Any leaning forwards or backwards or
and changes, there is only one principle in the movements and changes. The tilting to one side will result in the posture losing its centre of equilibrium.
movements and changes are always relaxed, supple, sinking, connected, Being level will enable you to have the mobility of a wheel when turning. To
centred and synchronised. suddenly reveal and suddenly conceal means you have the ability to change
between substantiality and insubstantiality at will, and therefore in pushing-
7. When you become skilful, you can reach the state of dŏngjìn (understanding hands your opponents will be unable to predict your changes and will be at
the forces). This means you can completely understand the changes in your a loss to respond to you.
own body’s movement, both in the Tàijí form and pushing-hands, as well as
the movement of your opponent, and you must be able to experience all 11. The Tàijí theory of cross-alignment states that the force from the left foot is
of the Tàijí principles in your body. Dŏngjìn is evident when the opponent delivered through the right arm, and conversely the force from the right foot
does not move; you do not move, and when the opponent has the slightest is delivered through the left arm. Releasing the force from the left foot with
movement; you have already moved ahead. Dŏngjìn later evolves into the the left arm or the force from the right foot with the right arm, is regarded
state of spiritual clarity or Tàijí enlightenment. At this level even when the as a fault of shuāngzhòng (equal heaviness). In tuīshŏu (pushing-hands)
opponent does not move, you move ahead. In this case, although there is when there is a force (substantial) coming onto the left side of your body,
no apparent physical movement, the opponent has already formed a mental then the left side of the body must become insubstantial and when there
intention to move. Recognising this moment is possible once you have is a force (substantial) coming onto the right side of your body then the left
side must become insubstantial. This is also the meaning of when the left

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 is substantial, the left is insubstantial and when the right is substantial the 16. The concepts of the weak being overcome by the strong, and the slow
right become insubstantial. giving way to the fast, are not special martial art skills. This is a natural born
knowledge and is not something that you have train and practice to achieve.
12. Over-extending the opponent will disconnect them from their centre and
These are base level instincts, and are utilised in almost every sporting
root. When the opponent attacks upward; lead them higher than was
arena.
intended, thereby avoiding places for them to utilise. When the opponent
attacks low, draw them even lower by creating an ‘emptiness’, causing them 17. To understand how the weak can overcome the strong, you have to study the
to lose their balance. When the opponent steps forward, over-stretch them principle of four tael dealing with a thousand catty. This principle is expressed
to bring them out of their centre. Once the opponent realizes that they are in the Song of Tuīshŏu. When you observe an old Tàijí adept pushing around
out of their centre, they will inevitably withdraw. Because you are sticking numerous younger students, you will see the little value of physical speed.
to and have disconnected their root, they will not have a chance to regain Because of his tīngjìn (listening) and dŏngjìn (understanding) the adept will
themselves. In short you always yield and neutralize in response to every know the opponents’ intentions before they have even commenced their
movement of your opponent so that their force never has a place on which physical movement. Consequently such an adept is always one step ahead.
to settle. This principle reinforces the importance of the earlier principle, This is Tàijí speed. The ordinary people rely on strength (brute force) and
“When the opponent is hard, I am subtle.” speed but an old Tàiji practitioner relies on wisdom and skill

13. After years of practice you can develop such sensitivity that the weight of 18. You must be upright and balanced like a level scale to achieve central
a feather or fly will set you in motion. In tuīshŏu (pushing-hands), as long equilibrium. When you have the mobility of a wheel, you cannot get stuck
as the opponent force is heavier than a feather or fly you must yield in and forces will not be able to land on you. In any movement there must also
response to it. It is not that you move away from the force, it is the force be sinking, so any inbound force will be absorbed from the point of contact,
(feather or fly) that sets you in motion and the movement, no matter how through the body, the legs and the feet into the ground. There should be
small it is, must be a whole body synchronisation not a regional movement. no resistance and no obstruction in the body, so that when you relax you
When the level of dŏngjìn is achieved, you will be constantly aware of your become grounded. You must develop the ability to follow the opponent
opponents’ forces. without hindrance. Double heaviness results from opposing force with
force, and consequently the body tenses up, agility is lost and the grounding
14. When you are able to conceal your intention, your opponents will not be
is undermined causing obstruction and immobility.
aware of you.
19. If, after many years of practice, you cannot apply the principles in tuīshŏu
When you achieve all of the above, there will be no match for your Tàijí
(pushing-hands) and always get pushed around by your opponents, it is
skill. However it is no achievement to merely repeat the theory. Rather the
because you have not understood the error of double heaviness, and its
principles must be evident in your body, with you having acquired the ability
cause. Double heaviness is not about weight distribution, it is about force
to apply them practically.
distribution. It is also known as the substantial (yáng) presence of force and
15. There are several kinds of other martial arts e.g. Shaolin, Karate Do, Hung Gar the insubstantial (yīn) non-presence of force. Substantial and insubstantial
etc, and even more if you consider the styles within each. What the training have no fixed place and time; in the Tàijí form they change with the flow
for most of these systems has in common is the emphasis on strength and/ of movement and in tuīshŏu (pushing-hands) they change with both the
or speed. Essentially they develop techniques involving stronger forces or opponent’s force and your own response to the force. Meeting force with
greater speeds, to overcome their opponents. force (yáng and yáng) is a fault in Tàijí called double heaviness and is the

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 greatest fault in Tàijí tuīshŏu (pushing-hands). Meeting yáng with yīn, or in your response you are always grounded, connected relaxed and your
meeting yīn with yīn are not faults however. movement is always a whole body synchronisation with continuous sinking.
Thus the relaxed force will always be present and you can release at will,
20. To overcome the fault of double heaviness, harmonise the yīn and yáng. The
whilst any incoming force is neutralised into the earth. The accuracy of the
problem is that in the art of Tàijí, practitioners often make yīn and yáng into
movement and the process is more important. If you depart the origin with
something mystical whereas “yīn and yáng” is simply a term in the Chinese
an error of one millimetre then you could miss the destination by hundreds
language to describe two opposite things that have a relation to each other,
of kilometres (in the Chinese ‘Old System’ of measurement a lì approximates
for example, right and left, man and woman, day and night, positive and
to 576 metres).
negative and substantial and insubstantial. In Tàijí it is referring to substantial
and insubstantial (force distribution) so that when the opponent is ten per According to Wang T’sung Yueh; all Tàijí practitioners should understand the
cent yáng, you are ten per cent yīn and vice-versa. Therefore whenever principles fully and clearly.
there is a force (substantial) we must respond with no force (insubstantial),
and this is the meaning of the harmony of yīn and yáng. To do this you must
first develop tīngjìn and dŏngjìn; the listening to and the understanding of
the forces.

21. Even after achieving dŏngjìn (understanding) you must continue to practice,
analyse and refine your practice to achieve the level of Tàijí enlightenment.
At this level, the body will naturally follow the will of the mind and heart
(conscience).

22. The foremost principle is to not assert yourself but rather to harmonise with
your opponent (to follow the other). Leave the initiation of any movement
to the opponent and do not impose any push on them (your opinion); this
is the meaning of giving up yourself and following the other. However, one
thing you must never give up is your central equilibrium. Follow the other
but do not follow blindly, and when the opponent initiates the movement
follow until they have committed themselves and you should take over
the lead. This is also the meaning of first being motivated then becoming
the motivator. Unfortunately most practitioners ignore the process (the
near), and instead look for the result (the far). In the Tàijí form the “far”
represents the external movements and the “near” represents the internal
changes within the movements. Understanding the changes within the
movements is the essence of Tàiji. In tuīshŏu (pushing-hands) the “near”
is your own connection, root, relaxation, sinking and synchronisation of
your movements in response to the incoming force; and the “far” is your
opponent’s movements and changes. By focussing within yourself, then

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十三勢歌 5. Tàijí Classic (iii): The Song of the 13 Postures

1. 十三勢來莫輕視。命意源頭在腰際。
1. Do not take the song of thirteen postures lightly.
2. 變轉虛實須留意。氣遍身軀不少滯。 The source of life is in the waist area.
3. 靜中觸動動猶靜。因敵變化示神奇。
2. Attention must be paid to the changes of substantial and insubstantial.
4. 勢勢存心揆用意。得來不覺費功夫。 Let the qì flow freely throughout the body.
5. 刻刻留心在腰間。腹內鬆淨氣騰然。 3. Calmness precedes the motion and while in motion, calmness remains.
Effectiveness is demonstrated by adapting to the opponent’s changes.
6. 尾閭中正神貫頂。滿身輕利頂頭懸。
7. 仔細留心向推求。屈伸開合聽自由。 4. Using awareness throughout every movement, progress comes naturally.

8. 入門引路須口授。功夫無息法自修。 5. Be aware of the waist at all times.

Relax the abdomen and the qì will come alive.
9. 若言體用何為準。意氣君來骨肉臣。
6. Tuck in the tailbone and have consciousness on [raise the shén to] the
crown of the head. If the head is held as though suspended by the crown,
the body will be agile.

7. Pay careful attention in your practice of pushing-hands. Let the movement

of expanding and contracting, opening and closing be natural.

8. To be shown the route to the [Tàijí] door you need oral transmission.
Through continuous practice and self analysis comes the [Tàijí] method.

9. If asked the principle of the understanding and its application, answer; the
yì (mind intention) and the qì are the kings, while the flesh and bones are
their subjects.

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10. 想推用意終何在。益壽延年不老春。 10. What is the goal of understanding and its application?
To keep healthy, and have a long life.
11. 歌兮歌兮百四十。字字真切意無遺。
11. This song, this song of one hundred and forty words.
12. 若不向此推求去。枉費功夫貽歎息。 Every word contains the truth and whole meaning.

12. If you do not adhere to the above,

your effort will be in vain and only a sigh will result.

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 Discussion on: The Song of the Thirteen Postures

1. These principles must be taken seriously and practiced diligently. The waist
area is where the kidneys are located and in traditional Chinese medicine it
is believed that the prenatal life force, inherited from your parents, is stored
there. In Tàijí, the kuà (hips) and the yaō (waist) are the source of upper
body mobility. When turning in either the Tàijí form or tuīshŏu (pushing-
hands), the turn must be initiated from the hips and waist, in connection
with the changes in the base (legs).

2. You must always be aware of your own, and your opponent’s, expressions
of substantiality and insubstantiality. According to the theory of cross-
alignment, when the right foot is substantial the left arm is substantial,
and vice-versa. Similarly, when your opponent is substantial, you should be
insubstantial. If your right arm and right foot are substantial at the same
time, or you are substantial when your opponent is also substantial, then
there is the error of shuangzhúng (equal heaviness - often mistranslated as
‘double weighted’). This will severely hinder your movements and obstruct
the flow of qì. One must remember that ‘substantial’ and ‘insubstantial’
have no fixed place or time, and they continually change with movement
and according to the situation. Therefore, in pushing-hands one must be
very sensitive to adjust one’s substantiality and insubstantiality according
to the changes of the opponent, in order to avoid committing the fault of
double heaviness. When you can understand the changes between what
is substantial and what is insubstantial, the qì will be able to flow freely
throughout the body, directed by the mind.

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 In pushing hands the upper body should be yīn (insubstantial) and the base axis within the body is established. Whilst the centre of equilibrium is
should be yáng (substantial). Every adjustment is initiated from the base, maintained, visualising the head to be suspended from above decreases the
with the body and the arms just following. However, these changes must likelihood of collapsing the chest or hunching the back. When the centre of
only be in response to your opponent, and not self-motivated. There are no equilibrium is maintained the body is centred, balanced, and therefore agile
fixed places or times (where or when) for the changes, it always depends on when moving. Central equilibrium is not only one of the original thirteen Tàijí
the situation. postures, it is the foundation of all of them. Therefore central equilibrium
must also be included in the other twelve postures, since without it you
3. The mind should be calm to motivate the qì, which in turn motivates the
cannot really experience the subtle changes and deep relaxation.
physical movement. During movement the mind should not drift off, it
should be continually present within the movement. When the mind is The second part of this principle says “the whole body will be light and agile
calm throughout the Tàijí form, you can understand the changes that create if the head is suspended from above”. This has the same meaning as “raising
every movement, and you can be aware of any tension in the body. During your spirit” in the classic ‘The Understanding Of The Thirteen Postures’.
tuīshŏu (pushing hands), the calm mind provides you with the opportunity There is a Chinese saying that if your head is bowed down (flopped), your
to ‘hear’ your opponents every move, and understand your reaction to it. qì will disperse. For the central equilibrium to exist the required physical
structure includes being upright, a straight spine with the tailbone tucked
If you are able to adapt to the opponent’s changes, their force will have
under, and the kuà (hips joints) kept level. Both in the Tàijí form and during
nowhere to land. To be able to adapt to the changes of the opponent, you
tuīshŏu (pushing-hands) the upper body should feel as if suspended lightly
must be able to understand the principles of, and listen to, the changes
from above and the base sunken and firmly grounded.
between yīn (insubstantial) and yáng (substantial), while sticking, adhering,
not resisting and not disconnecting. 7. To cultivate tīngjìn (listening) and dŏngjìn (understanding) of the forces;
pay close attention to the practice of tuīshŏu (pushing-hands), developing
When responding to the opponent you should not make any unnecessary
sticking, adhering, and following, while not disconnecting or resisting. When
movements, and the mind must remain calm.
the listening and understanding have been achieved, the body will expand
4. Correct practice will produce natural progress. Correct practice includes and contract, opening and closing naturally, without premeditation.
having awareness of: the movement; the sequence that creates the
8. Beginners in Tàijí require a knowledgeable teacher to impart the Tàijí
movement; the timing of the changes; the connection; the centre of
knowledge to them. Books and videos can only serve as references, and
equilibrium while moving; and the relaxation and sinking within the
cannot actually teach you Tàijí. Progress only comes from practice and
movement. One must continually experience the Tàijí principles in every
self-analysis. Learning without practising, is like eating without digesting.
movement.
The teacher can show the way, but cannot directly pass on the skill; the
5. The hips (kuà) and waist control the direction of the upper body and students must walk the way (practice) themselves and their practice will
therefore any change in the direction of the upper body must originate from enable them to develop the skill. Furthermore, the students must not learn
the waist. If the abdomen is relaxed then the qì will naturally sink and gather and practise blindly. They must analyse both what has been taught and their
in the dāntián, from where it can be directed to every part of the body. own practice, whilst continually referring to the Tàijí classics to see if what
they learn, and their practice, are in line with the principles. This is why
6. When the tailbone is tucked under and the consciousness is on the crown even if a teacher is good it is not necessarily the case that all the students
of the head, the níwán (baihui) and the huìyīn are aligned and the central are good; or, when a father is good, that all of his children are good.

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 Remember that even the teacher is also a student, and his/her own
understanding is evolving and changing, and may have errors. So if you
follow blindly without analysing you may spend a lifetime practicing the
wrong thing.

9. Question: What is the main principle of the understanding and application?

Answer: The subject / body (flesh and bone) must follow the commands of
the king - yì (mind intention) and qì. In every movement, the mind motivates
the qì, and the qì motivates the body. In the practice of Tàijí, you do not
go to the forms to look for the Tàijí principles. You read and understand
the principles and when you practice you must put the principles into the
movements. Whichever principle the mind (yì) is aware of at any moment
or in any movement, the body must respond to the principle. After
prolonged practice the principles are naturally absorbed into the body and
its movements.

10. The main aim of understanding and applying the Tàijí principles is to cultivate
a healthy and long life.

11. In the original Chinese text the ‘song’ has twenty verses each with seven
words, making a total of one hundred and forty words. The meaning of
every word is clear and important.

12. If you do not follow the principles contained in this ‘song’ and do not base
your practice on them, then your efforts will not achieve anything.

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十三勢行功心解 6. Tàijí Classic (iv): The Understanding of the
Thirteen Postures

1. 以心行氣。
務令沉 。 1. The xīn (mind/conscious mind, awareness) motivates the qì and directs it
乃能收斂入骨。 to sink, so that it can be stored and concentrated into the bones.

2. 以氣運身。 2. Let the qì motivate the body without hindrance, so that it will effortlessly
務令順遂。 follow your xīn (mind/conscious mind).
乃能便利從心。
3. If the shén (spirit) is raised, there will not be any sluggishness. This is the
3. 精神能提得起。 meaning of the crown of the head being suspended from above.
則無遲重之虞。
所謂頂頭懸也。 4. There should be agility in the interaction of the yì (mind intention) and
qì, so that it [the qì] will be circular and lively. This is what is meant by
4. 意氣須換得靈。 ‘changing substantial and insubstantial’.
乃有圓活之趣。
所謂轉變虛實也。 5. When executing fājìn (releasing the relaxed force) the body should sink
and completely relax. Focus on the one direction.
5. 發勁須沉 鬆淨。
專主一方。 6. When the body is upright, loose and tranquil, the feet will support all eight
directions.
6. 立身須中正安舒。
支撐八面。 7. Direct the qì like threading the ‘nine bend pearls’;
by flowing continuously it reaches everywhere unrestricted.
7. 行氣如九曲珠。
無往不利。 [When the qì flows throughout the body] the jìn (relaxed force) is like
（氣遍身軀之謂）運勁如百煉鋼，無堅不摧。 tempered steel, overcoming all solid defences.

