吳老師太極拳理Master Wu's Tai Chi Theories
老莊與太極
太極拳技藝內涵易老莊的哲理 The Philosophical Connotations of Tai Chi Chuan Techniques: Insights from Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the I Ching
陰陽Ying and Yang
2026年11月4日 星期三
老莊與太極
老莊與太極
推手四字訣：
輕、慢、勻、正。
此四字乃是周身整體運動的心法要訣，亦是喚醒肌肉、筋骨與神經系統的基礎訓練法。它是身體保持平衡穩定的核心法門，正合太極拳論所云：「一舉動，周身俱要輕靈，尤須貫串。」修行者須先求得周身輕靈，方能進一步貫串整體，達到動靜皆宜、節節貫穿的境界。
推手九字訣：
敬、靜、定、鬆、勻、柔、慢、圓、整。
其中「敬」字居於首位，是喚醒全身肌肉、筋骨與神經系統的心法要訣。其狀態猶如雙臂懷抱初生嬰兒，又如母雞悉心孵蛋，勁道多一分則太過，少一分則不及。正合拳論所云：「似鬆非鬆，將展未展」與「無過不及」之中道，是推手內功的起點。
老子第一章：
「道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。」
太極鬆柔之境，至虛至靈，正如「道」之玄妙，言語難詮。蘇轍言：「微而不絕，存而不見。」
兩手搭接、指定推手之際，其身手輕柔綿綿、若有似無，其意境空靈深邃，實非世俗「秤金論兩」之拙力所能忖度。此種身體極致之鬆柔，無法用言語來形容，唯有以心領神會為體、身體力行為用，方能層層剝落僵勁，默識揣摩，終至漸入佳境。
老子第二章：
「有無相生，難易相成，長短相校，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。」
世間萬物的有無、長短、高下、前後、難易與主副，皆是相對立而又相依存的。此一哲理，正契合太極拳之「陰陽」妙理。在「指定推手」的訓練法，處處蘊含著陰陽的動態轉化，兩腳虛實分明、雙手動靜相兼、周身剛柔相濟。
孤陰不生，獨陽不長。唯有陰陽相濟、相輔相成，方能圓融貫通、引進落空，從而臻於「懂勁」之神明境界。
老子第四章：
挫其銳，解其紛
和其光，同其塵
挫銳解紛
在推手互動中，以謙讓為核心，落實「彼進我退，我進彼退」。彼此放下堅持與銳利，完全接納對手，使雙方合而為一。依循太極十要：沉肩墜肘、含胸拔背、鬆腰落胯⋯，不以硬碰硬。以完全的放鬆化解對手的剛猛銳氣（挫其銳），並透過身形結構理順混亂的來力（解其紛）。
和光同塵
放下主觀抗拒，將自身融入對方的節奏與勁道中，達到「黏貼連隨、合而為一」的境界。
在互相謙讓、不頂不丟的互動中，不僅能大幅提升全身的敏銳度（聽勁），更能淬煉出扎實的腿力與身手。
老子第六章
谷神不死，是謂玄牝。綿綿若存，用之不勤。
指定推手對練時，身體如山谷，虛懷若谷容納萬物，使萬物生生不息，如同母牛孕育後代般。
推手時身體反覆化解強力，彼此創造空間喚醒肌肉、筋骨與神經系統，使身體如山谷般的虛靜，如母牛般的創造生命。
老子第十章：
專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？
嬰兒具備有三種特質，無知、無能、無心。此三種特質是人生哲學修養功夫，也是修練太極拳功夫的三大要素：
1.無知：
無知而致專，而能傾聽。
推手對練：關閉耳目官能，以虛靜的身心去感知對手的虛實、動靜與剛柔的變化。
2.無能：
無能而致柔，而能放下身段。
推手對練：
放鬆身體的肌肉、筋骨、韌帶及心靈，放下爭勝的企圖心，接納來力，順勢而為。
3.無心：
無心而不執著。
推手對練：不執著於預定的招法，隨對手的招式變化而動。
老子第十六章
「致虛極，守靜篤」
這是太極拳從外在形體走向內在神意、由「著熟」昇華至「懂勁」的核心樞紐。
「致虛極」表現於太極拳是「捨己從人」的心境，心無成見方能成就聽勁的增長。
「守靜篤」表現於太極拳是「動中求靜的定力與入微察照，靜中生動，動中有靜。
老子第二十二章
「少則得，多則惑」
以太極五行步法、拳架由單鞭、提手、右靠、白鶴亮翅、左摟膝拗步。緩慢的練習，單腿支撐身體重量的時間，保持在30秒以上，即能訓練腿力，也可以反覆揣摩鬆肩、肘垂，落胯、虛實分清⋯等要領，在不知不覺中培養腿力，氣沉丹田。
老子第四十二章：
「道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰抱陽，沖氣以為和。」
沖者，虛靜也。在推手的動態互動中，彼此雙手有動靜之分，雙腳有虛實之別，周身有剛柔之變，此之謂「三度陰陽」。而陰陽轉換的樞紐，皆繫於一個「沖」字唯有相互謙讓、涵容調和，方能相輔相成。
推手之際，若能放下主觀的執著，卸下身段、敞開胸襟，去接納並感應對方的來勁，便是體現了這股「沖虛」之氣。這不僅是身體結構上的走化與導引，更是心靈深處的包容與契合。在互為陰陽的化育中，彼此砥礪，共同提升拳藝與人生境界。
