Internal Martial Arts Classics

[devoid]

Hi Friends,

 

I have been pondering for some time where to best discuss the internal martial arts classic texts.

 

If we get a round of positive answers to this, may I suggest that we ask to create a subforum on Internal Martial Arts Classic Texts? If relevant and in case an admin / moderating is reading this, perhaps you could let me know who to talk to about this?

 

As this body of texts covered is not really exhaustively definable, please allow me suggest a few examples:

• The Taiji Classics (e.g. Master Zhang San-Feng, etc.)
  
• The 36 or 48 songs of Baguazhang
  
• Songs of Xingyiquan
  
• Songs of Liu He Ba Fa
  
• Etc.
  

 

Before proceeding: Is anybody interested in discussing such texts with me? If yes, please post a short note so that we can see if this is something people are interested in.

 

Thank you

[GreytoWhite]

I find such texts interesting but I think that this is probably best left to communities like Rum Soaked Fist as there is a greater number of people with knowledge of these things there.

[devoid]

I find such texts interesting but I think that this is probably best left to communities like Rum Soaked Fist as there is a greater number of people with knowledge of these things there.

 

Hi MithShrike,

 

Thanks for your response. Good point. Yes, the idea of using dedicated IMA forums also occurred to me. Yet, I found that generally on (all) the dedicated IMA forums that every time you bring up the hard to grasp words such as qi, jin, li, etc. in the context of the ancient texts you get stormed by MMA buffs who will tell you start hitting harder rather than an actual discussion trying to understand what was written.

 

That's why I considered this forum, but I agree that there's a risk we don't have the critical mass here. This said it is very much my understanding that we have many martial artists here as well.

 

We'll see - perhaps we'll get something going here and if not I guess I'll just have to continue studying with my teachers, on my own as well as with my personal IMA friends. I was planning on letting this thread sit throughout the weekend and see if I got more than a handful of encouraging responses from people who want to play

[zerostao]

why not have a discussion here. there will be mma guys responding here as well

i think we could add a few more subjects to the list, maybe iron shirt, internal iron palm, martial hard qigongs, internal aspects of some animal styles.....

[devoid]

why not have a discussion here. there will be mma guys responding here as well

i think we could add a few more subjects to the list, maybe iron shirt, internal iron palm, martial hard qigongs, internal aspects of some animal styles.....

 

Hi zerostao,

 

Thanks for the positive feedback - I really appreciate it! Great suggestion on including other things such as the body conditioning qigongs etc.

 

Let's give it till and including the WE and see if others join in - if not, perhaps you or I could simply considering throwing out a text or two there for discussion on the general forum

[zerostao]

wuji song:

man is born in this grand space, no fighting and no competition.

this place which the Yi can reach is complete. there is no blemish or shadow that can be found.

 

the wuji song of xingyiquan:

One misty Qi, cultivate it internally and externally.

Jing and Wei rivers not dividing is the natural source of the Tao.

Empty and natural. condense your Shen and remain calm.

Converting into nothingness and returning to the origin come from this.

Edited August 19, 2011 by zerostao

[doc benway]

Hi devoid, I'd be interested in participating. I think we have enough folks here to make it worth attempting. I'll bring it to the attention of the mods to see how they think we should proceed. Thanks for the excellent suggestion.

[zerostao]

The One Qi of Xingyiquan:

 

Taiji was originally misty and turbid, no shape, no Yi.

but there is one Qi within.

this Qi circulates in the universe, nowhere cannot be reached.

Living things then originated.

named "One Qi" and also called the "Pre Heaven Real Sole Qi"

 

edit> it is called Pre Heaven Real Qi becoz it existed

before heaven and earth were distinguished.

 

Fom this Qi, the 2 poles (Yin & Yang) were generated

and heaven and earth began to divide. since then, Yin and Yang

were distinguished.

Men were also generated. therefore, the Qi, as a matter of fact,

is the root of man's nature and life, the source of creation and variation,

the origin of life and death.

If men are able to nourish Qi (Yang Qi) and protect it without loss,

then long life. If men abuse it and lose it and let it disperse and dissipate,

then they die young.

Edited August 19, 2011 by zerostao

[Harmonious Emptiness]

wuji song:

man is born in this grand space, no fighting and no competition.

this place which the Yi can reach is complete. there is no blemish or shadow that can be found.

 

the wuji song of xingyiquan:

One misty Qi, cultivate it internally and externally.