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8. 形如搏兔之鶻。 8. Have the appearance of a falcon preying on a hare.
神如捕鼠之貓。 Concentrate the shén (spirit) like a cat stalking a mouse.

9. 靜如山岳。 9. Be calm like a mountain and move like a river.

動如江河。
10. Store up the jìn (relaxed force) like drawing a bow,
10. 蓄勁如張弓。 discharge the jìn (relaxed force) like releasing an arrow.
發勁如放箭。
11. Seek the straight in the curve,
11. 曲中求直。
first store then discharge.
蓄而後發。
12. 力由脊發。 12. Force is released through the back,
步隨身換。 the steps change with the body.

13. 收即是放，斷而復連。 13. To receive is to release, if it disconnects then reconnect.

14. 往復須有摺疊。 14. In moving forwards and backwards, there should be folding.
進退須有轉換。 In advancing and retreating, there should be changes of direction.
15. 極柔軟。 15. Extreme softness yields to extreme firmness and tenacity.
然後極堅剛。
16. Only with the ability to inhale and exhale, will there be agility.
16. 能呼吸。
然後能靈活。 17. When qì is cultivated naturally, there is no harm.
17. 氣以直養而無害。 When the jìn (relaxed force) is stored, there will be a surplus.
勁以曲蓄而有餘。 18. The xīn (mind/conscious mind) is the commander, the qì is the flag and the
18. 心為令。 yāo (hips and waist) is the banner.
氣為旗。
19. First seek expansion while opening then seek contraction while closing.
腰為纛。
It will lead to perfect refinement.
19. 先求開展。
後求緊湊。 20. It is said; “If the other does not move, I do not move.
乃可臻於縝密矣。 If the other has the slightest movement, I move ahead”.

20. 又曰：「彼不動，己不動。 21. The jìn (force) seems sōng (relaxed), however it is not sōng (relaxed),
彼微動，己先動。」 it is about to expand, although it has not yet expanded.
The jìn (relaxed force) might disconnect, but the mind must not.
21. 勁似鬆非鬆，將展未展。
勁斷意不斷。 22. It is also said: “First the xīn (mind/conscious mind), then the body”.
22. 又曰：「先在心，後在身。」

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23. 腹鬆氣沉入骨。 23. When the abdomen relaxes, the qì sinks into the bones.
神舒體靜。 When the shén (spirit) calms, the body becomes tranquil.

24. 刻刻在心。 24. Keep this in xīn (in your heart).

切記：一動無有不動， Remember; when you move, every part moves.
一靜無有不靜。 When you settle, every part settles.
25. 牽動往來，氣貼背而斂入脊骨。 25. When moving forwards and backwards,
26. 內固精神。 the qì sticks to the back and permeates into the spine.
外示安逸 26. Internally be acutely aware of the shén (spirit),
27. 邁步如貓行。 externally appear calm and relaxed.
運勁如抽絲。
27. Step like a cat.
28. 全身意在精神，不在氣；在氣則滯。 Transmit the jìn (force) like reeling silk from a cocoon.
有氣則無力。
無氣則純剛。 28. The yì (intention) should be on the jìngshén (spirit), not on the qì,
氣若車輪，腰如車軸。 on the qì will stagnate.
With the qì there will be no strength. Without qì it is like tempered steel.
Qì is like the cart wheel and the yaō (waist) is like the axle.

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 Discussion on: The Understanding of the 13 Postures

1. The flow of qì is directed by the mind awareness (yì), which is itself divided
into two parts. First there is the mind intention, which is the planning stage,
and then there is the mind awareness which is when the process is taking
place. Intention without awareness is a “dead mind”. The yì must first be sent
into the dāntián, then to the limbs and finally through the huìyīn meridian
point to the three gates the wěilü, yùzhěn and níwán. This enables the qì to
be absorbed into the bones.

2. If the body has its centre of equilibrium, is relaxed and connected and the
mind is calm, then the qì will be able to flow unhindered throughout the
body. When the qì can flow unrestricted, it can be directed by the will of the
mind.

3. When the shén (spirit) is raised and the huìyīn and níwán meridian points
are in line, the centre of equilibrium is attained. The body will therefore be
upright, centred, balanced and not sluggish. This is what is meant by the
principle of visualising the head to be suspended from above.

4. When the movement is initiated by the mind leading the qì, the mind and
qì (the qì here refers to breathing, which should be natural and relaxed,
not heavy breathing or panting) interact with agility. The body is therefore
able to move without hindrance, providing that the central equilibrium
is maintained, the body is centred and grounded as well as left/right and
up/down, being in balance. Then the flow of qì will naturally be circular
and lively. This is also the meaning of, ‘changing the substantiality and
insubstantiality’.

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5. When executing fājìn (releasing the relaxed force), the body must be relaxed. pouncing when the time is right. Similarly in tuīshŏu (pushing-hands), be
Any excess tension in the body will reduce the percentage of grounding, sensitive at all times, and seize on every opportunity the moment it arises.
and undermine the root. Tension will also lessen the connection of the The eagle represents staying aware for a chance to attack, while the cat
arms to the body, the body to the base, and the base/feet to the ground. signifies recognising the correct timing and direction. Avoid pushing blindly,
If jìn (relaxed force) is stored for release but the body is tense, up to 50% when there is no opportunity to warrant it. A poorly timed or wrongly
will be consumed by your own muscles, leaving a maximum of a half to directed attack will certainly miss.
be transmitted into the opponent. Complete relaxation is the only way to
9. When not moving one should be as calm, still, grounded and sturdy as a
release the entire force, unrestricted.
mountain. When moving one should be flowing, soft and powerful as a river
Sinking is a mental process in which the mind directs the qì downwards washing away everything in its path.
through the body into the feet into the ground, creating a root, which is
10. Before an arrow can be released, the string of the bow must be drawn to
used to “borrow the energy from the earth”. Therefore if the body relaxes
create the elastic force, and a spring must be compressed before it can
and sinks, compression develops which produces the spring-like jìn (relaxed
produce a rebounding force. Similarly, before the body’s jìn (relaxed force)
force). When this jìn is released the mind should focus on the direction and
is released, it is necessary to sink and load up. When releasing an arrow
project as far as possible beyond the opponent.
from a bow there should not be any hesitation and the focus should not be
6. While the body is upright, the centre of equilibrium can be attained. When at the arrow head but on the target, the same applies to fājìn (releasing of
the body is loose, it is relaxed and free of tension. When the mind is tranquil, the force). When releasing, one should not hesitate, because hesitation will
it can harmonise with the body. Then by being upright, loose and tranquil reduce the power released. When the relaxed force is released the focus
together, the upper body can become light and the base heavy (grounded), should not be on the hand or at the point of contact, but a point beyond the
therefore able to support the body in all eight directions (the four cardinals opponent, as far as the mind can focus.
plus the four diagonals).
11. The curve refers to neutralising, and the straight represents issuing. Seeking
7. The original Chinese text translates as “direct the qì like threading the nine the straight in the curve means finding the opportunity to issue while
bend pearls”. However it should not be taken literally, the term threading neutralising the incoming force. By issuing during the neutralisation, you
the nine bend pearls refers to flowing continuously. When the qì flows draw your opponent into an emptiness thereby uprooting him. Issuing
continuously, it reaches everywhere smoothly. When the body is centred, without first neutralising results in force against force and means you are
relaxed and connected, the mind will be able to direct the qì into the dāntián imposing or pushing against your opponent.
continuously, and from the dāntián into the feet, from which it rebounds
The yielding and neutralising movements are circular. When attacking, if
into the fingers.
you can establish a line from your feet through the point of contact into
When the qì is able to flow smoothly and continuously throughout the the opponent’s substantial foot, you can bisect the opponent’s circle, and
body, from the huìyīn to the níwán (crown of the head), the relaxed force render their neutralisation ineffective.
produced is as pure and powerful as tempered steel. When discharged
Neutralising in curves is yīn, attacking in straight lines is yáng. Therefore
nothing will be able to withstand it.
by neutralising without attacking, it is yīn without yáng, and usually results
8. When an eagle is preying on a hare it circles with sharp eyes, alert for any in being forced into a corner and still being pushed over. Continuing to
movement. When a cat stalks a mouse it is calm, relaxed and focussed; only attack in the one direction without turning, is yáng without yīn, and most

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 often results in being over-extended and easily rolled-back or plucked out. change of circular movements giving the opponent no chance of settling in
Therefore in straight there should be a curve and vice versa, then yīn and the movement. The changes of direction are not fixed; they could be up or
yáng will be in harmony. Sink to build up the energy, storing it before it is down, horizontal or vertical or diagonal, left of right circular movements. As
released. with all movements in Tàijí, the circular movement should be initiated by
the synchronisation of the base, hips, waist, body and arms.
12. When executing fājìn (releasing the relaxed force), the jìn (relaxed force) is
transmitted through the back. During the process of releasing the tail bone 16. Breathing naturally without holding the breath or panting, enables the body
tucks under to provide space for the back muscles to relax, the shoulder to relax and become agile.
blades drop downward, and the shoulders sink. The footwork must follow
17. When qì is cultivated and circulated, it results in good health, benefiting
the changes of the body movements.
not harming the body. By storing the jìn (relaxed force) it becomes readily
13. To receive is to accept an incoming force without any resistance, allowing it available. Continuously relaxing, sinking, and connecting, provides an on-
to pass through the body into the ground, thereby completely neutralising going supply of jìn (relaxed force). In Tàijí, when such a force is constantly
it. It is not simply a sequence of entirely neutralising the incoming force then present in the body, it is termed péngjìn.
releasing your own; yīn and yáng must always be in harmony. This means
18. The xīn here refers to the mind intention (commander), the qì is the mind
that if there is ten percent of neutralising, then ten percent of force should
awareness (flag), the yāo (hips and waist) are the direction (banner).
be already returning to the attacker. This is very clearly demonstrated at the
stage of jièjìn (receiving force). Whenever there is disconnection, connection 19. First seek expansion (big, open movements) then seek contraction (small,
must be restored immediately. compact movements). When initially practicing the Tàijí form and tuīshŏu
(pushing-hands) pay attention to the external principles like being upright
14. When moving forwards or backwards the technique of folding should be
and level (maintaining central equilibrium) Using the kuà and waist to turn,
used. So that, for example, if the palm is neutralised then the forearm
relax and sit the hips, relax and sink the shoulders and drop the elbows
follows in, by folding at the wrist. Similarly if the forearm is neutralised
and loosen the joint and muscles. This is seeking the expansion (big, open
then the elbow folds for the upper arm to follow in, and if the upper arm is
movements).
neutralised, the shoulder folds for the body to follow in; this is the external
folding. This is also what is meant by the statement “the hands are not [the Then when you start to refine the Tàijí form and tuīshŏu (pushing-hands),
only] hands, the whole body is the hands”. Internal folding is before the you should be listening to the sequence of changes within each movement,
first wave of relaxed force is completely issued the second wave follows, changing the different parts in relation to each other. Listen to the adjustment
and before the second wave is complete the third wave follows, thereby of every muscle during transition, and listen to the relaxation, sinking and
creating continuous waves of relaxed force, giving the opponent no chance the release of forces taking place in the changes. This is contraction (compact
to recover. This is like being swept off one’s feet by the undercurrent in the movements).
river and there is no chance to recover as the current is continuous without
any break. When advancing or retreating there must always be a change in In the beginning your movements should be practiced big and expansive to
direction to avoid moving in a straight line or only turning in one direction open the joints and stretch the ligaments. With progression the timing refines
.Any movement in one direction will eventually reach a dead end. Therefore and the posture sequences connect. These refinements naturally result in
any movement should be circular and, halfway through the first circle, one the movements becoming smaller more compact, and synchronised.
must change into the next circle in a different direction. It is a continuous

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20. The movements of tuīshŏu (pushing-hands) should be initiated by your 25. When the qì is able to pass through the huìyīn meridian point to the níwán
opponent. Therefore if your partner does not move, you do not move. By (crown of the head) meridian point, it indicates being in the third stage of
synchronising with his or her slightest movement and remaining connected, the Earth level. At this point, when the qì travels through the three gates it
you can lead them into over committing themselves. This is what is meant will permeate into the spine and other bones.
by “moving ahead”, and is a clear example of dŏngjìn (understanding of the
26. Internally the mind and shén (spirit) must be calm, and externally there
forces).
must not be any tension, so the qì can flow unhindered.
21. The jìn (relaxed force) is neither hard nor soft, but rather it is firm and springy.
27. The footwork should be soft and balanced yet stable and grounded, just
Every expansion also requires contraction, and in the fājìn (releasing of the
like a cat walking. During releasing, the jìn (relaxed force) should be one
force) there must be sinking.
continuous flow, from the feet through the legs, hips, body, arms and fingers,
After discharging your opponent, your jìn disconnects but your mind’s focus without any pause or break. When silk is reeled off a cocoon it should be as
should continue to project in the same direction. a long, continuous thin thread of silk, because once it is broken it is of no
use.
22. If the xīn (mind/conscious mind) is made king and the body the subject,
the mind can command and the body will follow. Not only in Tàijí, but as 28. It is important to understand that in the Chinese language the same character
with anything in life the mind decides what to do and the body follows. For can have a different meaning if placed in a different part of a sentence. The
example, when the mind decides to have a cup of coffee, then we make the whole awareness should be in the mind not on the qì, and here the qì is
coffee and drink it. It is certainly not after drinking the coffee that the mind referring to brute force. When using brute force it will stagnate because in
decides that we want to have a cup of coffee. Therefore the mind makes the a short time one will get out of breath and thereby lose agility. When there
decision and the body carries out the decision of the mind. is qì (brute force) there will be no lí, and here the lí mean stamina because
if you use brute force you will tire easily and lose your strength. When there
23. When the abdomen is relaxed the qì will sink into the dāntián. From the
is no qì (brute force) then you are relaxed and will be able to develop the
dāntián it flows throughout the huìyīn into the three gates and absorbed
relaxed force, which is like tempered steel.
into the bones, increasing the density of the bone marrow.
Qì is like the cart wheel (here the qì is referring to the relaxed force) with the
When the shén (spirit) is calm and in harmony with the mind, the body will
yaō (hips and the waist) being like the axle.
be relaxed.
The axle moves the cart wheel, so the hips and the waist create the direction
24. To begin any posture, every part of the body connects and changes in relation
of the relax force.
to each other to create the movement. To complete a posture every part of
the body synchronises, so that even though they have different destinations,
their time of arrival will be the same. In tuīshŏu (pushing-hands) when
your opponent’s force is on you, it is the whole body that adjusts, not just
the area immediately around the contact points. In Tàijí even the slightest
movement is a whole body synchronisation not a regional movement. It
is so important in this part of the Tàijí classics that it not only asks you to
remember this principle but it asks you to keep it in your heart at all times.

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打手歌 7. Tàijí Classic (v): The Song of Tuīshŏu

1. 掤 擠按須認真。 1. Be diligent about péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back),

jĭ (press) and àn (push).
2. 上下相隨人難進。
2. [If] Upper and lower are synchronised,
3. 任他巨力來打吾。 it will be difficult for the other to come in.
4. 牽動四兩撥千斤。 3. Let him use immense lí (brute strength) to hit me.

5. 引進落空合即出。 4. Lead his movements with only four tael (approx. 15 grams) to neutralise a
thousand catty (approx. 240 grams) of force.
6. 黏連貼隨不丟頂。 5. Draw him into emptiness, join, gather [the force] then send it out.

6. Nián (adhere), lián (connect), tiē (stick), [and] suí (follow),

without disconnecting or resisting.

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 Discussion on: The Song of Tuīshŏu

1. To be diligent is to not take it lightly; it is to study carefully and seriously.

In the Tàijí form péng (ward off), lü (roll back), jĭ (press) and àn (push) are
collectively known as Grasp the sparrow’s tail. Grasp the sparrow’s tail,
according to Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan, is “the meat of the Tàijí form”;
in other words it is the most important part of the form. There is a saying,
that if you understand the Grasp the sparrow’s tail you will understand the
whole Tàijí form. Therefore, when practising this part of the form, attention
should be paid to the accuracy of the movements and on putting the Tàijí
principles into them, whilst understanding and remembering the changes
and experiences in the movement. Whatever happens and whatever
you experience in Grasp the sparrow’s tail will also arise in all the other
movements of the form, as well as in tuīshŏu (pushing-hands). Péng (ward-
off), lǔ (roll-back), jĭ (press) and àn (push) are the four cardinal directions
in tuīshŏu (pushing-hands), and attention must be paid to the accuracy of
practising them. You should recognise when to àn (push); when to lǔ (roll-
back); when to jĭ (press); and when to péng (ward-off). When using lǔ, you
should not roll-back on to your own body. When using péng, you should
not ward-off onto the opponent’s body. When pushing (àn), or pressing (jĭ),
you should first store the energy (absorb or sink) before releasing it. It is
important to pay attention to the timing of yielding and neutralising.