《莊子·人間世》
心齋：「若一志，
無聽之以耳而聽之以心；無聽之以心而聽之以氣。耳止於聽，心止於符。氣也者，虛而待物者也。唯道集虛。虛者，心齋也。」
推手對練，首在心志專一。
不以耳聽而以心聽
不以心聽而以氣聽
耳之所及止於聲音；心之所神，止於現象。唯「氣」虛靈不昧，能包容並回應萬物。
推手之際，身心唯有置於「虛」的狀態，方能敏銳感應彼此的虛實、動靜與剛柔變化。唯有「集虛」，方能不落主觀、不存執念，在虛空待物中捕捉契機，圓滿展現「以柔克剛」、「以靜制動」的內家技藝。
《莊子·養生主》
「庖丁解牛」與太極拳修練的三個階段
第一階段：
莊子：「始臣之解牛之時，所見無非牛者。」
太極：模仿與拆解，專注於外形招式（五行步、太極八法、方位）。此時身體九大關節（肩、肘、腕等等）尚未連貫，動作分解，屬於「由外而內」的摸索期。
第二階段：
莊子： 「三年之後，未嘗見全牛也。」
太極：整合與連貫，拳架已熟，不再執著於外形。九大關節的肌肉、骨骼與神經系統串聯「周身一家」；腳之虛實、手之動靜、身體之剛柔在拳架中自然轉換，開始由外在的整體，轉為內在的意念。
第三階段：
莊子：「方今之時，臣以神遇而不以目視，官知止而神欲行。」
太極：推手與神明，雙人推手時，感官退位，全憑「神意」與「聽勁」感應。對應對方的虛實、剛柔，做到「黏貼連隨、不丟不頂」。不需大腦思考，身體隨勢而動、游刃有餘。
Laozi and Zhuangzi in Tai Chi Practice
老莊與太極
Four-Character Formula for Push
Hands (推手四字訣)
輕、慢、勻、正。
Lightness, Slowness, Evenness,
Uprightness (輕、慢、勻、正)
These four characters serve as
the mental formula for whole-body movement and form the foundational training
to awaken the muscles, bones, and nervous system. They represent the core
principle for maintaining balance and stability, fully echoing the Tai Chi
Chuan Classic: "In every movement, the entire body must be light and agile,
and above all, interconnected." Practitioners must first achieve
whole-body lightness before advancing to integration, attaining a realm where
movement and stillness are both appropriate, and every joint is connected step
by step.
2 Nine Key Principles of Push Hands 推手九字訣
Nine-Character Formula for Push
Hands (推手九字訣)
Respect[MT1] , Stillness, Stability,
Relaxation, Evenness, Suppleness, Slowness, Roundness, Integration (敬、靜、定、鬆、勻、柔、慢、圓、整)
Among these,
"Respect" holds the foremost position. It is the core mental formula for
awakening the body's muscles, bones, and nervous system. This state is like
cradling a newborn baby in one's arms, or a hen carefully hatching eggs—a
fraction more force is too much, and a fraction less is insufficient. It
perfectly aligns with the classic sayings: "Seemingly relaxed yet not slack, about to expand but not fully expanded" and the Middle Way
of "Neither excess nor deficiency," serving as the starting point of
internal power in push hands.
