Grandmaster Tse’s Tàijí Fist 155

Pào Chuí 砲捶 – Part 3

The Yìjīng 易經 – Book of Changing says, “無極生太極，太極生兩儀，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦，八卦演萬物.  Wújí 無極 – Nothing creates Tàijí 太極 – Something,  Tàijí creates Liǎng Yí 兩儀 – Two Opposite Energies, Liǎng Yí  create Sì Xiàng 四象 – Four Images, Sì Xiàng  create Bāguà 八卦,  Bagua creates everything.” Tàijíquán 太極拳 follows this principle. Nothing means zero. From zero to one, from one to two, from two to four and from four to eight, beyond eight means everything. Nothing means zero. When we stand still, before the form, we are doing nothing, this is zero. When we start to move, start to practise Tàijíquán, this is one. Inside Tàijíquán we can see two; up and down, left and right, slow and fast, etc. Then we have four, like up, down, left and right together. Then we have eight and these are the Bājìn 八勁 – Eight Jin (Energies).

Tàijíquán is based on the Bājìn. The first four are: Péng 掤, Lǚ 履，Jǐ 擠, Àn 按. These four are four ways of using internal power and they can also be combined together. Péng is expanding, Lǚ is contracting, Jǐ is two hands crossed and Àn is two hands separated. These four belong to the Yīlù —路 (First Form). The second four Jìn: Cǎi 採， Liè 裂，Zhǒu 肘， Kào 靠 belong to Pào Chuí 砲捶.