Jing and Wei rivers not dividing is the natural source of the Tao.

Empty and natural. condense your Shen and remain calm.

Converting into nothingness and returning to the origin come from this.

 

Where does this song come from? Is there a particular text or compilation?

Quite obviously, it spans beyond martial arts, but rather it can be applied to them as well. Seems like Taoist meditation instructions leaning towards southern style alchemy given the focus on jing and qi.

 

Looks to me like the first song is referring to Xin (heart-mind) as 'this grand space to which man is born'. If not man and woman in general, then the True Man, or Superior Man (though the later is a bit more of a Confucian term I believe).

 

If I'm not mistaken, Yi means intent (and maybe also earth?). So when internally tranquil and without fighting or competition, there is no blemish or shadow that can be found. In contrast, when there is internal fighting and competition, the clouded intent brings blemish and shadow on the developmental path, both internally and externally.

 

Thanks for posting these

[zerostao]

Where does this song come from? Is there a particular text or compilation?

Quite obviously, it spans beyond martial arts, but rather it can be applied to them as well. Seems like Taoist meditation instructions leaning towards southern style alchemy given the focus on jing and qi.

 

Looks to me like the first song is referring to Xin (heart-mind) as 'this grand space to which man is born'. If not man and woman in general, then the True Man, or Superior Man (though the later is a bit more of a Confucian term I believe).

 

If I'm not mistaken, Yi means intent (and maybe also earth?). So when internally tranquil and without fighting or competition, there is no blemish or shadow that can be found. In contrast, when there is internal fighting and competition, the clouded intent brings blemish and shadow on the developmental path, both internally and externally.

 

Thanks for posting these

you are welcome :

i do meditate on these and the others i will add. yes, it does span across martial arts.

but martial arts were my first step in evolutionary process/taoist alchemy.

 

Harmonious Emptiness, thank you for your(excellent) thoughts on these.

i also look forward to some others who may offer more insight to this.

not to mention ChiDragon, lienshan, dawei, Stigweard, steve, by name

but they have been active lately. of course many others on this forum also know

so much more than me about this.

i am just trying to get the discussion going

also i thank devoid and whoever went and found this thread and brought it to

taoist discussion.

EDIT> i think they come from Jiang Rong-Qiao(the Motherfists of Xingyiquan)

and Ling Gui-Qing( the Illustration of Xingyiquan)

but also i think they are taken from Marshall Yue Fei.

i would also like to see anything on these from Sun Lu Tang

Edited August 19, 2011 by zerostao

[ChiDragon]

Yes, I would love to contribute the unwanted truth, here, about how the Yin-Yang concept was applied in Tai Ji Zhuan. Perhaps, that was never introduced or mentioned before to the west.

[zerostao]

Yes, I would love to contribute the unwanted truth, here, about how the Yin-Yang concept was applied in Tai Ji Zhuan. Perhaps, that was never introduced or mentioned before to the west.

ok, sounds great. and i am here to learn. so i do not worry if what i say here may not be totally accurate.

as i am not any authority or expert. i contribute to the conversation with hopes that the conversation develops

and something is learned.

 

i realize there is a tai chi and then there is also a tai chi chuan, 2 different things.

tai chi comes from wu chi. tai chi gives birth to yin and yang.

yin and yang in tai chi chuan> how i look at it. can be yin is a meditative and yang is the movements of the form.

yin may be bringing the qi to the ldt and yang is the physical expression.

there is a coiling and an uncoiling.

 

edit>this topic is the ancient songs and poems which are all written in chinese.

so it is appreciated that someone who knows chinese , like a ChiDragon

and the others are willing to contribute to this thread.

what i have is handouts passed to me from westerners and some books that have been translated. a few that i like have come from yang jwing-ming.

edit> ok. after looking at a couple or replies i see where i erred i will corect.i added the chuan before the "how i look at it" i hope this makes more sense?

Edited August 21, 2011 by zerostao

[doc benway]

Hi Z - thank you for inviting me!

I practice Xingyiquan but it's secondary to Taijiquan and I haven't yet read much of the Xingyi classics...

I'll be happy to offer some thoughts

 

The One Qi of Xingyiquan:

 

Taiji was originally misty and turbid, no shape, no Yi.

but there is one Qi within.

this Qi circulates in the universe, nowhere cannot be reached.