2. The upper and lower body must be connected, centred and properly aligned.
All parts of the body are synchronised and therefore move in relation to
one another, thus making it difficult for an opponent to find a gap to enter

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 and attack. Even the slightest movement in response to any force or change and ultimately shénmíng (spiritual clarity / enlightenment). The external
must be a whole-body synchronisation and not a ‘regional movement’. representations of the five elements are centre (earth), forward (fire),
backward (water), left (wood) and right (metal). The internal representations
3. Let the opponent expend all his force and effort attacking. This emphasises
of the five elements are sticking (making the first contact), adhering (without
the futility of using brute force and the confidence of a genuine Tàijí
losing contact), following (going with the flow), disconnecting (losing
practitioner in the handling of brute force. Teacher Huang used to say that
contact), and resisting (going against the flow).
“I am not afraid of my opponent having great strength or brute force, I am
only afraid if he or she is more relaxed then me”.

4. This sentence describes the fundamental principle of Tàijí in application as a

martial art. Even if the opponent attacks with a lot of strength (one thousand
catty), by following the direction and the momentum without resisting, the
attack has nothing to land on and, using their momentum, it only requires a
very small amount (four tael) of force to deflect and neutralise the attack.

Note: Tael and catty are ancient Chinese units to measure weight. 16 taels
equal one catty (one tael is equals approximately 15 grams), and one catty
equals approximately 240 grams).

5. While the above sentence describes the principles of application of Tàijí as a

martial art, this sentence explains the method to apply the principle. There
is a significant difference between drawing into emptiness and merely
extending the force. Extending the force will weaken it, but there will still
be force on you, whilst your opponent is still connected and will have the
space and time to readjust. Drawing into emptiness is to let the opponent
fall into a void, where they are completely uprooted and have no time or
space to readjust. To be able to draw an opponent into emptiness one must
have the ability to readily accept and receive an incoming force. If you resist
or hold out against any pushes or force, you cannot draw the opponent
into emptiness and you will give him a structure to use. Therefore, the
foundation of a Tàijí push is to yield and accept any incoming force, not to
push.

6. You should be like a sponge, which goes in as much as it is pushed and comes
back as much as the withdrawal. When you can tiē (stick), lián (connect),
nián (adhere) and suí (follow), without disconnecting or resisting, you will
be able to follow any changes that the opponent makes. Practising all these
qualities develops tīngjìn (listening energy), dŏngjìn (understanding energy)

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 8. Tàijí Classic (vi): The Song of Substance and
體用歌 Function - Cheng Man-Ching

1. Tàijíquán, - the thirteen postures.

1. 太極拳，十三式。 The marvel lies in the nature of qì, yīn and yáng.
妙在二氣分陰陽。
2. It changes into infinity and returns to the one.
2. 化生千億歸抱一。 Returns to the one; Tàijíquán.
歸抱一，太極拳。
3. The two primary principles (yīn and yáng)
3. 兩儀四象渾無邊， and four manifestations are without boundary.
禦風何似頂頭懸。
To ride the wind, the head is suspended at the crown, from above.
4. 我有一轉語，今為知者吐：
「湧泉無根腰無主，力學垂死終無補。」 4. I have words for those who can understand:
“If the yŏngquán (bubbling well) has no root, or the yāo (waist) has no
5. 體用相兼豈有他。 control, life-long practice will be in vain”.
浩然氣能行乎手。
5. The training of substance and function need it (the above principle).
6. 掤 擠按採 列肘靠進退顧盼定。
The Hou Ran qì (energy) must be able to flow to the fingers.
7. 不化自化走自走。
足欲向前先挫後。 6. Always remain in central equilibrium during péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back),
jĭ (press), àn (push), căi (pluck), liè (split), zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào
8. 身似行雲，打手安用手。
(lean-on), and also when stepping forward, sitting backward, looking left,
渾身是手手非手。
looking right, and staying centred.
9. 但須方寸隨時守所守。
7. Neutralising without neutralising, yielding without yielding.
If you want to move the foot forward, you have to first sit back.
8. The body is like floating cloud, in the pushing-hands why use the hands?
The whole body functions as the hands, the hands are not the [only] hands.
9. There should be awareness and defending of every square inch at all times.

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 Discussion on: The Song of Substance and Function

1. Tàijíquán consists of the original thirteen postures: Péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-

back), jĭ (press), and àn (push) as the four cardinal directions, căi (pluck), liè
(split), zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on) being the four oblique angles.
Plus the five elements of stepping forward, sitting back, looking left, looking
right and staying centred. The amazing thing about Tàijíquán is that it is
never ending, constantly interacting, changing between yīn and yáng.

2. It is capable of an endless number of changes and yet able to harmonise

and unify into one, that is Tàijíquán (yīn and yáng).

3. The changes of yīn and yáng and four manifestations are not limited by
space or time.

Riding the wind means to be able to adapt to unpredictable changes in

the situation and the force. To be able to ride the wind you must have an
aligned centre of equilibrium. When the head is held as though the crown
is suspended from the above the níwán and huìyīn meridian points will
be vertically in line, the body will be upright, and therefore the centre of
equilibrium will be achieved.

4. The author has words of advice for practitioners wanting to understand

Tàijíquán: The yŏngquán (bubbling well) is a meridian point under both feet
and serves as the root of the body’s posture. It is through these, that both
an incoming force is emptied into the earth, and the energy from the earth
is passed from the ground into the body. When the yŏngquán (bubbling
well) in the feet is not connected to the ground, the body is without root
and any incoming force will only remain in the body. The result is double

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 heaviness, which hinders the body movement causing inflexibility. The loss forces. In simple terms the upper body is yīn and the lower body is yáng
of mobility in the hips means that the waist will be unable to control the with all adjustments beginning in the base. No force can land on the upper
direction of release. Under these circumstances, even after a lifetime of body if it constantly changes in relation to the adjustment of the base.
dedicated practice, no significant benefits will result.
Why use the hands in pushing-hands? The only functions of the hands
5. In the substance [Tàijí form], the body and the function [pushing-hands] should be to stick and listen, not to push with. There actually isn’t any
one must understand the above principle. If the yŏngquán (bubbling well) need to push at all in Tàijí, just issue or release the relaxed force. The force
has no root then you are not connected and have no stability. Therefore one itself originates in the feet and develops in the legs, and therefore it can
will be unable to change in movement or to swallow the qì of the heaven be expressed through any part of the body in contact with the opponent.
and borrow the qì from the earth. Hence the hands are not the [only] hands; all parts of the body are hands.
This is the meaning of folding.
Hou Ran qì (righteousness energy) will be present in the body if you are
relaxed, connected, centered and grounded (root in the bubbling well) and 9. Mind awareness must be present in every part of the body and every
able to direct it at will to the fingers tips, as stated in the no.7 principle in the movement at all times. Every part of the body and every movement should
classic “The Understanding of the Thirteen Postures”. To my understanding be defended or guarded, leaving no gap or opportunity for others to take.
this energy is also known as péng force.

6. Establishing the centre of equilibrium is the function of the thirteen postures.

In the postures of péng (ward-off), lǔ (roll-back), jĭ (press), àn (push), căi
(pluck), liè (split), zhŏu (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on), and also when
stepping forward, sitting backward, looking left, looking right, and staying
centred, the centre of equilibrium must be maintained.

7. Being able to neutralise without neutralising, and yield without yielding is

termed jièjìn (receiving a force). When a Tàijí practitioner reaches this high
level he or she can change without apparently changing, and act without
any apparent action, allowing the incoming force to pass through the body
(the body become an empty void) into the ground and rebound back up
(action-reaction theory) sending the person off a great distance. This is
when yielding, neutralising and issuing became one.

Before moving forward, you should sit back and sink into the rear foot
to connect with the root, and if required to free the front foot to step
forward.

8. We can all see clouds and yet an aircraft passes through them without
obstruction. Clouds constantly change in response to the wind or atmospheric
pressure. Similarly in Tàijí the body is ever changing in response to incoming

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楊家太極拳要領 9. Tàijí Classic (vii): Important Tàijí points
楊澄莆口授 from the Yang Family — Yang Cheng-Fu

1. 虛靈頂勁。 1. Raise the shén (spirit) to the crown of the head.

2. 含胸拔背。 2. Hán (contain - not reveal) the chest and bá (spread) the back.
3. 鬆腰。 3. Sōng (relax) the yaō (waist).
4. 分虛實。 4. Differentiate shí (substantial) from xū (insubstantial).
5. 沉肩墜肘。 5. Chén (sink) the shoulders and hang [drop] the elbows
6. 用意不用力。 6. Use yì (mind intention) not lì (brute strength).
7. 上下相隨。 7. Upper and lower body synchronise.
8. 內外相合。 8. Internal and external are in harmony.
9. 相連不斷。 9. Be connected, without discontinuity.
10. 動中求靜。 10. Seek calmness in movement.
11. 似拉鋸式。 11. [Be like] two men sawing.
12. 我不是肉架子。 12. I’m not a meat rack.
13. 磨轉心不轉。 13. The millstone turns but the axle does not [turn].
14. 撥不倒，不倒翁。 14. Be an upright doll that cannot be pushed over.

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 Discussion on: Important Tàijí points from the
Yang family

1. Raising the shén (spirit) to the crown of the head is the same concept
as holding the head as though being suspended from above, and being
conscious of the crown of the head. One should feel as if the spine is
lengthened. When I began training directly under Huang Sheng-Shyan, he
occasionally placed an empty matchbox on my head while I practiced, which
assisted me to maintain an awareness of the crown of my head throughout
the form. Subsequently the body became upright with the níwán and the
huìyīn meridian points aligned. After achieving this alignment, the postures
revolve around the centre of equilibrium, which ensures agility in all the
body movements.
2. Hán (contain not reveal) the chest by relaxing and emptying the chest from
within. To avoid hunching the back while doing this, visualise the crown of
the head as being suspended from above. According to Li Ya Xuan, who is
a senior of Yang Cheng Fu, this principle does not exist in the art of Tàijí.
It is actually a principle from Xing Yi and it was Cheng Wei Ming (a senior
student of Yang Cheng Fu) who, before learning Tàijí ,was training the Xing
Yi system and later brought it into Tàijí. As time passed, Tàijí practitioners
took it as one of the ten important points of the Yang family.
To bá (spread) the back, remove all tension in the back muscles and allow the
shoulder blades to drop downwards. The qì will only sink into the dāntián
when the chest is relaxed and emptied and the back is spread.
3. Relax the yaō (waist) by letting go of tension around the torso’s mid-section
and seat the kuà (hip joints) into their sockets. When the yaō (waist) relaxes

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 and the kuà (hip joints) are seated, there is an increase of mobility in the as a pivot, directing the jìn (relaxed force) into the feet of the opponent to
upper body. Bear in mind in Tàijí, when the yaō (waist) is referred to, it break the root. The inability to either chén (sink) the shoulders or hang the
includes operating in conjunction with the kuà (hips joints), turning as one. elbows, affects the relaxing and emptying of the chest and spreading of the
back, which in turn restricts the sinking of the qì into the dāntián.
4. Many Tàijí practitioners oversimplify the differentiation of substantial from
insubstantial, by only distinguishing the distribution of weight. In fact it 6. Use yì (the mind) not lì (brute strength). This is the difference between the
has more to do with the force distribution within yourself, and with your internal and external martial arts. In external martial arts the training is
response to the changes of your opponent’s force distribution, in relation to often based around techniques using muscular strength and brute force.
yours. When the opponent is yang then you must respond with yin; this is Such practice can only lead to the development of lì or physical power.
the harmony of yin and yang. When the opponent is yang and you respond Tàijí develops an internal power not requiring physical strength, by training
with yang, that is actually resisting, which is called double heaviness. Double the movements to be initiated by the yì (mind). The yì directs the qì, and
heaviness is a major fault in Tàijí. Therefore if substantial and insubstantial the qì motivates the physical movement. When the qì reaches maximum
are clearly differentiated then one will not commit the mistake of double compression, the jìn (relaxed force) produced becomes an internal power.
heaviness. Remember that substantial and insubstantial have no fixed Whilst physical strength has a limit, the power of the mind has no such
place and time, as they changes with your movement and those of the constraint.
opponent.
7. To achieve upper and lower body synchronisation, an understanding is
Understanding your own substantiality and insubstantiality includes the required of the sequence of changes that create the movement. The
principle of cross alignment (discussed further in my [note 9] interpretation sequences are timed to change in relation to one another as connected and
of Chang San-Feng classic): When releasing jìn (relaxed force) from the right synchronised movements, not merely as co-ordinated actions. All movements
substantial foot, it should be transmitted through the left substantial arm in the Tàijí form and pushing-hands are whole body synchronisations not
and vice-versa. This is what is meant by “when the right is substantial the regional movements, and all the movements begin from the base. The
right is insubstantial and when the left is substantial the left is insubstantial”. importance of this principle is stressed in the Tàijí classic The Understanding
The ability to harmonise and change with any situation can only be achieved of the Thirteen Postures (principle 24) and In the Song of Tuīshŏu (principle
when able to differentiate the substantial from the insubstantial forces. 2).

5. To chén (sink) the shoulders, is to soften the area around the shoulder joints 8. For the internal and external to be in harmony, whenever the mind has
and let go of the shoulder blades, with a downward intention. This connects an opening intention, the physical movement must also open. Conversely
the arms with the body. But one must not forcefully push the shoulders whenever the mind has a closing intention, the physical movement must
down. One must cultivate the relaxing of the body muscles, and when the also close.
body muscles are relaxed it will create a space for the shoulders to sink
9. From beginning to end in the Tàijí form, the movements are a continuous
and therefore the sinking of the shoulders is related to the body relaxation.
flow without disconnection. Like the rolling flow of the river, it never ends
Hanging the elbows is achieved by letting the weight of the arms drop them
and leaves no gap for an opponent to enter. The qì is also a continuous flow,
downward, but not to a point of collapsing and when the shoulder joints are
circulating like the currents of the ocean, with the jìn (relaxed force) as the
closed then the dropping of the elbows is overdone. In tuīshŏu (pushing-
constantly recurring waves.
hands) the sinking of the shoulders allows the jìn (relaxed force) to pass
from the torso into the arms, while the hanging of the elbows functions

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10. When physically moving in Tàijí, the mind must remain calm and attentive.
Calmness can only be achieved when the focus is brought within. In the Tàijí
form, calmness of the mind cultivates awareness of the changes throughout
the movements. While during tuīshŏu (pushing-hands), calmness enables
better detection of the opponent’s intention. Calmness does not mean that
the mind is empty of all thought. Calmness means the mind is aware of the
process at the present moment, not thinking of the past or future.

11. Visualise two men using a two-person saw. Working in harmony they utilise 10. The Body of Tàijíquán
the principles of sticking, adhering and following, while not resisting or
disconnecting. It is an example of not resisting and not disconnecting, and
the principle of yielding and following. The body of Tàijíquán is the Tàijí
form. Regardless of what style of
12. A meat rack is a place to hang dead flesh. During tuīshoǔ (pushing-hands),
Tàijí is practiced, the Tàijí form is the
don’t lean on your opponent or use insensitive heavy hands, as your
first thing the beginner learns. The
opponent is not a meat rack. Stick using the lightest touch necessary to
Tàijí form is a set of movements that
connect to his or her base. You are not a meat rack either, so don’t allow any
the beginner uses to experience
force to build up on you, or let them lean on you.
the Tàijí principles, and to learn to
13. Visualise a line running centrally through the body from the níwán (crown synchronise their body movement
of the head) connecting to the huìyīn meridian point, and this serves as in the Tàijí way. It is also in the
the body’s axle (central axis). Wherever a millstone is located, it still moves form that practitioners cultivate
by rotating around its axle, and similarly the body position can change but the awareness of their body, the
it should revolve still around the central axis. To function effectively the relaxation, the sinking process, and
millstone must remain level and the axle vertical, and similarly the body’s the relaxed force itself. As Teacher
central axis should be kept upright, particularly while turning. The centre of Huang said, learning the form is like
equilibrium can be easily maintained when turning like a millstone. building a generator to produce the
electricity (relaxed force). The Tàijí
14. Be like a self-righting doll which, being weighted at the bottom and light at
form is where the practitioners try
the top, cannot be pushed over. Visualise the crown of the head as being
to experience the Tàijí principles
suspended from above, so that the spine is straight and the body vertical,
in the movement, without the
and the centre of equilibrium can be maintained at all times. The feet must
distraction of any external forces
be firmly grounded, the upper body relaxed, the mind calm with continuous
affecting them. In other words, it is
waves of chén (sinking) deep into the earth, even while an external force
where the practitioners learn to understand themselves. If you are not aware of
is affecting you. When this is achieved the upper body will be relaxed and
yourself, and your own changes, then you cannot even begin to understand the
light, the base will be grounded and heavy, like the self-righting doll.
changes of another. That is why the old masters of Tàijí, when asked, always said
”everything is in the form.”