“The state is like holding a newborn baby in both
arms, or a mother hen carefully incubating her eggs. A little more force is too
much; a little less is not enough.”
This accords with the classical principles
“Seemingly relaxed, yet not slack; about to extend, yet not fully extended” and
“Neither excess nor deficiency.” This balanced middle way is the starting point
for internal cultivation in push hands.
3 Laozi Chapter One 老子第一章
道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。
“The Dao that can be expressed is not the enduring
Dao; the name that can be named is not the enduring name.”
The state of relaxed suppleness in Tai Chi is
profoundly empty and responsive. Like the mystery of the Dao, it is difficult
to convey in words.
Su Zhe (蘇轍),
commenting on Chapter 6, describes continuity as “subtle yet unbroken,” and
seeming presence as “present yet unseen.” These words also illuminate the
quality discussed here.
When the hands join in designated push hands, the
body and hands remain gently supple and continuous, as though present yet
scarcely perceptible. This spacious, subtle quality cannot be assessed by the
ordinary “weighing and measuring” of crude force.
Such profound bodily relaxation and suppleness
cannot be fully described in words. We must take inward understanding as the
foundation and embodied practice as its
application. Through quiet recognition and repeated exploration, we gradually
release layer after layer of stiffness and deepen our practice.
4 Laozi Chapter Two 老子第二章
有無相生，難易相成，長短相校，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。
Existence and non-existence give birth to each
other,
Difficulty and ease complement each other,
Long and short define each other,
High and low incline towards each other,
Voice and sound harmonize with each other,
Preceding and following follow each other.
Existence and non-existence, length and shortness,
height and lowness, before and after, difficulty and ease, and leading and
supporting roles are contrasting yet interdependent. This principle accords
with the interplay of yin and yang in Tai Chi.
Designated push hands embodies these dynamic
transformations throughout: the feet clearly distinguish substantial and
insubstantial support; the hands coordinate movement and stillness; and the
whole body harmonizes firmness and suppleness.
Yin alone cannot give birth, and yang alone cannot
grow. Only through their mutual support and complementarity can movement become
rounded and connected throughout. This makes it possible to draw the partner in
and lead their force into emptiness, developing understanding of jin and
progressing toward intuitive mastery (神明).
5 Laozi Chapter Four 老子第四章
挫其銳，解其紛；和其光，同其塵
“Blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots; soften
the light, become one with the dust.”
Blunting sharpness and untangling knots (挫銳解紛)
With humility and yielding at the heart of push
hands, we practise: “When my partner advances, I retreat; when I advance, my
partner retreats.” Both partners release their insistence and sharpness, fully
accepting one another so that they can join as one.
Follow the body principles expressed in the Ten
Essentials of Tai Chi, including sinking the shoulders and dropping the elbows,
containing the chest and opening the back, and relaxing the waist and settling
the kua. Avoid meeting hardness with hardness. Through thorough relaxation,
soften the partner’s forceful sharpness; through coordinated body structure,
bring order to tangled incoming forces.
Softening the light and becoming one with the dust (和光同塵)
Let go of subjective resistance and enter into the
partner’s rhythm and quality of jin. Through sticking, adhering, continuing,
and following, the two partners join as one.
In this practice of mutual yielding, neither
resisting nor losing contact, both partners refine sensitivity throughout the
body—listening to jin—while developing solid leg strength and skill in the body
and hands.
6 Laozi Chapter Six 老子第六章
谷神不死，是謂玄牝。綿綿若存，用之不勤。
“The valley spirit never dies; this is called the
mysterious feminine. Subtle and continuous, it seems to endure; draw upon it,
and it is never exhausted.”
In designated push hands paired practice, let the
body be like a valley: open, receptive, and able to accommodate what arrives.
The handout likens this nurturing capacity to a mother cow bringing forth her
young, an image of life continually renewing itself.