Living things then originated.

named "One Qi" and also called the "Pre Heaven Real Sole Qi"

 

edit> it is called Pre Heaven Real Qi becoz it existed

before heaven and earth were distinguished.

 

Fom this Qi, the 2 poles (Yin & Yang) were generated

and heaven and earth began to divide. since then, Yin and Yang

were distinguished.

Men were also generated. therefore, the Qi, as a matter of fact,

is the root of man's nature and life, the source of creation and variation,

the origin of life and death.

If men are able to nourish Qi (Yang Qi) and protect it without loss,

then long life. If men abuse it and lose it and let it disperse and dissipate,

then they die young.

This is basically just a brief summary of fundamental Daoist cosmology.

Personally, I've come to look at this as independent of time.

It's written to sound as if this is all something that has occurred in the past.

My personal interpretation (and I think it's consistent with some things being understood in modern physics) is that this is a description of the ongoing process of existence that occurs in each and every instant, and in each and every one of us.

Just different layers of present existence.

 

At some level there is this shapeless, nameless, misty turbid ________ (fill in a word - emptiness, void, Wu Ji)

but we are reminded that it is non-dual (to use the Hindu term), that is - there is no separation or boundaries or distinction.

This is not really the same as saying one. The Hindus and later the Buddhists were careful not use the word one because that has a connotation of something fixed, definable, measurable, and concrete. The Daoists aren't afraid to use the word one because they spend plenty of time telling us not to get attached to the names, definitions, and so on. One is just another way for the Daoist to say non-dual, IMO. And so there is a continuity of Qi (Qi being a nebulous concept that sort of means stuff of the universe but it's clearly not a quantifiable stuff). We can think of it as the energy that animates the universe or the life force or perhaps the awareness (heart-mind), strings. I don't know - this is something that bears much personal meditation and study. The important thing is that it is whole and continuous. It is the source of life (but again, it is undefinable, it is just a label, so the Buddhists don't need to get their panties twisted). This is often referred to as pre-Heaven or even pre-Natal because it is rudimentary, unformed, undefined. Sort of like the embryonic cells that can give rise to anything.

 

Notice it mentions 'no Yi' prior to Tai Ji - this is critical, IMO. I interpret this as implicating the Yi (our human mentation - mind of intent) in the genesis of existence (d-d-d-dependent o-o-o-o-origination, oops - sorry). So when the Yi comes into play there is recognition which is distinction. Recognition of boundaries. Tai Ji (Yin Yang) comes into existence (but again, don't think of it as happening in time, it always is and is not at the same time) along with living things and this is telling us very clearly that all manifestations of the Dao are inseparable. They just seem to be separate because of the nature of our mind which distinguishes Yin from Yang. So we are admonished to recognize that we are just exactly this - everything, the whole ball of wax. We are indistinguishable. And it is our option to cherish and nurture this life force in every manner we can, or we can be foolish and wasteful and squander it. This has many connotations, some very general, but also is a specific recommendation to the martial artist to conserve Jing (vital essence). That is, no sex or at least only very sparing. This is a requirement for many Nei Gong an martial Qi Gong work.

 

 

Just my interpretation, I hope that helps in some way.

For anyone having a serious interest in studying this stuff, YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST BEGIN PRACTICING MEDITATION NOW

Otherwise, it'll just be word salad. Sometimes it'll make some sense, sometimes not. But meditation WILL give you insight.

I guarantee it, no other way.

It's slow going though, be patient.

 

PS - these songs don't come from The Motherfist of Xingyiquan by Jiang Rong-Qiao, I'm not sure where they're from

[zerostao]

great that you joined in steve,

for me xingyiquan is secondary to my baguazhang. and i have all my bagua bros telling me to forget about xingyi and just do bagua but i do learn something each time i play xingyi. and i agree totally about the meditation and with both the meditation and the practice there are experiences that cannot be described by me in words.

ok, so i have 2 different versions of 36 and then 48 bagua poems/songs. and there are the tai chi classics that will be great to explore. i kinda hope we can stay with the xingyi poems/songs for a bit and work our way thru them til we get to marshall yue fei's ten treatises on xingyiquan. a long long ways to go.