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 11. The Practice and Cultivation of the Tàijíquán Form

“Give up yourself and follow the other” it is said in the Tàijí classic “the Song
of Tuīshǒu”, the classic of partner work or tuīshŏu (pushing-hands). To be able
to “follow the other” you must accept your opponent’s force and you need to
have the correct structure to accept it. When someone offers you wine, you can’t
possibly ask them to pour the wine on your palm, so you need a wine glass in
which to receive it.

The Human Level

When you begin learning Tàijíquán you do not have any structure, so the teacher
will teach you the Tàijí form to give you a structure in which to experience the
principles and, regardless of the style of Tàijíquán you learn, the form is the
foundation of the art. In learning the form the student must adhere strictly to the
principles in the Tàijí classics as detailed in the previous chapter. The learning of
the Tàijí form can be divided into two parts: practising the form, which focuses
on the external movements, and then cultivating the form which focuses on the
internal aspects.

The Chang San-Feng classic states “Do not have deficient places. Do not have any
hollow and protruding places. Do not have disconnected places”, and in the Wang
Ts’ung-Yueh classic it says “It must not be overdone or fall short.” So, what is the
meaning of hollow? In this context, hollow means the movement is incomplete
or falls short, and protruding means the movement is overdone or unnecessary.
Disconnection is where the movement is not in one flow and uses excessive
tension, i.e. a regional movement instead of whole body synchronisation. All of
these will result in ‘deficient places’ and so these principles stress the importance

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of accuracy and precision of movement when practicing and cultivating the Tàijí and floppy, and in the Tàijí form or free partner work you will see people wriggling
form. This is further stressed in the Wang Ts’ung-Yueh classic which says “A miss and ‘noodling‘. But actually, to be relaxed in Tàijí is to let go of any unnecessary
of a millimetre, is a miss of a thousand miles.” tension that you might hold in the body or accumulate during movement. In
order to relax you must first be able to feel the tensions in the body, and if you
The classics also say, “Use your mind, not your brute force”. In Tàijí the mind
cannot feel your own tension then you can never relax. Relaxation comes from
comprised of two components: first there is the intention and then it must be
mind cultivation, using the mind awareness to tell the body to relax, and as the
followed by the awareness. Intention without awareness is a “dead” mind, a
percentage of awareness of the body increases so will the degree of relaxation. In
mind without life, and right from the outset the beginner should start using the
the end only the very minimum of tension is required to sustain the postures or
mind to remember the movements of the form.
movements, and anything more than is necessary is called tension in Tàijí. There
In Tàijí there are thirteen ‘postures’. First there are Ward off, Roll back, Press and is no end to cultivating this kind of relaxation and you can continue to increase
Push (the cardinal directions) followed by Pluck, Split, Elbow and Shoulder (the the percentage of it. Some say that you should have absolutely no tension in Tàijí,
oblique directions). Collectively they are referred to as the eight methods. Then but if you have no tension to support the structure and sustain the movements
there are Forward, Backward, Turn Left, Turn Right and Centre, which are known you will collapse on the floor! In the Chinese language the word is “fang sung”,
as the five doors, or ways. which literally means to “let go“ and carries more meaning than just “relax“, but
what should we let go of? We should let go of unnecessary tension in the body.
The ‘Centre’ is referring to the centre of equilibrium, and it is the foundation of
all the other twelve postures as they must all have the central equilibrium within The first principle of the Chang San-Feng classic states “At the moment of
them. Without central equilibrium you cannot talk about relaxation and changes, movement, the body should be light, agile and connected (synchronised)”.
and it must be maintained when you are in position, in transition and during the It also says, “The whole body should be connected, do not allow the slightest
issuing of the relaxed force. disruption”. The first connection is in the feet, which are the ‘root’ of the body
posture, and they should be relaxed so that the ‘bubbling well’ is in connection
“Tuck in your tail bone, have a consciousness on the crown of your head as
with the ground. As Cheng Man Ching said in the Song of Substance and Function,
if suspended from the top” and “Raise your spirit, you will have agility in the
“I have words for those who understand. When the bubbling well has no root,
movements”. Although these are from different classics the meaning is the same,
you have no control of the hips and waist”. This will connect the feet (or foot,
and if in the practice of the Tàijí form the practitioner imagines that they have an
in postures where all the weight is on one foot or when sitting back) to the
empty matchbox on their head, then these principles will be realised. It is also
ground. The second connection is between the body (torso) and the base (legs).
said to “Stand like a level scale, you will have the mobility of the wheel” and “Do
In the “Important points of the Yang family” it says “relax the waist”. What is not
not tilt or lean”. To realise these principles the hips need to be relaxed and seated
commonly known is that in the teaching by the old masters the waist is referring
throughout the form. All of these principles in the various classics emphasise the
to the hips (kuà) and the waist, not just the waist alone. The hips are not only
importance of the physical structure to maintain the central equilibrium. When
relaxed but should also be seated, and my teacher, Huang Sheng Shyan always
the central equilibrium is maintained the practitioner will feel as if the spine has
said to sit the hips. This will connect the torso to the base. The last connection
been lengthened and is balanced on all sides, “When the body is upright and
is between the arms and the body, which is achieved by relaxing and sinking
tranquil, the feet will support all eight directions” (The Understanding of the
the shoulders. All of these physical connections should be maintained when in
Thirteen Postures)
position, in transition and during the issuing of the relaxed force, both in the Tàijí
If we consider the central equilibrium as the body of the Tàijíquán form, then form and partner work.
relaxation would be its soul. Many practitioners have mistaken relaxation to be soft

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Any turning in the Tàijí form should be initiated by the hips and the waist, and the settle, every part settles” (Understanding of Thirteen Postures) and “The upper
turning of the hips and waist is related to the changes from the base. If you turn and lower body should move in synchronisation” (The Song of Hitting Hands).
the hips and the waist without the base changing then it is a regional movement Therefore it is important to understand the sequences of changes that create
and not a whole-body synchronization. In the Chang San-Feng classic it says each movement of the form and for them to change in relation to each other
“Control by the waist” and the Song of the Thirteen Postures states “The source in order to adhere to these principles. This is the meaning of understanding the
of life is in the waist area”; “Be aware of the waist at all times”. To have mobility in movements.
the turning of the hips and waist and to “Turn like a mill stone” (important points
In the Chang San-Feng classic it says “Throughout all movements, the body
of the Yang family) and to “Stand like a level scale, be mobile like wheel.” (Wang
should be light, agile”. To be light is to be relaxed and to let go of any unnecessary
Tsúng-Yueh). Both hips should be seated at all times and the centre of equilibrium
tension in the body whilst in position and during movement. In the Chinese
maintained. Cheng Man Ching said that the base (legs) are the yang and the upper
language the words light, agile and lively always go hand in hand. You need to
body and arms are yin. The base initiates all movement (changes) and the body
be light in order to have agility (to have mobility in movements) and when you
and arms follow the changes of the base. All movements in the form and partner
have agility you will be lively. Relaxation is cultivated by mind awareness and it
work are initiated by the base, and the turning of the hips and waist should be in
is the foundation for the cultivation of the sinking and borrowing of energy from
relation to changes in the base. The Chang San-Feng Tàijí classic states “If there
the earth. Therefore, as the mind awareness is listening to the changes in the
is no flexibility or momentum, and the body becomes disrupted, the fault should
movements it should tell the body to let go of unnecessary tension in any part of
be sought in the waist and legs”
the body it passes through. It is not just listening to the adjustment of the joints
In this stage of practicing the form, attention should be paid to the accuracy of in the feet, ankles, hips, shoulders, elbows and wrists, but also the adjustment
movement and then to put these principles into the form. and relaxation of every muscle in the feet, calves, thighs, body, arms and even the
neck and face adjusting in relation to each other. It is particularly important to
The Earth Level cultivate the movement of the muscles (the melting sensation) in the body, upper
The next stage is to cultivate the form, focusing on understanding the movements, and lower back, the tail bone area and the relaxation in the chest from within.
the internal changes and the principles of the form. The movements in the body will enable the base (legs) and the arm movements
to be connected, otherwise they will only be coordinated and therefore moving
“The spirit gathered within”; this is to have the calmness of the mind. To have independently of each other.
calmness it’s not that the mind is blank, but it’s to have the mind awareness totally
within the body to listen to the movements and changes within the body and not In the cultivating of the sinking and borrowing of energy from the earth (issuing
wander off. The classic in the Song of thirteen Postures and The Understanding of of relaxed force) in the Tàijíquán form, the late master Huang Sheng Shyan said
the thirteen Postures say “Let the qì flow freely throughout the body”. Direct the the mind must be aware of three points in the body: the bai hui meridian point at
qì like threading the nine bend pearls (the phrase means flowing continuously) it the crown of the head, the yŏngquán meridian points in the feet (known as the
reaches everywhere unrestricted”. However the mind awareness must not be too bubbling well), and the lau kong meridian points at the centre of the palms. Both
intense as intense awareness will lead to stiffness. “The qì should be stimulated”, the sinking and the borrowing of energy from the earth are mental processes and
so when you feel your movements the mind travels, and when the mind travels the cultivation of relaxation still continues in these processes.
the qì travels; “the xīn (mind/heart) motivates the qì”. In the Tàijíquán forms when you make any movement you must let the mind
In Tàijíquán, any movement is a whole body movement not a regional movement. awareness flow down from the bai hui meridian point, and in doing so you will
“Keep this in your heart, remember, when you move every part moves, when you be “swallowing the qì of the heaven”, as Cheng Man Ching put it. Continue to

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let it flow through the head and the neck, down through the body, the legs and Both in the process of sinking and of borrowing the energy from the earth, the
the feet, through the yŏngquán meridian points deep into the ground under mind awareness travels extensively throughout the whole body. When the mind
both feet. Visualise the ground under both feet is disappearing and feel the feet travels, the qì travels and therefore the qì is stimulated, and so the principles of
go deep into the ground, not pressing against the ground. If in a bow stance or ”sink the qi into dāntián” (Wang T’sung-Yueh classic), “let the qì flow freely through
parallel stance this should be visualised into the ground under both feet, or into the body” (Song of Thirteen Postures) and “The xīn (mind/heart) motivates the
the ground under the substantial foot either when sitting back or in a posture qì, direct it to sink, so that it can be stored and concentrated into the bones” (The
where all the weight is on one foot. This process is known as sinking in Tàijíquán, Understanding Of The Thirteen Postures) will all be achieved.
and throughout it the practitioner must continue to experience the relaxation
Stability in the base (lower body) comes from relaxation and sinking, not from
and adjustment of every muscle in the posture. Sinking will give the practitioner
digging in or resisting. When the base is stable the middle body (hips and waist)
stability and create the root in the feet to connect with the energy of the earth,
is agile and the arms and hands are light (relaxed) and sensitive, and so the
thus producing the relaxed force (jìn). Although relaxation is the foundation of
foundation for the next stage of Tàijí practice, partner work, is established.
sinking, working only on relaxation without sinking will not give the practitioner
stability or produce any relaxed force.
The Heaven Level
Once the movement arrives at its final position there is a release of the relaxed In the Wang T’sung-Yueh classic it states “From proficiency evolves into
force. After sinking the mind awareness into the ground, the practitioner must understanding the forces, from understanding the force precedes spiritual
then visualise it rebounding up from the ground under the feet, through the clarity” (Wang T’sung-Yueh classic). This will be achieved when the practitioner
“yongquán”, the legs and the body, through the shoulders into the arms and understands the external and internal changes in the Tàijíquán form. The ability
passing through the “lau kong” meridian points to the finger tips. This process to understand small changes within the body and in movement dictates the level
is to borrow the energy from the earth (issuing of relaxed force). In the Chang of refinement of one’s Tàijíquán practice.
San-Feng classic it states “The root is in the feet, the force is discharged through
the legs, controlled by the waist and expressed through the fingers”. Therefore Understanding the forces and spiritual clarity involve your own as well as those
during the borrowing of energy from the earth, there should not be a decrease of of your opponent or training partner. When you are able to experience all the
connection of the feet with the ground, so you must continue to experience the principles from the Tàijí classics regarding the forms, and you understand the
adjustment of every muscle in the legs, body, arms and fingers, and there should movements of the Tàijí form, then you have achieved the understanding of the
also be waves of sinking during the release of the relaxed force. The process forces and a spiritual clarity of yourself.
that happens in the releasing of the force from the feet through the body to
the finger tips is the same process as fājìn. Therefore the practitioner should try
to remember the experience and when executing the fājìn in tuīshŏu (pushing-
hands) they must feel the same experience. In the Song Of Understanding of
the Thirteen Postures it says “When executing fājìn (issuing the relaxed force),
the body should completely relax and sink”. At this stage the continuity of the
physical movement is not important because the practitioner has to complete
and experience the changes in both the sinking and the release of the relaxed
force.

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 12. The Application of Tàijíquán

If the body of Tàijíquán is the Tàijí form, then the application of Tàijíquán is in the
pushing-hands. In all pushing-hands you have the forward movement, backward
movement, turning left, turning right and the central equilibrium and they are
the external representation of the five elements. Pushing-hands also cultivates
the internal qualities of the five elements, namely sticking, joining, adhering,
following, non-resistance and non-disconnection. If the internal qualities of the
five elements are not present, then it is not Tàijí pushing-hands. It is important to
remember however, that the foundation for developing the internal qualities of
the five elements is in relaxation and sinking, which in turn are cultivated in the
Tàijí form.

Sticking in Tàijí is indirect sticking, in that you stick with your mind and relaxed
force, which can only happen if you are relaxed and sink. Sticking in Tàijí is like
having a magnet and you use it to stick to a piece of metal and lift it off the table.
In Tàijí you stick (with your mind and relaxed force) to the root of your opponent
so they are disconnected from the ground. Joining is where you and opponent
become one, there are no longer two individuals. Adhering is where they can’t
get rid of you, and you are like their shadow. Following is to give up your own
opinion and go along with whatever your opponent wants to do (but without
giving up your central equilibrium). Resisting is to go against the opponent’s force,
and to disconnect is to lose contact. When you come to make contact with your
opponent you must offer them sticking, joining and adhering, following, non-
resisting and not disconnecting. To do the opposite is against the Tàijí principles.
Only when you have cultivated the internal qualities of the five elements will you
then have the foundation to develop listening. When you can listen, you can yield
and neutralise and know your chances.

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 13. The Art of Partner work in Tàijíquán

This aspect of Tàijí training is often called pushing-hands among today’s Tàijí
practitioners, but in the old days it was known as an exercise to sense and feel,
and for some unknown reason it later became known as pushing-hands.

Pushing-hands is actually a very misleading term because different words imply

different actions, for example the word ‘run’ immediately makes you think of
running, you use your legs to run. With ‘kick’ you will use your legs to kick and
with ‘push’ you will use your hands to push. If you read through the Tàijí classics
there is not a single word about pushing. Even the classic The Song of Tuīshŏu
(Pushing-hands) is incorrectly translated into English, and according to the Chinese
characters it should be The Song of Hitting Hands. There is no pushing in Tàijí, only
fājìn, the issuing of relaxed force. When you think of pushing you use your hands
and when you think of fājìn you will use your legs and the Chang San-Feng classic
clearly states “The root [of the relaxed force] is in the feet, discharged through
the legs, controlled by the waist and expressed through to the fingers”). Cheng
Man Ching said that when you push it should be as if pushing with your legs.
Therefore in my teaching I am using the term ‘partner work’ instead of ‘pushing-
hands’ to get the students out of the concept of pushing and of using the hands.
The function of the hands in Tàijí is to stick, adhere, listen (sense) and to express
the relaxed force. The arms and hands should always be light (relaxed).