By repeatedly yielding to and neutralizing strong
incoming force, partners create space for one another and awaken the
responsiveness of their muscles, tendons, bones, and nervous systems. The body
becomes empty and still like a valley, yet generative and nurturing like a
mother cow bringing forth new life.
7 Laozi Chapter Ten 老子第十章
專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？
“Can you gather your qi and become supple, like an
infant?”
The infant is described here through three
qualities: not knowing, not relying on capability or force, and freedom from a
fixed, calculating mind. These are qualities of philosophical self-cultivation
as well as three essential elements in Tai Chi training.
1. Not knowing: letting go of presumed knowledge allows wholehearted
attention, making genuine listening possible.
In paired push hands practice, quiet the outward
activity of the eyes and ears. With an empty, still body and mind, sense the
partner’s changes between substantial and insubstantial, movement and stillness,
and firmness and suppleness.
2. Not relying on capability or force: relinquishing the urge to impose
oneself allows suppleness and humility.
In paired practice, relax the muscles, tendons,
bones, ligaments, and mind. Release the ambition to win, accept the incoming
force, and move with its tendency.
3. Freedom from a fixed mind: let go of attachment.
In paired practice, do not cling to predetermined
techniques. Let your movement adapt to changes in the partner’s actions.
8 Laozi Chapter Sixteen 老子第十六章
致虛極，守靜篤。
“Reach the utmost emptiness; hold firmly to
stillness.”
This is a central turning point in Tai Chi
cultivation: moving from outward bodily movement toward inward spirit and
intention, and from familiarity with techniques toward understanding jin.
In Tai Chi, reaching the utmost emptiness is
expressed through setting aside one’s own insistence and following the other
person. A mind free of preconceptions allows listening to jin to develop.
Holding firmly to stillness is expressed through
settled attention and subtle awareness: seeking stillness within movement,
allowing movement to arise from stillness, and maintaining stillness within
movement.
9 Laozi Chapter Twenty Two 老子第二十二章
少則得，多則惑。
“With less, one gains; with too much, one becomes
confused.”
Practise the Five Element Steps and the form
sequence from Single Whip, through Raise Hands, Right Kao or Right Shoulder
Strike, White Crane Spreads Its Wings, and Brush Left Knee and Twist Step.
Practise slowly, maintaining single-leg support of
the body’s weight for at least 30 seconds. This develops leg strength while
providing time to explore the essentials repeatedly: relax the shoulders and
drop the elbows, settle the kua, and clearly distinguish substantial from
insubstantial. Through such practice, leg strength develops gradually, and qi
sinks to the dantian.
10 Laozi Chapter Forty Two 老子第四十二章
道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰抱陽，沖氣以為和。
“The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to
Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to the myriad things. All
things carry yin and embrace yang, and through the blending of qi attain
harmony.”
In this teaching interpretation, chong means empty
stillness. In the dynamic interaction of push hands, the hands distinguish
movement and stillness, the feet distinguish substantial and insubstantial
support, and the whole body changes between firmness and suppleness. These are
the three dimensions of yin and yang.
The turning point in these yin–yang
transformations lies in chong (沖): only
through mutual yielding, receptivity, and harmonization can the partners
support and complement one another.
When we release subjective attachments, relinquish
self-importance, and open ourselves to accept and sense the partner’s incoming
jin, we embody this quality of open, receptive qi. It involves both yielding
and guiding through the body’s structure and a deeper willingness to
accommodate and connect with the other person.
As each partner takes the complementary role of
yin or yang, both help one another develop, refining their Tai Chi skill and
deepening their understanding of life.
11 Zhuangzi In the Human World 莊子人間世
Fasting of the heart-mind (心齋)
若一志，無聽之以耳而聽之以心；無聽之以心而聽之以氣。聽止於耳，心止於符。氣也者，虛而待物者也。唯道集虛。虛者，心齋也。
“Unify your intention. Do not listen with the
ears, but with the heart-mind; do not listen with the heart-mind, but with qi.
Hearing stops at the ears; the heart-mind stops at recognition. Qi is empty and
waits receptively for things. Only in emptiness does the Dao gather. Emptiness
is the fasting of the heart-mind.”
Paired push hands practice begins with unified
intention. Listen with the heart-mind rather than merely with the ears; listen
with qi rather than through the heart-mind’s judgments.