 

wherever they come from, to me they sound legit. and yes these are the beginning ones and they get more into the flavor of xingyi as we go ahead.

here is the next one:

 

xingyiquan is to use the post-heaven man to train, to comprehend and interact with yin and yang, to combine creation and variation. the desire to turn around heaven and earth, return from post-heaven to pre heaven, protect and nourish the qi, and make possible the ascent to the domain of longevity.

therefore,altho xingyiquan has millions of variations, hundreds of marvelous tricks, when we examine them all, there is nothing but "Lian Qi"

Edited August 21, 2011 by zerostao

[lifeforce]

I'm loving this thread. I practice xingyi but I've always been more on the practical side.

As steve rightly points out, the first song is basic daoist cosmology and the caution not to waste energy on frivolous activities (too much sex, overeating, thrill-seeking, alcohol and drugs etc etc..), in order to maintain a long healthy life.

The internal arts, of course, are an excellent way to accomplish this and I do think that a daily meditation practice is absolutely essential in order to progress.

The second song seems to further reinforce this, especially the term 'make possible the ascent to the domain of longevity'.

I'm not sure what 'Lian Qi' is though.

Looking forward to more.

Edited August 21, 2011 by lifeforce

[zerostao]

I'm loving this thread. I practice xingyi but I've always been more on the practical side.

As steve rightly points out, the first song is basic daoist cosmology and the caution not to waste energy on frivolous activities (too much sex, overeating, thrill-seeking, alcohol and drugs etc etc..), in order to maintain a long healthy life.

The internal arts, of course, are an excellent way to accomplish this and I do think that a daily meditation practice is absolutely essential in order to progress.

The second song seems to further reinforce this, especially the term 'make possible the ascent to the domain of longevity'.

I'm not sure what 'Lian Qi' is though.

Looking forward to more.

 

i think Lian Qi is referring to the refining, training , and strengthening of the qi.

understanding yin and yang and learning how to apply them in harmony .

this way you can learn to comprehend creation and variation. in this way we can stop the decline of the

aging process.

 

i am thinking of adding about 4 a week , unless there are a couple very closely related to each other and in this case i will add them together.

but i think it is good to give some time to chew and digest and not move too quickly.

 

lifeforce i do have the nei gong set from the book you like

but i dont have any notes for them.

Edited August 21, 2011 by zerostao

[zerostao]

the next one is the

two poles of xingyiquan

 

2 poles generated from one qi, are heaven and earth. yin and yang.

if we only have yang, we will not live,

if we only have yin , we will not grow.

when yin and yang mutually brew,then millions of lives are born.

this is the natural rule of heaven and earth.

the human body is also a small heaven and earth.

from 4 limbs, hundreds of bones,

every action and every move are distinguished with yin and yang.

when yin and yang combine harmoniously then the body is strong

and the movements are smooth.

when yin and yang are abnormal, then the body is weak

and the movments are in disorder.

this is because yin and yang are born from "Pre-Heaven Real Sole Qi"

however to raise this "Pre-Heaven Real Sole Qi to keep it and protect it

you must also start from the harmonious regulation of yin and yang.

therefore, whoever practices xingyiquan cannot gain the essence without knowing

the 2 poles.

 

i think this one is saying that to grasp the essence of xingyiquan

we must know and understand the aspects of yin and yang and be able to coordinate them

harmoniously. and all variations and interactions are generated from the Original Qi.

every part of the body and and every movement can be identified as yin or yang.

[ChiDragon]

The Tai Chi Song from Jet Li's movie

 

I am confidently don't see my arms are strong and powerful.

I have, within my heart, all of peace and harmony.

Facing adversity with docile acceptance.

With emptiness sees fullness.

With violence turns into risen harmony.

If I'd driven to the corner, then there will be kismet.

 

Motion versus stillness, division versus multiplication.

Follow the fate by coming into this world;

Getting out of this world is because of the wind.

No feeling but having feeling.

Follow the fate by the yielding instinct.

Not competing, thus no winning.

No feeling is having feeling.

 

I felt that my lips are not saying a lyric or command.

But I see that my hands are touching the affairs of this mortal life.

Let's meet the Yang and unite with the Yin.

Peace in the heart sensed the heavenly tranquility.

Gentleness sensed the calmness of the wind.

If I'd driven to the corner, then there will be kismet.

 

隨緣（太極張三豐電影主題曲）

 

自信手中不見強與勁

自有心中一片和與平

逆來順受 　空虛見豐盛

狂暴化升平　無路處　自有天命

 

動對靜　除對乘

隨緣入世因風出世　　無情亦有情

隨緣順性　不争不勝　無情是有情

 

但覺口中不說辭與令　

但見手中拈過塵世情

滙陽合陰　心安覺天靜

柔弱覺風平　無路處　自有天命

 

動對靜　除對乘

隨緣入世因風出世　　無情亦有情

隨緣順性　不争不勝　無情是有情

 

Edited to add:

The Tai Chi Voice.