The structure (the way that you move and change) externally and internally, and
the experience of relaxation, sinking and issuing of the relaxed force that were
cultivated in the Tàijíquán form must be present and experienced in the partner
work. If one does not experience the same changes in the partner work then the

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structure is broken. It is just like you have made a wine glass and when someone equal in both feet. To clear up this misunderstanding it is important to note that
offers you the wine, you break the glass and try to receive the wine. double heaviness is not about weight distribution at all; it is actually about force
distribution in the body.
The foundation is “to give up yourself and follow the other” (from the Wang
Ts’ung-Yueh classic). My Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan always said “Give up yourself Yin and yang are terms used to describe two opposite things that relate to
and follow the other without objective opinions, flow with your heart (xīn) and each other. They could be right and left, up and down, internal and external,
let it be natural”. To ‘follow the other’ you must accept them completely, and positive and negative or male and female, but in this context we are referring to
the Tàijí form gives you a structure to do that, but the difficult part is to accept substantial and insubstantial. Wherever there is force it is known as substantial
the other not only physically but also mentally. To be able to do this you have to (yang) and wherever there is no force it is known as insubstantial (yin). The
know how to “give up yourself”, but what to give up? The first thing is to give up Chang San-Feng classic states “In every part of the body there is both substantial
the concept of using brute force. In the ten important points of the Yang family and insubstantial. The principle of substantial and insubstantial applies to every
it states “Use your mind, not brute force.” The next thing to give up is one’s ego situation”. One must understand that substantial and insubstantial has no fixed
and objective opinions, and by doing so you are then prepared to receive and be time or place and it changes with the movement of the body.
in harmony with your opponent and their force. The only thing you must not give
Whenever there is an incoming force and you meet it with force then that is
up is your centre of equilibrium. One must “follow the other” but must not follow
‘double heaviness‘. Alternatively, when there is an incoming force and you yield
blindly. You follow the opponent initially until they have made a commitment
and flow with it, this is the meaning of harmony of yin and yang. When both
and then you take over the role of leading and this is the meaning of first being
parties have no force it is known as double lightness and in Tàijí this is not a fault.
motivated and then becoming the motivator.
In the partner work when an opponent’s force coming in, then wherever the force
When you witness a Tàijí competition in pushing-hands, or free pushing in a Tàijí lands must instantly become insubstantial, or in other words you must soften
class, you will most likely see both practitioners lock into what looks like a wrestling at the point of contact. Again, this is the meaning of harmony of yin and yang
match with all the Tàijí principles thrown out of the window. It is because they (substantial and insubstantial should be clearly differentiated). The principle of
fail to understand this principle from the Wang T’sung-Yueh classic: “Someone “when the opponent is hard (strong) I become supple; this is yielding.” is referring
after years of dedicated practice being unable to adjust or neutralise, and is easily to the harmony of yin and yang and when this principle is fully understood the
defeated by others, has not understood the fault of double heaviness”. To avoid practitioner will not fall into the fault of double heaviness.
this fault, you must understand the harmony between yin and yang. This will lead
Yielding is not about running away from the force or brushing it away, as that
to understanding the forces (dŏngjìn)”.
would be disconnection. Yielding is the ability to accept and receive the force
Most practitioners misunderstand the term “double heaviness” and make yin without resisting it and the ability to do that will enable the practitioner to
and yang into something mysterious. Double heaviness has been mistranslated always be in an advantageous position. How much force do we allow to be on
in all English Tàijí books to mean ‘double weight’, and a lot of Chinese Tàijí our structure (body) before we yield, some say four ounces of force but I believe
practitioners also have the same misconception. Therefore it is most commonly even four ounces is still too much. In the Wang T’sung-Yueh classic it says that “a
(mis)understood that if you have equal weight distribution on both feet then you feather cannot be added; a fly cannot settle”, and therefore as long as the force
commit the fault of double weight (double heaviness). Double heaviness is a major is heavier than a feather or a fly we must yield to it. One of the ten important of
fault in the practice of Tàijíquán, but if it really were about weight distribution Yang family says “I am not a meat rack”. A meat rack is where you hang the meat
then the fault is committed in the very beginning posture of the form, as well as and therefore you must not allow your opponent’s body-weight to be on you (you
in the posture of cross hands and at any point in a transition where the weight is

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are not a meat rack) nor do you allow your body-weight to be on your opponent their root being disconnected is much greater. The greatest pleasure of drawing
(he is also not a meat rack). your opponent into emptiness is that you do not impose the push on them, but
that they bring the chance of pushing (issuing) to you.
The Song of Hitting Hands says “Stick, connect, adhere, follow without
disconnecting or resisting”. To stick is to make the first contact and to adhere is There is a difference between drawing an opponent into emptiness and sitting
not to lose contact, so when you are able to stick and adhere then you will be back and extending the force. In sitting back and extending the force you will only
able to follow. Yielding is like sitting back in the Tàijí form and following is like weaken it and the opponent is still in connection with his root. Therefore there
moving forward in the Tàijí form. The first level of sticking is to stick at the point of is still plenty of time and distance for the opponent to adjust to the changes.
contact, the second level is sticking to the centre of gravity of your opponent and Whereas drawing the opponent into emptiness creates a void that the opponent
the highest level is to stick to the root of your opponent. If one understands the falls into, disconnecting him from his own root immediately, and giving very little
principle of yielding to an incoming force and flowing with the back of the force, time or space to adjust and respond.
then there will be no resisting or disconnecting.
The most common mentality of Tàijí practitioners when they engage in free
In most free partner work (free pushing-hands) situations we observe practitioners partner work is they are always busy in looking for, and imposing pushes on,
using all their strength (even the strength of sucking the milk from the breast, their partners. If one looks closely at the Tàijí classic it actually informs us when
when they were an infant). But the Wang Tsung-Yueh classic Tàijí classic says there are chances to issue (release, push). For example, The Understanding of the
“Considering the verse; Only four tael are required to neutralise a thousand catty Thirteen Postures says “Seek the straight in the curve”, where straight represents
of force” shows that victory is not due to superior strength. In the Song of Hitting issuing and the curve represents neutralising. It means the opportunities for
hands it also says “Let him use immense li (brute strength) to hit me. Lead his issuing are to be found in the neutralising, because only in neutralising will the
movements with only four tael to neutralise a thousand catty of force”. So this opponent be drawn into emptiness and his root will be disconnected and thus
shows it is not about who is strongest and there should no fear of brute force, but cannot easily change. In this way the chances of issuing are offered to you. As long
how to neutralise a thousand catties force with four tael? as the opponent can move and change, it means that their root is still connected
and they still have their central equilibrium, so don’t waste time or risk exposing
“Draw him into emptiness, gather (the force) then send it out.” This is the method
yourself by imposing a push on them.
to apply the principle of using four tael to deflect a thousand catties. One cannot
draw the opponent into emptiness while resisting against an incoming force or In the free partner work, whether yielding and neutralising or following and
holding it out, since this will only help to support the opponent’s balance and issuing, one should never move only in straight line or turn in only one direction.
stability, keep them in their own circle and give them a structure to use. The As the Tàijí classic The Understanding of The Thirteen Postures says “In advancing
foundation of ‘draw your opponent into emptiness’ is the ability to receive and and retreating there should be a change of direction”, the change of direction is
accept the opponent’s force and pushes. It is also the foundation of yielding and motivated by the hips and waist in relation to the changes of one’s base (legs).
neutralising. However it is not about receiving and accepting the force on your Also the principles “The source of life (movement) is in the waist area”, and “Every
body but to receive and accept the force and let it pass through your body and moment keep your awareness in the waist” from the Song of Thirteen Postures
through the feet into the ground using the process of sinking. As Cheng Man stress the important the waist (hips) plays in the changes of direction. However
Ching says the body has a limited space, but the earth’s space is practically it is not that one completes a movement in one direction before changing to the
limitless. By receiving and accepting the opponent’s force into the ground you next direction. It is always in the middle of one direction that one changes to
cause him to over commit himself and, in doing so, draw them out of their circle next, and in the middle of that one changes to the third direction, and so on. So it
(centre). You can then work with them within your own circle, and the chance of

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is always a change in multiple circles, and in this way the opponent’s pushes will
always fall into emptiness.

In most pushing-hands situations we will observe the practitioner’s palms fixed 14. Fājìn - Discharging or Releasing the Relaxed Force
at one point; if it is not under the elbows of one it will be on the arms of the
other, and throughout the sticking and adhering the contact points never seem to
change. This error is called “dead hands” because they remain at the same spot,
The common mistake of most Tàijí practitioners in tuīshŏu (pushing-hands)
are not lively and do not change in harmony with the changes in situation. We
is pushing the opponents. There is no pushing in Tàijí; you only propel your
must understand that because the opponent’s centre of gravity, substantiality and
opponent, causing them to fly off, by discharging your relaxed force (jìn). When
insubstantiality change with their movements, then one must also change the
you push your opponent, they will only stagger back, but if you propel them
contact points according to the situation, and so give the hands “life”. Professor
by discharging your relaxed force then both of their feet will be uprooted off
Cheng Man Ching said, in the Song of Substance and Function, “The whole body
the ground and they will fly off a great distance. If you are stiff and tense then
functions as the hands. The hands are not (the only) hands”. To apply this, one
there will not be any relaxed force. Trying to discharge relaxed force while you
must follow the principle of “In moving forwards and backwards, there must
are stiff and tense is just like planting an apple tree in the garden and hoping
be folding”. It means that when the palms are neutralised then the lower arms
you will see peaches growing on it; it will never happen. As the name “relaxed
follow, when the lower arms are neutralised the elbows follow, when the elbows
force” suggests, you can only have relaxed force if you are relaxed. It is stated in
are neutralised the shoulders follow and when the shoulders are neutralised the
the Understanding of The Thirteen Postures, “When discharging the relax force
body follows. However there is no fixed rule to the order of changes, it depends
(jìn), one must be completely and thoroughly relaxed and sink, and focus in one
on the situation.
direction.” Note the emphasis on completely and thoroughly relaxing!

When you think of pushing you will push with your hands, but the relaxed force
is discharged from the legs, not from the hands. As Grandmaster Cheng Man
Ching said, issue as if you are issuing with your legs. The Chang San Feng Tàijí
classic states, “The root is in your feet, release through your legs, control by the
waist and express through the fingers.” In the discharging of the relaxed force
one should not lose the connection of the feet, hence the root is in the feet and
the root comes from sinking. Therefore you must be thoroughly relaxed and
sink! The direction of the force is controlled by turning the hips and waist, and
then from the fingers it is sent into your opponent.

The first experience a Tàijí practitioner has of the fājìn (discharge of relaxed
force) is in the Tàijí form. At the end of every posture in the form, and before
the beginning of the next posture, there is a releasing of relaxed force in the
posture.

The practitioner must remember the experience and the feeling at the moment
of release, and seek the same feeling when practicing fājìn in pushing-hands.

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 15. Yielding and Neutralising

The fear of being pushed, and the desire to push, both result in the Tàijí tuīshŏu
(pushing-hands) turning into a wrestling match. The main obstacle to being able
to yield and neutralise is one’s ego. In the beginning one has to yield first before
being able to neutralise. Yielding is to extend the incoming force and change its
direction, and neutralising is to nullify the force so that it is no longer acting on
you.

The importance of yielding is greatly emphasised by the late Tàijí grandmaster

Professor Cheng Man Ching who famously said, “ Invest in loss.” When my late
In the Understanding of the Thirteen Postures it states, ”First absorb, then Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan studied Tàijí under Professor Cheng, Teacher Huang
release.” Like a spring, there must first be compression before you have rebounding was already an accomplished White Crane master. Professor Cheng accepted
force. The legs are just like a spring and, like animals taking a leap, they first drop Teacher Huang as his student only if he agreed to a condition of yielding and not
their legs to produce a spring like force in order to leap. In the same Tàijí classic it pushing; not to even think of pushing for four years; a condition which Teacher
says, “Absorb the force like drawing the bow.” Before you shoot an arrow you first Huang readily accepted.
have to draw the string of the bow to create a spring force to send the arrow out.
The legs are the string of the bow and dropping the legs is drawing the string of In the Wang Ts’ueng-Yueh Tàijí classic it says “ Give up yourself, follow the other.”,
the bow. The same classic also states, ”discharging the force like shooting an and this concept is the foundation for yielding. One has to give up the ego, one’s
arrow.” When you shoot an arrow the bow does not move. Similarly, when you own self and one’s opinions in order to yield, and this is the main difference
discharge the force your body (bow) does not lean or move forward. When you between Tàijí and other martial arts. Most martial arts teach you to overcome
shoot an arrow, you do not focus at the arrow (your opponent), you focus beyond others while in Tàijí you have to overcome yourself to be good. Yielding is about
the arrow at the target, hence the meaning of focus in one direction. The best accepting your opponent and accommodating them. How much force should you
analysis of the force being discharged from the legs and not the hands was allow to be on you before you yield? The Wang T’sung-Yueh Tàijí classic says “A
described by Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan. He said, “your hands are like radar feather cannot be added, a fly cannot settle.” So, as long as the force is heavier
detecting enemy aircraft. Your legs are like a surface to air missile. When you than a feather or fly you must yield to it. Yielding is not moving away from the
have detected the enemy aircraft you do not throw the radar at the plane, you force; that would be disconnection. Yielding is just like when you push into a
fire the missile at them.” sponge, where the sponge only moves as much as you push, and it does not move

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more then you push. Similarly, it is the feather or the fly (the force) which sets When you get used to being pushed, you start to feel that being pushed is not a
you in motion, and it is not that you move away from it. No matter where or how big deal. You will lose the fear of being pushed and will be relaxed, then you will
strong the force is on you, your yielding must be a whole-body synchronization be able to stick, join, adhere and follow, not resisting and not disconnecting in
not a regional movement. In the same classic it states, “When the opponent is pushing-hands. Equipped with these attributes, you can go on to develop a level
hard I am subtle, that is yielding.” Only with yielding one can avoid committing of sensing (listening force) in Tàijí pushing-hands.
the mistake of double heaviness.

“Seek the straight in the curve” it says in The Understanding of the Thirteen
Postures. Straight is attacking, whereas the curve is yielding and neutralising.
You will find your chances of attacking in the yielding and neutralising. The only
method of applying the Tàijí principle of leading four ounces to deflect a thousand
pounds, is to draw the opponent into emptiness. One must have the ability to
accept and accommodate (yield to) the opponent’s force to be able to draw them
into emptiness. After yielding, when the incoming force is weakened, one must
nullify the force by accepting it not onto the body but bring it through the body
and into the ground. The process of bringing the force into the ground is the
same as the sinking process in the Tàijí form. In the end, yielding and neutralising
become one.

Everybody knows how to yield. Just treat the incoming force as if it were a sharp
knife, then you will naturally know how to yield. Professor Cheng said, “Invest in
loss, loss is gain and gain is loss.” Is just like the person pushing is giving out Tàijí
money and the person who is yielding is accepting Tàijí money. As time pass,
the person pushing gets poorer and the person yielding gets richer. Teacher
Huang says ”the more you fall, the better you become.” In the first five hundreds
time you are pushed, you do not know why you get pushed out. On the eight
hundredth time you are pushed, you start to realize where you are stuck but you
still get pushed out. In the one thousandth time you get pushed, you know where
you are stuck, but now you are able to become unstuck, yield and neutralise, and
so now the situation belongs to you. However, when you “Give up yourself,” you
should never give up your central of equilibrium. Similarly, when you “Follow the
other” you should never follow blindly. Instead yield when the force is coming
into you and, once your opponent has committed themselves and their force has
been neutralised, you must take over the lead and counter attack. In this way you
are first being motivated, but then become the motivator, and this is the meaning
of “Seek the straight in the curve.”

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 16. Tàijíquán - The Art of Receiving

Tàijíquán is no different from any other exercise or martial art if it is practiced

without understanding the principles and without putting the principles into the
movements. Regardless of the various different Tàijí styles or Tàijí forms, they are
all based on the same set of Tàijí classical texts. They are: The Chang Sang Feng
Tàijí Classic, The Wang Ts’ung Yueh Tàijí Classic, The Song of Thirteen Postures, The
Understanding of the Thirteen Postures, The Song of Substance and Function, The
Song of Pushing-hands and, in the case of the Yang style, The Ten Important Points
of the Yang Family. Practitioners should put the principles into the movements,
rather than going into the movements to look for the principles.