The ears reach only sounds; the discriminating
mind reaches only what it recognizes. Qi, understood here as empty yet alert
responsiveness, can receive and respond to whatever arises.
Only when body and mind rest in emptiness can we
sensitively perceive the partner’s changes of substantial and insubstantial,
movement and stillness, and firmness and suppleness. By cultivating this
openness, we avoid subjective assumptions and fixed attachments. Waiting
receptively, we recognize the appropriate moment and express the internal
skills of overcoming hardness with suppleness and responding to movement
through stillness.
12 Zhuangzi Nourishing Life 莊子養生主
Cook Ding Cutting Up an Ox and the Three Stages of Tai Chi Cultivation
Stage One — Imitation and analysis
“When I first began cutting up oxen, all I saw was
the whole ox.”
In Tai Chi, attention is directed toward the outer
shapes of the techniques, including the Five Element Steps, the Eight Methods
of Tai Chi, and directions. The nine major joint regions, such as the
shoulders, elbows, and wrists, are not yet connected as a whole. Movements are
broken into parts for practice. This is the exploratory stage of working from
the outside inward.
Stage Two — Integration and continuity
“After three years, I no longer saw the whole ox (三年之後，未嘗見全牛也).”
The form has become familiar, and the practitioner
no longer clings to its outer shape. The muscles, bones, and nervous system
associated with the nine major bodily regions become coordinated, so that “the
whole body works as one family.” The feet’s substantial and insubstantial
support, the hands’ movement and stillness, and the body’s firmness and
suppleness change naturally throughout the form. Attention begins to shift from
outward bodily integration toward inward intention.
Stage Three — Push hands and intuitive mastery
“Now I meet it through spirit rather than looking
with my eyes. Sensory knowing stops, and the spirit moves as it will (方今之時，臣以神遇而不以目視，官知止而神欲行).”
In paired push hands, reliance on ordinary sensory
judgment recedes, while spirit and intention and listening to jin guide the
response. Adapting to the partner’s substantial and insubstantial states and
firmness and suppleness, the practitioner achieves sticking, adhering,
continuing, and following, without losing contact or resisting. Movement no
longer requires deliberate, step-by-step calculation. The body responds to the
situation naturally and with ease.
Translation notes
This teaching text follows the wording and
terminology of the supplied Lao Zhuang Tai Chi Translation Review, including
its revised passages and supplementary translations. Chinese is retained beside
key terms. The philosophical applications follow the supplied teaching text.
The earlier review’s textual readings are
retained: 微而不覺 is read as 微而不絕; 耳止於聽 follows the reading 聽止於耳; and 預訂的招法 is understood as 預定的招法. The apparent typo 強了 is provisionally read as 強力, “strong incoming force.” The unclear phrase 心之所神 is provisionally interpreted as the mind’s recognition of phenomena.
These provisional readings remain for author confirmation.
Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Tai Chi (老莊與太極)
Four-Character Formula for Push Hands (推手四字訣)
Lightness, Slowness, Evenness, Uprightness (輕、慢、勻、正)
These four characters serve as the mental formula for
whole-body movement and form the foundational training to awaken the muscles,
bones, and nervous system. They represent the core principle for maintaining
balance and stability, fully echoing the Tai Chi Chuan Classic: "In every
movement, the entire body must be light and agile, and above all,
interconnected." Practitioners must first achieve whole-body lightness
before advancing to integration, attaining a realm where movement and stillness
are both appropriate, and every joint is connected step by step.
Nine-Character Formula for Push Hands (推手九字訣)
Respect[MT1] , Stillness, Stability, Relaxation, Evenness,
Suppleness, Slowness, Roundness, Integration (敬、靜、定、鬆、勻、柔、慢、圓、整)
Among
these, "Respect" holds the foremost position. It is the core mental
formula for awakening the body's muscles, bones, and nervous system. This state
is like cradling a newborn baby in one's arms, or a hen carefully hatching
eggs—a fraction more force is too much, and a fraction less is insufficient. It
perfectly aligns with the classic sayings: "Seemingly relaxed yet not
relaxed, about to expand but not yet expanded" and the Middle Way of "Neither
excess nor deficiency," serving as the starting point of internal power in
push hands.
Laozi Chapter 1 (老子第一章)
"The Tao that can be spoken of is not
the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name."