It was deep but calm...

It was potent but gentle...

 

A real voice, from the diaphragm, resulted from Tai Chi practice.

Edited August 21, 2011 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

1. i realize there is a tai chi and then there is also a tai chi chuan, 2 different things.

2. tai chi comes from wu chi. tai chi gives birth to yin and yang.

yin and yang in tai chi.

3. how i look at it. can be yin is a meditative and yang is the movements of the form.

4.yin may be bringing the qi to the ldt and yang is the physical expression.

there is a coiling and an uncoiling.

 

edit>this topic is the ancient songs and poems which are all written in chinese.

so it is appreciated that someone who knows chinese , like a ChiDragon

and the others are willing to contribute to this thread.

what i have is handouts passed to me from westerners and some books that have been translated. a few that i like have come from yang jwing-ming.

 

1. In general, Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan are the same thing. In short, people just say Tai Chi for Tai Chi Chuan by dropping the Chuan at the end.

 

2. That was how it was defined in the Yi Jing, the Book of Changes.

 

3. It is not quite that way like the way you had described. It takes some explanations when it applies to Tai Chi Chuan. You will be surprised after I tell you what is Yin-Yang was all about in Tai Chi.

 

4. Not quite, but it has something to do with Chi and movements.

[mYTHmAKER]

1. In general, Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan are the same thing. In short, people just say Tai Chi for Tai Chi Chuan by dropping the Chuan at the end.

 

2. That was how it was defined in the Yi Jing, the Book of Changes.

 

3. It is not quite that way like the way you had described. It takes some explanations when it applies to Tai Chi Chuan. You will be surprised after I tell you what is Yin-Yang was all about in Tai Chi.

 

4. Not quite, but it has something to do with Chi and movements.

 

You are right people drop off the chuan as a short cut as they don't fully understand the meaning.

Tai chi = supreme ultimate = supreme ultimate of anything

Tai chi chuan = supreme ultimate fist = the martial art

[lifeforce]

i think Lian Qi is referring to the refining, training , and strengthening of the qi.

understanding yin and yang and learning how to apply them in harmony .

this way you can learn to comprehend creation and variation. in this way we can stop the decline of the

aging process.

 

i am thinking of adding about 4 a week , unless there are a couple very closely related to each other and in this case i will add them together.

but i think it is good to give some time to chew and digest and not move too quickly.

 

lifeforce i do have the nei gong set from the book you like

but i dont have any notes for them.

 

Thanks zerostao for the clarification of lian qi.

As for the nei gong book, it has plenty of notes on each of the movements in the set.

There is also 'written transmissions' of Dai Long Bang.

Actually the style of xingyi is close to Xin Yi Liu He Quan, an art I have a fanatical appreciation of

I just wish I could find a teacher to practice under.

For now though, I'm happy with my neigong and my practice of the 5 fists.

We could go into this further in a separate thread if necessary, as not to disturb the balance of this one.

[doc benway]

the next one is the

two poles of xingyiquan

 

2 poles generated from one qi, are heaven and earth. yin and yang.

if we only have yang, we will not live,

if we only have yin , we will not grow.

when yin and yang mutually brew,then millions of lives are born.

this is the natural rule of heaven and earth.

the human body is also a small heaven and earth.

from 4 limbs, hundreds of bones,

every action and every move are distinguished with yin and yang.

when yin and yang combine harmoniously then the body is strong

and the movements are smooth.

when yin and yang are abnormal, then the body is weak

and the movments are in disorder.

this is because yin and yang are born from "Pre-Heaven Real Sole Qi"

however to raise this "Pre-Heaven Real Sole Qi to keep it and protect it

you must also start from the harmonious regulation of yin and yang.

therefore, whoever practices xingyiquan cannot gain the essence without knowing

the 2 poles.

 

i think this one is saying that to grasp the essence of xingyiquan

we must know and understand the aspects of yin and yang and be able to coordinate them

harmoniously. and all variations and interactions are generated from the Original Qi.

every part of the body and and every movement can be identified as yin or yang.