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To put the principles into the movements, the practitioner must constantly read settle every parts settles”. In different postures in the Tàijí form, the arms, the
and understand the classics and, when practicing, the mind must ‘ask’ and the legs and the body might be in different positions and you might face different
body must ‘answer’ (respond). directions, but the sequence of changes and what happens in it is the same. That
is why the great Tàijí teachers of the past always say, ”when you understand one
The foundation of Tàijíquán practice is in the Tàijí form. By neglecting the Tàijí
movement, you understand all the movements”. In fact the most effective way of
form and only focusing on pushing-hands, it is like working on the function
practicing the form is the single posture practice.
(application) without the substance (body). By knowing yourself and knowing
your opponent you will excel in pushing-hands. Knowing yourself comes from The changes within any movement always begin from the base (feet, ankles,
the practice of the Tàijí form, where you learn to be relaxed, balanced, connected knees and hips joints) and the letting go of excess tension from the calves and
and synchronised without any external forces affecting you. The relaxed force of thighs muscles. The base creates the body (trunk) movements - the relaxation of
Tàijí is cultivated and developed in the practice of the Tàijí form. the chest from within, the melting sensation of the body muscles and the letting
go of excess tension from the upper, middle and lower back, creating movements
In the Chang Sang Feng classic it is stated, “At the moment of movement, the body
in the back. The body creates the arm movements – the sinking of the shoulders
should be light, agile and most importantly connected (synchronised)”. To achieve
and dropping of the elbows. The movement of the body comes from mind
this, the central equilibrium must be maintained in position, in transition and in the
cultivation, so the mind awareness must be in the body to imagine and visualise
release of the force, both in the Tàijí form and in pushing-hands. To maintain the
the body’s movements happening. After prolonged cultivation the movements
central equilibrium the practitioner has to keep in mind the following principles:
will materialise. The base and the arm movements will only be connected if there
The Song of Thirteen Postures”, Tuck in the tailbone and keep a consciousness on
are movements in the body, otherwise they are only coordinated.
the crown of the head (bǎihuì meridian point), the body will be agile if the head
is held as if suspended from the top. ”The Wang Tsúng Yueh Tàijí Classic, “Do not Relaxation in the Tàijí Form:
tilt or lean. Stand like a level scale”. Only when the central equilibrium has been There is a difference between relaxation and being ‘soft and floppy’. “fàngsōng”
achieved, can one talk about changes and relaxation. The central equilibrium is (relaxation in Chinese) means to ‘let go’. To let go of what?, to let go any
the foundation of Tàijíquán. It is one of Tàijí’s ‘Thirteen Postures’ and all the other unnecessary tension in the posture (body) and movements. In Tàijí we use the
twelve postures must have the central equilibrium within them. minimum amount of tension to sustain postures and movements, anything more
than is necessary we call it tension. As our awareness of our body increases so
The practice of the Tàijí form is not about whether you know the whole form,
does our ability to let go of unnecessary tension. When the upper body becomes
nor is it measured by the number of different Tàijí forms or styles you know. It is
lighter and the base become heavier, it is the sign of relaxation taking place. In
about putting the principles into the form and understanding the movements in
the end, the upper body becomes yin and the base become yang and, when the
the form. The Tàijí form is only a tool for you to transfer the principles from the
practitioner reaches the highest level, only the feet are yang the rest of the body
Tàijí Classics into your body, and eventually the form should become formless
is yin.
because any movement you make should have the principles within it.
Sinking:
Besides having the Tàijí principles, the practitioner must also understand the
Sinking is a mental process and it is very important in Tàijí practice. It can only
movements in the form. After learning the whole form the practitioner must seek
come after the practitioner is able to relax. Sinking develops the root in Tàijí,
to understand the sequence of changes that creates the movements and get the
to enable the practitioner to ‘borrow the energy from the earth’. Sinking is also
sequences to change in relation to each other, and in so doing, achieving the
a training to take any incoming forces into the ground (internal neutralising) in
principle that is stated in the Understanding of The Thirteen Postures, ”Remember,
pushing-hands. The sinking should start from the bǎihuì meridian point (crown of
keep this in your heart, when you move every part of your body moves, when you

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the head), and this is to ‘swallow the qì of the heaven’. It should go through the added, a fly cannot settle” and in the Ten Important Points of Yang family it says,
body, legs and feet, through the bubbling well into the ground. ”I am not a meat rack”. All of these points emphasise that you should receive and
accept the forces, not resist against them.
To borrow the energy from the earth, the practitioner must visualise the sinking
awareness rebounding from the ground, travelling through the bubbling well, up In the practice of Pushing-hands the body should have all the elements that are
through the legs, the body and the arms, past the láogōng meridian point and to experienced in the Tàijí form. The key to receiving is to throw away self (ego)
the fingertips. When the practitioners master the Tàijí form, then they will have a and invest in loss. “Invest in loss; small loss small gain, big loss, big gain”, what
structure to receive the forces in pushing-hands. beautiful words spoken by Professor Cheng Man Ching. It seems that by receiving
(yielding) you are losing but that is not the case because the person pushing is
Pushing-hands:
actually giving you “Tàijí money”. As he keeps pushing he gets poorer and as
In the old days it was known as an exercise of ‘sensing and feeling’, but somehow
you keep receiving you get richer. When the day comes that he can no longer
it was later called pushing-hands. Pushing-hands is a very misleading phrase
push you (that means he is Tàijí bankrupt), then perhaps you could give him
because actually it has nothing to do with pushing and nothing to do with the
some interest on the “Tàijí money” he gave you! In the beginning the practice
hands. Most Tàijí pushing-hands we see is just like a wrestling match, or like two
of receiving can be very frustrating because you get pushed over all the time. As
goats locking horns, using brute force and thus deviating from the Tàijí principles.
you progress you start to realise where you get stuck, and why, but you will still
The reasons are that one person wants to push, the other doesn’t want to be
get pushed over because you can’t yet do anything about it. Gradually though,
pushed. The bigger one uses his body weight and strength, while the smaller one
you learn how to ‘unstick’ yourself and take the force down into the ground.
tries to dig in to hold his ground. It always takes two hands to clap!
Receiving must be done with total acceptance, in the process of receiving if you
We have to look into the principles, understand them and then proceed into the have even the slightest intention or thought of countering, then it is receiving
practice. One of the Ten Important points of the Yang family says, “Use your mind without total acceptance. When you master the art of receiving, you will able to
,not your brute force”, as long as you use your mind the door to Tàijí pushing- perform the principle that is stated in The Song of Pushing-hands, “Draw him into
hands is open for you to enter; if you still want to use brute force it is just like emptiness, gather the force and send it out”.
locking the door and try to get in again. If you still want to use brute force, don’t
Receiving (yielding and neutralising) is not to receive the oncoming force on to
come to learn Tàijí because even you have ten lifetimes you cannot achieve the
the body as the body has only a limited capacity to absorb the force, but to take
essence of Tàijí.
it into the earth, which has a relatively limitless capacity. The process of receiving
In the Song of Tuīshǒu it says, “Let him use immense (brute) force to attack me” the force into the earth is similar to the sinking process in the Tàijí form except
and “Lead his movements with only four tael to neutralise a thousand catty of that it starts at the point of contact [rather than the baihui].
force”. This clearly shows that a greater force will not stand a chance if it is dealt
The upper body is yin and the base is yang, so any adjustment to incoming
with using the Tàijí principles.
movements and forces must begin from the base and, as in the Tàijí form, the
The foundation of Tàijí pushing-hands is receiving, not pushing, and the highest body and arms follow the changes of the base. The hands are used only to stick
form of Tàijí force is the Receiving Force (jièjìn), and so therefore the practice of to the opponent, and at any chance to release your force it should be released
receiving should start from the beginning. Professor Cheng Man Ching said that through the legs with the feet remaining firmly grounded to the earth. As it is
“If you are not prepared to receive (incoming force) do not come to learn Tàijí stated in the Chang San Feng Tàijí classic, “The root is in the feet, discharged
because you will be wasting your time in your lifetime you will not get the essence through the legs (relaxed force), controlled by the waist (direction) and expressed
of Tàijí”. In the Wang Tsúng Yueh Tàijí classic it is stated, “A feather cannot be into the fingers”. No matter how big or small the issuing is, the hands never

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extend more than a space of one inch (the extension is only the result of sinking
the shoulders).

In pushing-hands, you do not go into it to look for a push or plan to set up a chance
to push, you just follow the changes of your opponent and let the push happen
by itself. If there is a will to push, then there will be intention and desire. ‘In the
principle everything is base on the principle of yin and yang. When the yin reaches
its extreme it will become yang and vice versa. So whenever you think you are
in the most advantageous position you are actually in the process of going into a 17. My Tàijí Journey
disadvantaged position and whenever you are in a most disadvantaged position
you are in the process of going to an advantageous position. It is always better to
change from a disadvantage to an advantaged position, rather than the other way It all began in early 1980 when I was holidaying in Taipei, Taiwan. I was staying
around. When you reach the highest level of pushing-hands, there are no pushes in the house of Mr Hii the brother-in-law of my sister’s godmother. Mr Hii is a
from you. Your body structure is an empty void and any force that comes into Tàijí practitioner; he would wake up every morning at 5am and go to the park to
contact with it travels into the earth and rebounds back, returning to the person practice his Tàijí form and pushing-hands with fellow practitioners until 7:30am.
issuing the force. This is the highest level of Tàijí force, the Receiving Force, where I was in Taipei for a week and every morning I would follow him to the park and
the practitioner neutralises without neutralising and issues without issuing. To watch him doing his routine. I found the art of Tàijí fascinating and especially
attain this level one must be able to “Forget yourself and follow the other without watching him pushing people much younger than him, effortlessly (he was 60
your own opinion, follow the heart and mind and let it be natural”. and retired). He spoke of a famous Tàijí practitioner by the name of Huang Sheng
To borrow the words of Professor Cheng Man Ching when speaking about pushing- Shyan who lived in Malaysia and has a Tàijí school in Malaysia and Singapore.
hands, “It is an idea without motives, an act without desire. What a wonderful art On returning to Singapore, and with the image of Tàijí still fresh in my mind,
Tàijí is; it has nothing to do with pushing, it is all about receiving”. As practitioners I started to look for the Tàijí school of Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan and found
of Tàijíquán we should be true to the art, not only preaching the principles, but out that the Singapore Tai Chi Association was the school founded by him, and
also practicing and adhering to them. Tàijí is not only an exercise for health or a they had a number of different training centres. I went to the main school at
martial art for self-defence, it is most importantly the Dao (philosophy) of life. Geylang Road to road to enrol (6 months later the school was moved to its
present premises at Public Mansion Building on Balestier Road) and was told by
the instructor to put my name down and come back in a month time when the
new class would start.

At the first lesson, all the students came dressed in a track suit and t-shirt and
were required to buy the Tàijí school uniform, which is white loose cotton pants
and a white t-shirt. After the first lesson, with sweat pouring over my body (32
degrees Celsius in the evening), I realised that Tàijí is really not as easy as it looks.
The slow movements were very deceiving and it was actually very demanding on
the legs indeed, yet we were not even training in the form, only the first relaxing
exercise!

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I continued to attend my class, twice a week, Monday and Wednesday from 7pm is I enjoy the art. In those days I had a routine before the class started. When
to 8:30pm. But it was only after 3 months in the school that I found out it opens I arrived I would look at the photograph of Teacher Huang on the wall in the
at 5pm and close at 10pm with other classes running. So I began to arrive earlier, school, and tell myself that one day I am going to learn directly under him. At that
at 5pm, and do my own practice before the start of my class and then stay back time, he would come to visit the Singapore school once a month, or sometimes
to practice until the school closed at 10pm. After six months in the school, one once every two months, for three or four days at a time. I think that he must
of the senior instructors told me the school runs from Monday to Friday and if have noticed me, because every time when he visited Singapore and he saw me
I wished I could come every day, and of course I did not hesitate to accept the practicing he would come up to me and say “young man, everything is in the Tàijí
offer. form”. I said to myself “the Tàijí form must be important otherwise he wouldn’t
keep repeating the same sentence to me”.
My first instructor was Mr Lee Yuan Wan, who was focussed very much on the
accuracy of the forms. The other instructors in the school were also very helpful, One day, after I had been training for almost two years in the school, Teacher
and if one had any question about practice they were more than happy to help. Huang was visiting, he approached me and ask me if I could come up to Kuala
Mr Chong Chih Pin, one of Teacher Huang’s early students, was also an instructor Lumpur (Malaysia) in a month’s time to give a helping hand. The Kuala Lumpur
in the school and helped me a lot in explaining the principles of Tàijí, and I could school was having its tenth anniversary celebration and it was at this celebration
say it is because of his influence that I have always focused on the Tàijí classics that I first saw Ben Low and Robert Smith, but of course I was a small fry then
in my own practice. As I got to know the instructors better, I was invited to stay (and I still am a small fry now) so no-one took much notice of me. About one
for supper after training. After class it was customary for the instructors to take week before the celebration we had to move about one thousand copies of the
turns to cook supper, and then they would all eat before heading home. I was in anniversary magazine, each about two inches thick, and had to put the school
the catering business at the time, so I would also bring dishes of food from the stamp on every one of them; a task that took four of us, myself, a student from
canteen as a contribution to the nightly supper. Taiwan and two instructors from the Kuala Lumpur school, a long time.

It was also at the Singapore school that I first met my good friend Patrick Kelly,
because he always stopped by the Singapore school on his way to Malaysia to
meet and train with Teacher Huang. After a year at the school, I was invited to
join the Sunday morning training by the head instructor of the School, Mr Seah
Mok Tai whose Tàijí skill was considerably higher than the other instructors.
He contributed greatly to the Singapore school and I am very grateful to him
as he passed on a lot of his knowledge of Tàijí in the Sunday class. He is also
Teacher Huang’s oldest disciple both in years and age (about 4 years younger
than Teacher Huang). In his later years he had some disagreement with Teacher
Huang and because of the politics in the school, he left. Sadly he passed away
only one month after teacher’s Huang death.

I always heard the instructors comment on how good Teacher Huang’s Tàijí skill
was. At that time I had this thought in my mind; he is a human being and I am
also a human being, so if I get the correct guidance and put in the effort, logically
I could become as good as him. But of course now the most important thing

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It was then that I heard that after the celebration Teacher Huang was going to as long as I studied the art of Tàijí diligently and propagated it, that in itself was
retire from active teaching and move back to Kuching in Sarawak, East Malaysia. payment enough.
One evening, before the celebration, I approached him and told him of my wish
The first time we went out in a car that was driven by Teacher Huang was very nerve
to study under him for two years. He looked up at me, smiled and said, “Two
racking. He would change gear and step on the accelerator without completely
years is not enough, if you are really keen you need four years.” I told him that’s
letting go of the clutch and would change lane frequently without looking in the
no problem but I first needed to go back to Singapore to sort my affairs. Back
rear mirror, to the distinct annoyance of other drivers. After this experience, I
in Singapore I told my mother I planned to leave the catering business, and of
asked him how he managed to get his driver’s licence, and he explained that the
my decision to study Tàijí. She was not so happy about my decision, but my dad
tester happened to be his student. I suggested to him that I would be his driver
was very supportive, and he said, “You don’t have to be in the catering line but
from now on and would also cook his meals. He accepted the offer, but arranged
whatever you do decide to do, be good at it.” My friends of course, thought that
to have someone else come in to clean the house and do the laundry.
I was crazy.
For the first week, apart from doing the up and down movement, there was no
other training. Most of the time I was sorting through loads of photo albums, and
probably thousands of photographs, and rearranging them for him. Of course, I
was not really happy because I was there to do Tàijí not stack photos, but as I
knew that he was a good teacher, I told myself to be patient. Later I realised that
he was already training me, and although initially I had been frustrated, I later
took it in my stride. As I became more patient, I also became more relaxed and
my qì would naturally sink. As the Chinese saying goes, “When the heart is in
balance, the qì will be in harmony”. Later, Teacher Huang told me that the reason
he asks anyone that comes to Kuching for training to do housework for the first
few days, is so that he can study their character.

It was during one of these this photo arrangement sessions that I saw him
standing with his palm stuck to the washing basin (it was a portable basin that we
used to wash our face in the morning, about one foot in diameter and six inches
depth) four feet off the floor! I was amazed and asked him about it. He got a
basin from the bathroom, filled it with water and put his right palm into the basin
and stirred the water. Less than a minute later his palm was stuck to the face of
Arriving in Kuching the basin and he lifted it off the table. Later he told me that it was not good to
Two months later I flew into Kuching, and was met at the airport by the Kuching do it very often, especially when you are over seventy as it used up a lot of body
school instructor. On arriving at Teacher Huang’s house, the first think he told me energy. One of his other abilities was that he could put his arm on the table, and
is “ Young man, don’t think about gōngfū, no matter how fast and effective you when you felt the arm, it was really soft, but even using both hands you couldn’t
are, you will not be as fast and effective as a bullet. Treat Tàijí as an art and enjoy ever lift it off the table.
it as an art”. I asked him about the payment of school fees, food and lodging for
my four years stay. He smiled and said that I didn’t have to pay him a single cent,

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Beginning of the Training Teacher Huang actually wanted was a round stool not a coconut. In his dialect
After a week, Teacher Huang gave me a timetable for training, starting with the the word for ‘stool’ sounds like the word for ‘coconut’ in Mandarin. Sometimes
first session from 4am to 8:30am in the morning. I would do my own training from in the meeting of the committee of different branches of the school he will begin
4am until 6:30am when he usually came from his room to train. The second session speaking in Mandarin, but when he got excited he would switch to his dialect
was from 3pm to 5pm, and usually it would be self-practice but occasionally he and everybody at the meeting had to remind him to speak in Mandarin. It is very
will come over to check. Then at 5:30 pm I would join a group of thirteen senior important to be able to understand a teacher to learn from him. It also happened
students in their class, which was also held in Teacher Huang’s house. Most of to me with some of my own students for example when I was in Germany teaching
them were older students of teacher, and they were all businessmen, doing it a group the fixed push hand exercise of ‘ward-off, roll-back, press and push’ one
mainly for health. That was except for Mr Yek who was very serious in his training of the newer students asked an older student why did I keep saying “ward-off,
and one of the best students Teacher Huang had at that time. He was also the roll-back, President Bush”, which of course gave us all quite a giggle at the time.
leader of the group. It took another student three years to finally understand me when I said “central
equilibrium”.
The last training was from 8:30.pm to 9:30 pm and was the Fujian White Crane
session. Teacher Huang wanted me to learn and propagate White Crane as well,
because he felt that he was being unfair to his White Crane teachers if we only
concentrated on promoting Tàijí and not White Crane. Most of his early students
in the fifties and the sixties also learned White Crane from him. He told me that
Fujian White Crane and Tàijí shared the same principles, but that Tàijí was more
refined, rather like the difference between an uncut diamond (White Crane) and
polished diamond (Tàijí).