The realm of Tai Chi suppleness is extremely empty and
spiritual, much like the profound mystery of the "Tao," which
language can hardly capture. Su Zhe remarked: " Continuous and
closely connected, it is subtle, yet unfelt. Seeming to be present, it’s
present yet not visible."
When hands connect and
designated push hands begins, the body and hands are light, soft, and
continuous—as if present, yet non-existent. The spiritual realm is ethereal and
deep, far beyond what worldly, brute force ("To calculate to the last
ounce ") can fathom. This ultimate physical suppleness cannot be described
in words; it must be experienced through inner comprehension as the essence and
physical practice as the application, gradually peeling away stiff force,
contemplating through subtle understanding, and ultimately entering a higher
realm.
Laozi Chapter 2 (老子第二章)
" Existence
and non-existence give birth to each other,
Difficulty and ease complement each
other,
Long and short define each other,
High and low incline towards each
other,
Voice and sound harmonize with each
other,
Preceding and following follow each
other. "
All things in the world—existence and non-existence, long
and short, high and low, front and back, difficulty and ease, primary and
secondary—are mutually opposing yet interdependent. This philosophy perfectly
fits the Tai Chi principle of "Yin and Yang." In the training of
designated push hands, dynamic transformations of Yin and Yang are embedded
everywhere: clear distinction between substantial and insubstantial in the
feet, combination of movement and stillness in the hands, and harmony of
hardness and softness throughout the body.
Isolated Yin cannot grow, and lonely Yang cannot
flourish. Only when Yin and Yang assist and complement each other can there be
complete integration, leading the opponent into emptiness and reaching the
divine realm of "understanding energy" (Dong Jing).
Laozi Chapter 4 (老子第四章)
“Blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots; soften the
light, become one with the dust.”
Blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots (挫銳解紛):
In push hands interaction, humility is the core, putting
into practice "When the opponent advances, I retreat; when I advance, the
opponent retreats." Both sides let go of persistence and sharpness, fully
accepting the opponent to become one. Following the Ten Essentials of Tai Chi:
sink shoulders and drop elbows, contain chest and round back, relax waist and
drop hips... avoiding hard-on-hard collision. Dissolve the opponent's
aggressive energy with total relaxation (blunting sharpness) and smooth out
disordered incoming forces through body structure (resolving confusion).
Harmonizing Light &
Unifying Dust (和光同塵):
Let go of subjective resistance and merge into the
opponent's rhythm and energy, achieving the state of "sticking, adhering,
connecting, following, and becoming one."
In interactions of mutual yielding without resisting or
separating, one not only greatly enhances full-body sensitivity (listening
energy), but also tempers solid leg strength and agile body technique.
Laozi Chapter 6 (老子第六章)
"The valley
spirit never dies; it is called the profound female. Continuous and closely
connected, it seems to be ever-present, and its use is inexhaustible."
During designated push hands practice, the body acts like
a valley—open-minded and hollow to accommodate all things, allowing life to
flourish endlessly, just as a mother cow nurtures offspring.
Through repeated neutralization in push hands,
practitioners create space for each other, awakening the muscles, bones, and
nervous system, making the body quiet like a valley and life-creating like a
mother cow.
Laozi Chapter 10 (老子第十章)
"Can you
concentrate your vital energy to attain supreme suppleness, like that of a
newborn infant?"
An infant possesses three characteristics: ignorance,
helplessness, and detachment. These three qualities are philosophical
cultivations in life as well as three major elements in practicing Tai Chi
Chuan:
1. Ignorance (無知): Ignorance leads to single-minded focus and
deep listening.
Push hands
practice: Close off sensory faculties and use a tranquil body and mind to
perceive the opponent's substantiality, emptiness, movement, stillness,
hardness, and softness.
2. Helplessness (無能): Helplessness leads to supreme suppleness
and letting go of ego.
Push hands
practice: Relax the body's muscles, bones, ligaments, and mind, let go of the
ambition to win, accept incoming force, and go with the flow.
3. Detachment (無心): Detachment leads to non-attachment.
Push hands
practice: Do not cling to predefined techniques; move spontaneously according
to the opponent's changes.
