Tai Chi Secrets of the Ancient Masters: Selected Readings from the Masters

Introduction

In the last seven centuries, many songs and poems have been composed about Taijiquan. These have played a major role in preserving the knowledge and wisdom of the masters, although in many cases the identity of the authors and the dates of origin have been lost. Since many Chinese people of previous centuries were illiterate, many of the key points of the art were put into poems and songs, which are easier to remember than prose, and passed down orally from teacher to student. Treatises, which usually are more profound than the poems and songs, were also passed down. These documents were regarded as secret, and it was only in the twentieth century that they were revealed to the general public.

Almost all of the documents currently available can be categorized into four groups. The first group is the most general; it includes the most ancient documents, written either by known or unknown authors, and also those authors who do not belong to a specific style. The second of these four groups is comprised of those poems, songs, or treatises passed down by ancestors of Yang, Chen, and Wu families. This small book will introduce the first group with twenty-one poems, songs, and treatises. Many of these are considered the most popular of their kind, and are the most accurate in presenting the art of Taijiquan. In the near future, the other groups of documents will be translated and presented in similar fashion.

It should come as no surprise to the reader that it is very difficult to translate ancient Chinese writings into modern English. Because of the cultural differences, many expressions simply do not make any sense, if translated literally. Often, knowledge of the historical context is necessary. Furthermore, since every sound has several possible meanings, anybody who has ever tried to reduce these poems to writing has had to choose from among these different meanings. Over the course of several generations, this has led to variation among the poems. The same problem occurs when the poems are read. Many Chinese characters have several possible meanings, so reading involves interpretation of the text, even for the Chinese. Also, the meaning of many words has changed over the course of time. When you add to this the grammatical differences (generally, no tenses, no articles, no distinction between singular and plural, and no differentiation between parts of speech) it becomes almost impossible to provide a literal translation from Chinese to English.

With these difficulties in mind, I have attempted to convey as much of the original meaning of the Chinese as possible, based on my own thirty-seven years of Taiji experience and understanding. Although it is impossible to totally translate the original meaning, I feel that I have managed to express the majority of the important points. The translation has been made as close to the original Chinese as possible, including such things as double negatives and, sometimes, idiosyncratic sentence structure. Words that are understood but not actually written in the Chinese text have been included in parentheses. Also, some Chinese words are followed by the English in parentheses, e.g. Shen (Spirit) and some English words are followed by original Chinese, e.g. Essence (Jing). To further assist the reader, I have included commentary with each poem, song, and treatise. For your further reference, the original Chinese of each document is included in Appendix A. In addition, a glossary of Chinese terms is included in Appendix B for your convenience.

1. Taijiquan Treatise

¹,⁵

by Zhang, San-Feng

Once in motion,

Entire body must be light (Qing) and agile (Ling),

(It) especially should (be) threaded together.

Qing Ling, the Chinese words that are translated light and agile, are used to describe the movement of monkeys: responsive, controlled, and able to move quickly. This line implies that the body’s movement must be soft, relaxed, smooth, natural, and comfortable. When this happens, there is no body tightness, no stagnation of Qi, and no mental confusion. Softness will enter into your every motion, and you will move naturally, quickly and efficiently.

The body should be a coherent whole, with all of its parts connected and unified by the energy (Qi) moving within them, like ancient Chinese coins connected by a string. Taiji Jin (martial power) is classified as a soft Jin. In order to manifest soft Jin, the body must act like a soft whip to express the power forward. All of the joints must be soft and relaxed. The muscles on the limbs and in the torso must also remain relaxed. You must practice the movements until they feel completely natural and effortless. If the muscles and the joints are tensed, then the Jin manifested will be hard, and will not penetrate. Such hard power is not a characteristic of Taijiquan.

Qi should be full and stimulated (Gu Dang),

Shen (Spirit) should be retained internally.

In Chinese, Gu Dang means a drum that is full and resounding (due to vibration). The Qi that is generated and stored in the Lower Dan Tian should be full, like an air filled drum which can produce powerful vibrations. When your Qi is full and stored in the Lower Dan Tian, your life energy will be strong. Consequently, the Qi led by the mind through the body will be abundant, and your Jin will be powerful. In order to store the Qi abundantly, you must learn Embryo Breathing (Tai Xi), and in order to lead the Qi to the entire body, you must learn Small Circulation and Grand Circulation meditation. Such purely internal work, performed independently of your form practice, will enable you to apply the principles into your