Taiji School of Central Equilibrium – UK

Taijiquan and Fujian White Crane

The Chang San-Feng Taiji classic

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  1. Throughout all movements, the body should be light, agile and most importantly connected
    together [synchronised].
  2. The qì should be stimulated and the shén (spirit) gathered within.
  3. Do not have deficient places. Do not have any hollow or protruding places. Do not have
    disconnected places.
  4. The root [of the relaxed force] is in the feet, discharged through the legs, controlled by the
    waist, and expressed through to the fingers. From the feet through the legs to the waist,
    should be one flow of qì.
  5. Therefore when moving forwards and backwards you will have flexibility and momentum.
    If there is no flexibility or momentum, and the body becomes disrupted, the fault should be
    sought in the waist and legs.
  6. Up or down, forwards and backwards, left or right, are all the same. All these are within the
    mind and not physically manifested.
  7. If there is up, there must be down. If there is forwards there must be backwards. If there is
    left, there must be right. If the mind has an upward intention, simultaneously it must have
    a downward intention.
  8. In lifting the opponent, first connect down, by doing so breaking the root, so that he can be
    plucked out in a flash of a moment.
  9. Substantial and insubstantial should be clearly differentiated. In every part there is both
    substantial and insubstantial. The principle of substantial and insubstantial applies to every
    situation.
  10. The whole body should be connected together, joint by joint like string. Do not allow the
    slightest disruption.
  11. The chángquán (long fist: an earlier description of tàijíquán) practitioner is like a river or
    ocean, continuously flowing and rolling without end.
  12. Péng (ward-off), (roll-back), (press), and àn (push), cai (pluck), liè (split), zhou (elbow strike)
    and kào (lean-on) represent the eight trigrams.
    Tàijíquán Wúwéi — a Natural Process 79
  13. Step forward, sit backward, look left, look right, centralised, relate to the five elements.
  14. Péng (ward-off), (roll-back), (press), and àn (push) relate to qián, kun, kan and lí. These
    represent the four cardinal directions.
  15. Cai (pluck), liè (split), zhou (elbow-strike) and kào (lean-on) relate to xùn, zhèn, duì and
    gen, being the four diagonals.
  16. Step forward, sit backward, look left, look right and centralised 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.