In the first Tàijí lesson he told me that although I had learned the exercises, both
the short and long Tàijí forms and pushing-hands in his school, that I should forget
all that I had learned and start again from the very beginning, and only practice
the movements as he taught me.

For the first six months of my stay he only taught me using his native dialect
(Fuzhou) and I initially didn’t understand a single word of it and I had to ask
the seniors students for explanations. Most of his senior students in Kuching
understood his dialect. After six months I was just beginning to understand his
dialect, and he then began to teach in Mandarin! Mandarin is the common
language of the Chinese people. However, I realised that in a sentence of ten or
so words, it would contain of at least four words in his dialect - he had completely The Training methods of Teacher Huang
mixed up both languages. He said that “if you don’t understand what I say you will I spent eight months, repeatedly working from the beginning of the Tàijí form
not be able to learn my art” and this was illustrated on a number of occasions. to the first Grasp the Sparrow’s tail. Teacher Huang kept emphasising that the
Once when we had a centralised training at his house, a lady student come into essence of the Tàijí form is in the Grasp the Sparrow’s tail, just as the essence of
the kitchen and said that Teacher Huang wanted a coconut. I told her that what Fujian White Crane was in the San Chin. He stressed that if you can experience

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the principles in this portion of the form, you will be able to experience it in legs would ache so much during the first eighteen months, that I had to hold on
all the movements in the whole Form. He always emphasised that Tàijí is not to the side of the wall to squat down to go to the toilet (his house had only a
about learning different movements but it is about the ability to experience the squatting toilet).
principles within the movements. When I felt that I got a movement correct,
I remember Mr Yek (Sing Ong) told me that I had come to study with Teacher
he would show me a little more detail of the movement that I was working on
Huang at just the right time, because he had refined his Tàijí considerably and it
and highlighted the importance of looking for the movements contained within
was a period when he was most willing to impart his knowledge. According to Mr
the movement. One of his favourite sayings was, “Do not just know what has
Yek, in his early days he was not as open in his teaching.
happened, you must know how it happened”.

For the first month I had to do the up and down movement, the five relaxing
exercises and the Tàijí Form with an empty match box on my head. This was to
train the principle of having a light consciousness on the crown of the head at all
times. If my chin was jutting out he would come over and without warning he
would use his long thumbnail to push it back in.

Often when I was practicing the Tàijí Form he would come from behind and push
my heel with his foot. Later he told me that if my sinking is not in the feet or
into the ground then my heels will be easily moved. Every time he taught me a
movement, he would ask me to feel his body while he was doing it. He would
then say, “ Visualise the movements that you feel on my body happening in your
own but do not use muscular force to make it happen”.

The worst part of the training was pushing-hands, if I was leaning forward, he
would give me a slap on my face and then ask me why I was offering my head for
him to slap! If I resisted against an incoming force he would drop me onto the
floor with a downward force when we were training in the living room, or send
me flying onto the concrete bench when we were training in the courtyard.

To train the issuing of the force, I split my time between pushing the air, pushing
Learning to observe the Tàijí Form
the wall and pushing a fifty kilo sandbag. The sandbag was hung from a bar by
Every so often during my stay in Kuching, the instructors from the different
two thick chains so that when you pushed the sand bag it would swing away, and
branches of the school plus students from overseas, would come together for
then as it swung back, you had to accept the force and visualize transferring it
training. At those times Teacher Huang would ask me to observe them practicing
into the ground, and then push the sandbag out again.
the first section of the form. Later in the evening before going to bed, I would
Sometimes the traditional teaching methods hurt, especially when you got hit spend an hour with him in his room. Usually he talked about the Tàijí classics and
for a making mistake. However because you quickly learnt not to repeat that sometimes he would tell stories of his younger days including about when he
mistake, it would only happen once or twice. Another hardship with traditional was a guerrilla fighting against the Japanese. Afterwards he would ask me what
training was that you couldn’t take a break unless the teacher said to. Often my I had observed in the students’ form, and then he would point out the things I

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hadn’t seen. The next day, when I observed the students I wold look for things was hospitalised. I flew back to Singapore to visit him, although for the first few
that Teacher Huang had pointed out. days he remained in a coma. After he regained consciousness, he tried to talk to
me but I couldn’t understand him. So I gave him a pen and on my palm he wrote
On other occasions he would bring me along on his tours of his schools in Malaysia.
“Tàijí, relax and sink”, and that was the last Tàijí advice he gave me. Later when I
When he went around the classes correcting the students, I would follow closely
visited him that evening again he used his arms to show some Fujian White Crane
to observe how he corrected them. Sometimes I asked him why a student had
form movements, and realising what he was getting at, I told him not to worry,
a particular mistake. He pointed out that different students respond differently,
that I would propagate the White Crane as well. Which is why I have taught it to
and even though they may have the same mistake, he would not necessarily use
my students Paul Fretter, Pete Dobson, Bob Honiball in the UK, and Hella Ebel in
the same method to correct them.
Germany. I also believe that my teacher may have had a premonition of his death,
because about one year beforehand he repeatedly told me to learn as much as I
Back to Singapore could from him, as his time in this world was not long. Teacher Huang died in his
After four years, before going back to Singapore, I asked Teacher Huang for his hometown, Fuzhou China, in December 1992
permission to teach outside his school. He asked me why and I told him that I just
wanted to teach and practice, and did not want to be caught up in on politics of
Meeting Teacher Sam Tam
the school, it. He agreed to my request.
About 16 years after my teacher’s death I met teacher Sam Tam through my
When I was back in Singapore, the instructors of the Singapore school and my student Torben. One of Torben’s students had attended a workshop of Teacher
Tàijí friends thought that having spending four years with Teacher Huang, that Sam and told Torben about him. When I saw a video clip of Teacher Sam’s
my Tàijí must be good. I told them that the four years only gave me a better pushing-hands, I immediately recognised that this man was good and that he was
understanding of Tàijí, and although I may have learned a lot, it didn’t mean that really practising what he preached. It is not easy to find a Tàijí exponent like that,
I had yet digested what I had learned. Besides, just because a teacher is good, it and especially one who is able to demonstrate the principles and applications
doesn’t mean that all of his students will be good. of Tàijí practically. I immediately asked Torben to contact with. Initially I spoke
with teacher Sam over the telephone; he was very friendly and we talked often.
I was still going back to Kuching regularly for training, and when Teacher Huang
Later I asked his permission to go to Vancouver where he resides, to train under
came to Singapore I would stay with him in the Singapore school. That is why
him. Teacher Sam is very open minded and genuine in his teaching, as he is over
my wife who I met when I was in Kuching and married one year after being back
the phone. Even now he still addresses me as Tàijí brother but for me he is my
in Singapore, always joked that when Teacher Huang was around she had no
teacher and I will always be his student. He is very soft in his yielding yet very
husband.
powerful in his relaxed force. I visited him on five occasions but unfortunately
In 1989, at Patrick Kelly’s invitation, Teacher Huang visited New Zealand and I due to personal circumstances I am not currently able to continue to visit. If the
went along. It was during this visit that Patrick came up with the idea of applying circumstances change I would certainly like to visit him again, as it is very rare to
for New Zealand permanent residency for Teacher Huang and for me to as a co- find a Tàijí teacher of this calibre. Although my visits to him were short, it enabled
applicant to assist him. me to understand Tàijí from a different perspective which in turn enhanced my
Tàijí and helped me in my development.
Although Teacher Huang had lived in Malaysia for thirty years, the Malaysian
government hadn’t granted him citizenship. So in 1991 after we received our
New Zealand residency, I went to New Zealand with the plan that Teacher Huang
would join me in July 1992. Unfortunately in April of that year Teacher Huang

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My introduction to Europe Grumbling and deaf students
In 1991 the Stichting Tàijí in the Netherlands invited Teacher Huang to give a There were quite a large number of students in my teacher’s school, and some
seminar in Holland. One of the committee members, Erich Volke, had earlier of the instructors would complain that my teacher didn’t impart his skill to them.
visited Teacher Huang in the late eighties. My teacher declined the invitation When my teacher was explaining to the classes, some complained that he always
because of his age and instead asked me to go on his behalf. That was how I repeated the same thing, or that he kept changing things. This group of students
began my Twenty years of association with Tàijí in Europe. and instructors showed little or no improvement in their practice, and were being
left behind in their Tàijí. Teacher Huang often said that the students do not give
Lessons learned during my Tàijí journey him a chance to teach. He also said when he teaches a student “step one”, which
The first thing I realised was that there were a lot of professional instructors the student doesn’t practice, then they won’t have a foundation for “two” so
already in my teacher’s school. Many of them had been performing Tàijí for a long how can he continue to teach? For the students that complained that my teacher
time but their skill of Tàijí didn’t seem what it could be. The problem I observed always repeated the same things, they had forgotten that the same things had
was that most treated it as a job, teaching but not training. I had learned that a different meaning to each student and at different levels. They forget too that
even if you teach you must still train, because when you teach you are teaching my teacher did not stop refining and sometimes movements have to change for
what the students should be doing, and when you train you are training what you refinement.
should be doing. It is only through training that you discover new knowledge and
improve. My wish as a Tàijí practitioner
As far as I’m concerned it isn’t necessary to differentiate between the various
There were people around my Teacher Huang who used words to flatter him,
styles of Tàijí. Whether it’s Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun or Hoa or Cheng, they are all in
and some who tried to deny other students from getting close to him. I love and
accordance with the same principles contained in the Tàijí classics. Therefore Tàijí
respect my teacher greatly but I do not idolise him, my relationship with him was
should be considered just Tàijí, regardless of what lineage you follow or what race
more like father and son. There were things that I could bring up with him that
you are, we are just human beings.
other students wouldn’t dare to. It is important as a teacher not to encourage
Guru like worshipping because you will lose touch with reality. For students it is When I left for New Zealand one of my fellow students told me that I shouldn’t
important not to idolise your teacher, because your teacher is only a human like teach the Westerners too much, and another said not to teach them too much
you. too soon. What a selfish attitude and a complete contrast to Teacher Huang’s
teaching. He always stressed to teach all that you know and that in Tàijí Dao
I also observed that for a number of my teacher’s students, once they became
there are no race barriers. When you teach what you know, you will have space
inner disciples, they didn’t train as hard as they had before. I think my teacher
for new knowledge. Through practicing with your students you experience
did notice, although in his later years he again actively encouraged the practice of
your knowledge, then it becomes wisdom. Importantly you should always give
taking inner disciples. It was in 1989 that I first witnessed the ceremony of inner
knowledge to the students when they are ready for it.
discipleship. It was for two senior students, one from Seremban and the other
from Singapore. At that time he told me I would go through the ceremony at a No student should claim that he is his teacher’s only successor or that he is the
later date. I told him that the ceremony was not important, to me what was more only one that teaches what his teacher taught. All the students of the teacher
important was that I learned his art, respected and loved him as a teacher. In the are his successors. None of us can even claim that we are teaching our teacher’s
month before I left for New Zealand, he asked me to go to the Seremban school art. We can only say that we are teaching our understanding of what we were
in Malaysia to go through the ceremony of discipleship. When I was there I found taught. We are not computers that are programmed to operate the same way or
that not only was I being accepted as a disciple, but also as his adopted son. duplicate what was before. We are individuals with our own different minds and

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emotions. Naturally our understanding of the same thing will differ and hence the
difference in teaching and approach. But as long as it is within the Tàijí principles
then it is correct. In the beginning you learn the external principles of the Tàijí
and so your movements must be as close to your teacher’s as possible. But once
you go deeper into the internal principles and movements, your form will change.
Your movements will have your own characteristics, so it will be slightly different
from your teacher and your fellow students. If a student has been practicing
Tàijí for twenty or thirty years and claims that their Tàijí form is identical to their
teacher’s, then I think that’s sad because they may have only copied their teacher 18. Stories told by Teacher Huang Sheng Shyan
and not developed the art any further.

Throughout the history of Tàijíquán we can see students have refined, changed
and some even progressed beyond their teacher. Yang Lu Chang developed his The Fujian White Crane Period
own style after studying with Chen Chang Hsin of the Chen style. Wu Chien Chuen
Becoming a student of the Fujian White Crane system.
developed the Wu style after learning from the Yang style. Even within the Yang
Teacher Huang’s mother died from an injury during a feud with a different clan
style, Yang Cheng Fu refined the form of his grandfather. Then Professor Cheng
in the village where he lived. As the Huang clan was a minority in the village they
Man Ching developed the Simplified 37 Tàijí form and my Teacher Huang Sheng
were frequently subject to being bullied by others. So, after his mother’s death,
Shyan’s transition of movements differed from his teacher, Professor Cheng Man
Teacher Huang decided to take up martial arts.
Ching. Teacher Huang also developed his own Tàijí form, the Refined Simplified
Form. Things can be refined but they shouldn’t be changed just to be different. If He first studied under the renowned
something remains the same for hundreds of years then there is no improvement. Fujian White Crane Grandmaster Xie
If the teachers are always better than their students then that is a tragedy for the Zhong Xiang in 1924, at the age of 14.
art. Teacher Huang once said to me, “When you reach a certain level, you must At that time Grandmaster Xie was
move out of your teacher’s shadow and develop.” already 74 years old. Realising the
potential of his young student, and
When a teacher is willing to give and a student is willing to receive, there is a
because of his own advancing age, in
true teacher/student relationship. However it’s only a relationship in name not
1927 Grandmaster Xie referred Teacher
in the art. It is when the student possesses the skill of the teacher, that they have
Huang to continue the study of the
a relationship in the art. When the student surpasses the skill of the teacher,
White Crane system under his senior
they are repaying the teacher. The art of Tàijí not only requires practice in the art
disciple Ch’en Shih Ting. Teacher Huang
itself but also finding balance in other aspects of your life. I am lucky to have a
had to leave his village in the morning
wonderful family, a supportive wife Janice (Siah Ait Tiang), sons Andy (Inn Siang),
and travel to the village where master
Louis (Inn Tze), Jamie (Inn Zheng) and Francis (Inn Yu). I also have a number of
Ch’en lived (a couple of hours walk) to
great students from different countries, who walk with me on my Tàijí journey,
train with him. In between the training
sometimes pointing out the scenery that I missed. To be good in the art of Tàijí,
periods he had to help to work in the fields and, as the youngest student, he also
you must first enjoy it. You must also be honest with yourself and true to the art.
had to prepare meals for the older students. While the older students were
As Teacher Huang said, “first and foremost learn how to be a human being”.

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having their meals, Teacher Huang would do his own training. Quite often after Capture of a Japanese Sergeant
his training when he went back for his meal, he found that the older students had During the occupation of China, Teacher Huang joined a group of guerrillas to fight
not left much for him. To overcome this problem, every time he had finished against the occupying Japanese force. On one occasion they received information
prepared the meals, he dished out a full bowl and hid it behind the altar (where that a Japanese patrol would be passing through a certain village, and so Teacher
the ancestral tablets are placed) to eat it later, after his training. Huang and his men decided to set up an ambush. In the fight that followed,
almost all the members of the Japanese patrol were killed except for a sergeant
In 1930, Master Ch’en Shih Ting introduced Teacher Huang to further his study of
who tried to escape. Teacher Huang chased after the sergeant and caught him
White Crane under his good friend and renowned White Crane master P’an Ch’un
after a brief struggle. The other members of the guerrilla group wanted to kill the
Lian. It is also under Master P’an that Teacher Huang begin his study of traditional
sergeant, but Teacher Huang stopped them and said, “This man has a family too;
Chinese medicine and his speciality in bone setting. In 1933, at the age of 23,
we do not kill unless it is absolutely necessary otherwise we are no different from
Teacher Huang decided to travel to Shanghai (the most modern city in China at
the Japanese.” After the war, he met the sergeant again in Taiwan and he was
that time) to see the world and as he put it, to broaden his knowledge.
really grateful to Teacher Huang for stopping his men from killing him.