I think you're correct here. One thing to be aware of is that all of this philosophy was added to martial arts after the fact by scholars. Not everyone will agree on this point but I'm convinced it is true. Xingyiquan was a martial art first and foremost. As scholarship became increasingly important (esp in the late 19th century) and hand to hand combat faded, it became very fashionable to examine and extol all of the wonderful philosophical and theoretical aspects of the arts. Here is an example, IMO, of simply applying basic Daoist cosmology to Xingyiquan and the same can be done for all arts. Not that it's not good stuff - I don't mean to imply that, but it's very general. Similarly, it appears that all of the 5 element theory was applied to XIngyi after the fact - not as a fundamental and formative component. Perhaps this is something we can explore in detail in the future.

 

Once you get into the more specific songs relating to Xingyiquan (such as from the Mother Fist writings) then things will get more interesting. Maybe we should put those off until we can get something organized. I'm currently in discussion with the mods about this and I'd like to get input from Taomeow when she's got some time.

[ChiDragon]

You are right people drop off the chuan as a short cut as they don't fully understand the meaning.

Tai chi = supreme ultimate = supreme ultimate of anything

Tai chi chuan = supreme ultimate fist = the martial art

 

I would like to give a little emphasis on Tai Chi Chuan to be a little more precise.

 

Tai chi chuan = supreme ultimate fist = the martial art which involves in slow movements and slow breathing at the beginning level; and at the higher level, the breath goes deeper into the Dan Tian and the movements may be quicker. Another word, the breath was sunk deep and concentrated in the Dan Tian.

 

Dan Tian simply means it is an imaginary location below the navel at the abdomen. It is not a physical tangible object. It was only a name given to this particular location.

[doc benway]

You are right people drop off the chuan as a short cut as they don't fully understand the meaning.

Tai chi = supreme ultimate = supreme ultimate of anything

Tai chi chuan = supreme ultimate fist = the martial art

 

I would like to give a little emphasis on Tai Chi Chuan to be a little more precise.

 

Tai chi chuan = supreme ultimate fist = the martial art which involves in slow movements and slow breathing at the beginning level; and at the higher level, the breath goes deeper into the Dan Tian and the movements may be quicker. Another word, the breath was sunk deep and concentrated in the Dan Tian.

 

Dan Tian simply means it is an imaginary location below the navel at the abdomen. It is not a physical tangible object. It was only a name given to this particular location.

I'm going to challenge this definition of Tai Ji Quan because it's one of my pet peeves - it drives me nuts.

I get a little too passionate about this stuff... my cross to bear.

 

Tai Ji is not well represented by "Supreme Ultimate," that's a terrible translation. It is a passable literal translation for Tai 太 and Ji 極 as independent characters, but it does not impart any of the meaning of the compound word. Tai means big, far, high, great and Ji means extreme, furthest, ultimate (as in the end of something), or pole. When you put the two simple characters together, 太 極, the compound actually means Opposite Extremes or Polar Opposite as in the north and south pole or the ends of a magnet.

 

When a native Chinese speaker sees the word Tai JI, he does not think "supreme ultimate", he thinks Yin and Yang. Tai Ji is a word which connotes the inherent dual nature of experience. Everything can be thought of as having Yin and Yang components. These aspects define each other. Cold and hot define each other as do ugly and pretty, dark and light and so on. It's right out of Dao De Jing and basic Daoist cosmology. I know everyone here knows this so why do we keep calling 太 極 Supreme Ultimate? Just a silly convention, IMO.

 

So Tai Ji Quan 太 極 拳 means Yin Yang Fist or Yin Yang Boxing. For some reason, this definition has never gained popularity in the West but it is a much more accurate approximation of what the Chinese characters are saying than "Supreme Ultimate" Fist which to the Western ear sounds like the Best and Greatest Martial Art. That may well be true and is subjective opinion at best, but it's not a good interpretation of the meaning of the characters 太 極 拳

 

Tai Ji Quan is the application of this very principle of Yin and Yang to combat. Taking advantage of the opponent's hard force through softness (yielding and sticking). Distinguishing full from empty and using that against the opponent. Avoiding so called double-weighting. Using short force against long and so on.

 

So I would strongly encourage folks to think Yin Yang Boxing rather than Supreme Ultimate Fist when they read the words Tai Ji Quan 太 極 拳

 

Just my very biased and possibly erroneous opinion because, after all, I don't speak Chinese!

[ChiDragon]

Welcome to Tai Ji or Tai Ji Quan. Please try not to give it a new name like "Yin Yang Boxing"....