Time in Shanghai
Teacher Huang’s first martial art competition
When he arrived in Shanghai, the locals immediately recognised he was from the
In 1934, at the request of his White Crane teacher, Master P’an Ch’un Nien, he
countryside by the way he was dressed. Whilst walking to his uncle’s house, two
returned to Fuzhou to take part in the all Fujian martial arts competition. In the
men walked either side of him, grabbed him by the arms and pushed him into an
preliminary round he met an opponent by the name of Chung Sih-Chung, and the
alley to try and rob him. Before the two men knew what had happened they were
bout ended in a draw. Teacher Huang was impressed with Chung’s skill and felt
lying on the floor groaning. As Teacher Huang continued to beat them up his Aunt
they would meet again later in the competition.
happened to pass by and saw the commotion. She asked him to stop fighting and
the two would-be robbers took the opportunity to escape. After explaining to In the semi-final, Teacher Huang’s opponent was a Master Lee, who was famous
his Aunt what had happened, she replied that Huang should give them a good for his leg sweep. It is reputed that with one sweep of his leg, he could lift a 100
beating, to which he replied, “I did but you stopped me.” katties sack of rice off the floor. As expected, in the match Master Lee applied
his leg sweeps. The first couple of attempts missed but the third sweep struck
When he was in Shanghai, Teacher Huang made friends with a number of different
Teacher Huang’s right leg. Although it did not sweep Teacher Huang off the floor,
martial art teachers due to his openness. He exchanged martial art knowledge
he did absorb the impact of the sweep. Initially he felt pain in his leg and then
with them by learning their system and explaining the White Crane system to
later numbness. Although having to fight with an injured leg, Teacher Huang still
them. He also started a White Crane school in Shanghai. In those days Shanghai
eventually won. He told me it took him three years of continual treatment to get
was run by different triads (secret societies) and to run a school there you must
the swelling of his right leg to go down and for it to completely recover.
have substantial martial skill in order to be respected by other martial schools.
In the afternoon of the same day he went into the final, meeting Master Chung
In Shanghai he also heard a case of a very good martial art master getting drunk
whom he had drawn in the preliminary round. Knowing Teacher Huang had an
and being tied up, put into a sack and thrown into a river. That is why he never
injury to his right leg, Chung continuously tried to attack the injured limb. Huang
consumed alcohol himself and he even forbade his students from drinking. He
applied techniques from the Central Frame (a White Crane form) to avoid his
always stressed that drinking caused irresponsible behaviour.
attack. The match eventually ended with Master Chung winning the championship
by one point and Teacher Huang was the runner up.

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The restless young man looking for a fight On the morning of the end of the mourning, as she was walking along the corridor
This incident occurred when Teacher Huang was about 18 years old. One evening of the house, she saw her father-in-law standing in the doorway. She knew the
a friend visited him and complained that he had been beaten up by someone in time had come and her father-in-law wanted to take revenge for his son’s death.
the village. Teacher Huang was forbidden from going out in the evenings by his As she was approaching near to her father-in-law, he suddenly struck out at her
father. After his friend left, Teacher Huang went to his bedroom to wait for his with his right palm. Fang, using a movement she observed from the crane, stuck
father to go to bed so he could sneak out to settle the score for his friend. But to the incoming attack and withdrew. Her father-in-law, on noticing that he had
his father was still sitting in the living room and so, getting restless, he locked missed, immediately withdrew. Fang, using the momentum of his withdrawal
his bedroom door and sneaked out through the window. He went to the guy’s force and her own force, struck her father-in-law on a vital point causing internal
house, asked him outside and gave him a beating, then came back to his bedroom injuries which resulted in his death the following day. After the death of her
through the window and went to bed. He told me, “If I hadn’t gone and beat the father-in-law, she left the household and became a nun in a temple
guy up, I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep that night,” I guess you have to be
As the years passed, there was drought and famine in the village and the landlord’s
young and crazy in order to be old and wise!
family fell into despair, and even the youngest son of the landlord had to resort
to begging. The villagers suggested to him that he should look for his sister-in-law
Founding of Fujian White Crane system according to Teacher Huang Fang Chee-Niang and learn martial art from her to make a living.
Fang Chee-Niang’s mother passed away when she was young. She was very close
to her father who was a very proficient Shaolin martial art practitioner and Fang He went to the temple to look for Fang and ask her to impart her martial art
learned the art from him at a young age. When she grew up into a young lady, knowledge to him. Fang Chee-Niang looked at the desperate state of her youngest
a rich landlord in the village took notice of her and wanted to take her in as a brother-in-law and, knowing he was the only member of her husband’s family
wife for his son. The landlord proposed to Fang’s father who turned down the that ever treated her with kindness, she decided to take him in as her first disciple
proposal. Being a martial artist himself, the landlord challenged Fang’s father to a and impart to him the Fujian White Crane system that she had developed.
duel, such that if Fang’s father lost then she must become the daughter-in-law of
the landlord. In the duel Fang’s father was killed and she was forced to married Tales of two White Crane masters
the landlord’s son. Master Pei was an official in the government and on his retirement he returned
to his village. While he was walking down the path towards his house, a bull that
On the wedding night, when Fang’s husband forced himself onto her, she fell back
was gazing nearby suddenly charged at him. Master Pei evaded the bull’s charge
and delivered a kick to his throat, killing him instantly. The landlord’s family was
and struck its head with his palm, killing it instantly. When he arrived home, he
wealthy and of high status in the village, and so as to not lose face, the landlord
realised that he had killed his family’s bull.
ordered the matter to be kept private within the household. Fang Chee-Niang
was forced to observe three years of mourning, which was a custom at that time. The son of a landlord was walking along the beach with two of his dogs. On the
Knowing that her father-in-law would kill her when the mourning period ended, horizon he saw an old man who was also taking a stroll on the beach, so he
she put more time into improving her martial art ability. One morning while doing decided to have some fun and sets his dogs on the old man. When both dogs
laundry by the river she noticed a crane nearby and she used a rod to try and were jumping onto the old man, he saw him raise both of his arms with a motion
shove the crane away. As she was shoving the crane she noticed how it was able as if he was patting the dogs. The dogs lay motionless and the old man calmly
to avoid her shoving effortlessly. This went on for three months, and during this walked away. The young man ran to his dogs, only to discover them dead and
time she observed the movements of the crane and incorporated them into her with all of their teeth broken.
martial art practice.

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The Tàijíquán Period To prepare his White Crane students (who also learned Tàijí from him) for the
pushing-hands competition, three months before he had devised a training
First meeting with Professor Cheng Man Ching system for them. So for three months, every morning and evening, he and his
Through an introduction of a mutual friend, Teacher Huang met Professor Cheng students would do free pushing-hands on a smooth concrete surface of four feet
for the first time in 1950. During the meeting, Professor Cheng asked four of by four feet, with soapy water poured onto it to make it slippery.
his top students to do pushing-hands with Teacher Huang. Because of his White
Crane background, Teacher Huang could handle them easily. Professor Cheng, on In the second round of the Tàijí pushing-hands competition almost all of Professor
seeing the ability of Teacher Huang, told him there is no need to study with him Cheng’s students were out of the competition. Teacher Huang asked one of
as his level of pushing-hands is good. his students, Chai Yi Hua, to throw his match so that one of professor’s Cheng
students could go into the final round. In the final of the Tàijí pushing-hands,
Second meeting with Professor Cheng Teacher Huang (as Professor Cheng’s student) was declared the champion and
Two weeks later Teacher Huang visited Professor Cheng, and this time he brought two of his students came runner up and third.
along the White Crane book. He showed it to Professor Cheng, and on the first On Professor Cheng’s birthday, which was soon after the competition, Professor
page was written “relax, relax, relax and mind, mind, mind”. After reading the Cheng’s students who could not believe that they had lost to Teacher Huang’s
book, Professor Cheng did some pushing-hands with Huang. Teacher Huang students, requested a rematch. After the dinner, they pushed hands behind closed
was surprised at the subtleness of Professor Cheng, and said it was like pushing doors, but the result was the same. Unfortunately, afterwards one of Teacher
into air, as there was nothing there for him to push. At that moment he realised Huang’s students made a sarcastic remark towards Professor Cheng’s students.
that he had found what he had been looking for, for years. Professor Cheng told That was considered very disrespectful, especially since Teacher Huang was a
Teacher Huang that he would only accept him as a disciple if he agreed not to student of Professor Cheng, and that according to the lineage custom, meant that
push or even think of pushing for four years, a condition that Teacher Huang Cheng’s Tàijí students were uncles to Huang’s White Crane students. So Teacher
readily accepted. For the next four years Teacher Huang only worked on yielding Huang asked the disrespectful student to leave his school.
and neutralising not only with his fellow Tàijí students but also with his own
White Crane students (he also started to teach his White Crane students Tàijí). At another open martial arts competition, in the first elimination round the
At the end of the fourth year, on a Sunday class, Professor Cheng installed four organiser had arranged for Teacher Huang to meet with a Master Hong, hoping
poles in his garden and tied a rope around them, to make it into a ring. He told that Master Hong would eliminate Teacher Huang from the competition. However
Teacher Huang that today he could push everybody, and he found that he could it turned out that Hong himself was knocked out by Teacher Huang. Teacher Huang
push everybody more effortlessly than four years ago. The following Sunday the later said that it was a pity that he and Hong met in the first round, otherwise
other students of Professor Cheng boycotted the class complaining that Professor Hong would have ended up in the top three
Cheng showed favouritism. Professor Cheng replied, “Huang Sheng Shyan listened In the final of this open martial arts competition, Teacher Huang’s opponent
to me. I asked him not to push for four years and he obeyed me, but you the rest was a Master Cheng. They fought to a draw in normal time so extra time was
of you didn’t.” required. In extra time, Teacher Huang’s palm touched his feet to stay in balance
but the referee ruled that he had touched the floor, so the match was awarded to
Leading Two Schools into Competition Master Cheng, with Teacher Huang as the runner up.
In 1955, Teacher Huang made history by being a leader of two schools entering
the same martial arts competition. He was the leader of Professor Cheng’s Tàijí
school and also his own White Crane school.

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Taking up Challenges on Professor Cheng’s behalf the way and it seemed that the horse was going to run into him. With the speed
of lightning the old man side-stepped and, with a shoulder stroke, sent the horse
Challenge one: collapsing on the floor, sending the rider flying into the bushes at the side of the
There was a Tàijí master called Li who trained in the park of Taipei and often road. The old man was none other than Wang Ts’ung-Yueh, the disciple of Chang
bragged about his skill and belittled Professor Cheng and his students. Professor Sang Feng.
Cheng, with the help of his friend, decided to set him up with Teacher Huang
(without Huang’s knowledge). Professor Cheng asked Huang to go to his friend’s One day, as the elders in the Chen village were teaching a group of students from
house and collect an item for him. When he arrived Master Li was also there. the village the Chen family martial art. A stranger passed by and stood there for
Professor Cheng’s friend excuswed himself to go and get the item for Cheng. so a moment and observed the class. As he turned around and walked away the
that Teacher Huang and Master Li were left alone. Master Li not knowing that stranger giggled. One of the elders in the class heard the giggles and approached
Huang was a student of Professor Cheng, Li start to brag about his skill and the stranger saying, “How dare you giggle at us, are you belittling our martial
to criticise both Professor Cheng and his students. In defence of his teacher’s art?” The stranger shook his head, ignored the elder and started to walk away
honour Huang told Master Li that he was one such student and challenged him. from him. Without warning the elder lunged forward and attacked the stranger.
Teacher Huang gave Li a sound beating and in the process destroyed some pieces In the flash of a moment without realising what had hit him, the Chen’s elder was
of furniture and a sliding wooden door. Conceding defeat, Li left and a little while propelled off the ground and landed twenty feet away. Realising he had met an
later Professor Cheng’s friend returned. The first thing he said was, “Don’t worry exceptional master, the elder knelt down in front of the stranger and begged him
about the damage, your teacher will pay for it.” It was then that Teacher Huang to accept him as a disciple. The stranger replied, “I am Jian Fa, disciple of Wang
realised that his teacher had set up the challenge. When he went back, Professor Ts’ung-Yueh, and I have some matters to attend to. I will be coming through this
Cheng asked “Did you teach Li a lesson?”. way again in two years’ time; perhaps then I will stay in your village to impart the
art of Tàijíquán to you.”
Challenge two:
During a gathering of martial artists on the rooftop of a five storey building in
Taipei (in Taiwan some rooftops are flat and often converted into use as a training
hall for martial art schools), one martial art master from a hard style challenged
Professor Cheng. Teacher Huang stepped in and accepted the challenge on his
teacher’s behalf. In the ensuing contest Teacher Huang nearly knocked the hard
style master off the roof, but managed to grab him in the nick of time, preventing
him from falling off the roof. After the gathering, Professor Cheng chided Teacher
Huang for not letting the hard style master fall. Professor Cheng remarked, “Sheng
Shyan, you should have left him fall off the roof, I will take responsibility for the
consequence, you won’t get into trouble as I know the President (of Taiwan).

The tale of two Tàijí masters

An old man with long hair and a long beard was walking along a narrow road.
Coming in the opposite direction was a young rider on horseback galloping
towards him. The rider was shouting and signalling to the old man to get out of

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 Glossary

àn (按): push, forth movement of the grasp the sparrow’s tail

sequence
bá (拔): spread
bǎihuì (百會): crown meridian point usually referred to as níwán ,
literal translation: hundred convergences
cǎi (採): pluck
chángquán (長拳): long fist - early name for tàijíquán
chén (沉): sink
dāntián (丹田): abdominal meridian point, 3cm below navel,
literal translation: centre of elixir
dàlù (大路): first moving step pushing-hands routine, literal meaning: big
path
dǒngjìn (懂勁): understanding energy
duì (兌): western trigram, element: swamp or lake
fājìn (發勁): discharge/release relaxed force
fàngsōng (放鬆): let go / release
gēn (根): base / joints
gōngfū (功夫) literally: deep understanding - common reference to Chinese
martial arts and often romanised as kung fu
hán (含): contain - not reveal
hū (呼): breathe
huìyīn (會陰): perineum meridian point between anus and scrotum/vulva,
literal translation: meeting of yīn
jí (極): ultimate

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j (擠): press, third movement of the grasp the sparrow’s tail shí (實): substantial/full
sequence suí (隨): follow
jiējìn (接勁): receiving energy tàijíquán (太極拳): grand ultimate boxing
jìn (勁): relaxed force tiē (貼): stick
jīng (精): essence tīngjìn (聽經): listening energy
jīnglù (精路): meridians, energy pathways tuīshǒu (推手): pushing-hands
kǎn (坎): northern trigram, element: water wěilǘ (尾閭): coccyx meridian point, literal translation: tail gate
kào (靠): lean-on wúwéi (無偽): non action / natural process
kuà (胯): hips xiǎolù (小路): second moving step pushing-hands routine,
kūn (坤): southwestern trigram, element: earth literal translation: small path
láogōng (勞宮): palm meridian point where third finger touches when hand xı̄n (心): heart/conscience
clenched, literal translation: work palace xū (虛): insubstantial/empty
lí (離): southern trigram, element: fire xùn (巽): southeastern trigram, element: wind
lí (厘): Chinese ‘Old System’ unit of measurement, a lí approximates yāo (腰): waist
to 576m and thousandth part of a tael yáng (陽): male principle: expansive
lì (力): brute strength yì (意): mind intention
lián (連): connect yīn (陰): female principle: recessive
liè ( 列): split yǒngquán (湧泉): sole meridian point, in depression between pads of 2nd and
lǚ ( ): roll-back, second movement of the grasp the sparrow’s tail 3rd toes, literal translation: bubbling well
sequence yùzhěn (玉枕): occipital meridian point, literal translation: jade pillow
mìngmén (命門): lower spine meridian point between 2nd and 3rd lumbar zhèn (震): eastern trigram, element: thunder
vertebrae, literal translation: life entrance zhōngzhèng (中正): central equilibrium
nián (黏): adhere zhǒu (肘): elbow-strike
níwán (泥丸): crown of head meridian point sometimes referred to as
bǎihuì,
literal translation: mud pill
péng (掤): ward-off, first movement of the grasp the sparrow’s tail
sequence
qì (氣): energy, vigour
quán (拳): fist / boxing Note:
Tael and catty are ancient Chinese units to measure weight.
qián (乾): northwestern trigram, element: heaven 16 taels equal one catty (one tael is equals approximately 15 grams),
rén (人): front mid-line meridian, literal translation: person / man and one catty equals approximately 240 grams).
shén (神): spirit
shénmíng (神明): enlightenment / spiritual clarity
shuāngzhòng (雙重): equal heaviness
sı̌ (死): dead

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