Laozi Chapter 16 (老子第十六章)
"Attain
utmost emptiness; maintain absolute tranquility."
This is the central hub for Tai Chi Chuan to transition
from external form to internal spirit, ascending from "familiarity with
techniques" to "understanding energy."
"Attaining
utmost emptiness" is expressed in Tai Chi as a mindset of "yielding
oneself to follow others." Only an open mind without preconceptions allows
listening energy to grow.
"Maintaining
absolute tranquility" is expressed in Tai Chi as poise and minute observation
within movement—generating motion from stillness, containing stillness within
motion.
Laozi Chapter 22 (老子第二十二章)
"To have
little is to gain; to have much is to be confused."
In practicing Tai Chi Five-Element Footwork and forms—from
Single Whip, Raise Hands, Right Shoulder Strike, White Crane Spreads Wings, to
Left Brush Knee and Twist Step—practicing slowly and holding body weight on a
single leg for over 30 seconds trains leg strength. It also allows repeated
reflection on key points like relaxing shoulders, dropping elbows, dropping
hips, and distinguishing full and empty. Unconsciously, leg strength is
cultivated, and energy sinks to the Dantian.
Laozi Chapter 42 (老子第四十二章)
"Tao produced
One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced all things. All
things carry Yin and embrace Yang, harmonizing through the blending of vital
energy (Chong Qi)."
Chong means emptiness and tranquility. In dynamic push
hands interaction, both parties' hands distinguish movement and stillness, feet
distinguish full and empty, and the body distinguishes hardness and
softness—this is called the "Three Dimensions of Yin and Yang." The
hub of Yin-Yang transformation relies on Chong; only through mutual yielding,
harmony, and reconciliation can both sides complement each other.
In push hands, letting go of subjective persistence,
setting aside pride, and opening one's heart to accept and sense the opponent's
incoming force embodies this spirit of "empty harmony." It is not only
structural redirection and neutralization, but also inner tolerance and
spiritual resonance. Nurturing each other in Yin and Yang, both practitioners
polish each other, elevating martial skill and life state together.
---
Chuang-tzu:
"Human World" (《莊子·人間世》)
Fasting of the
Heart (心齋):
"Unify your
intent. Listen not with your ears, but with your heart; listen not with your
heart, but with your Qi. Ear listening stops at sound; heart listening stops at
mental concepts. Qi is empty and waits for all things. The Tao gathers only in
emptiness. Emptiness is the fasting of the heart."
In push hands practice, the primary requirement is
single-minded focus.
Do not listen with
ears, but with the heart.
Do not listen with
the heart, but with Qi.
Ears reach only sound; the heart reaches only phenomena.
Only "Qi" is empty, spiritual, and clear, capable of embracing and
responding to all things.
In push hands, only when the body and mind are placed in
a state of "emptiness" can one sensitively perceive each other's
full, empty, dynamic, static, hard, and soft transformations. Only by
"gathering emptiness" can one remain free from subjective prejudice
and clinging, seizing opportunities in empty openness to fully manifest
internal martial arts skills of "overcoming hardness with softness"
and "controlling motion with stillness."
Chuang-tzu:
"Master of Nurturing Life" (《莊子·養生主》)
"Cook Ding Carving an Ox" and the Three Stages
of Tai Chi Practice (「庖丁解牛」與太極拳修練的三個階段):
Stage 1 (第一階段):
Chuang-tzu: "When
I first began carving oxen, all I could see was the ox itself."
Tai Chi: Imitation
& Disassembly. Focus on external postures and moves (Five Elements
Footwork, Eight Methods of Tai Chi, directions). At this point, the nine major
joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, etc.) are not yet connected, and movements
are segmented—belonging to the "outside-in" exploration phase.
Stage 2 (第二階段):
Chuang-tzu: "After
three years, I no longer saw the whole ox."
Tai Chi: Integration
& Continuity. The form is masterfully familiar, no longer bound by external
shape. Muscles, bones, and the nervous system across the nine major joints link
together into "one unified family." Fullness/emptiness in the feet,
movement/stillness in the hands, and hardness/softness in the body transform
naturally within the form, shifting from external wholeness to internal mental
intent.
Stage 3 (第三階段):
Chuang-tzu: "Now,
I meet it with my spirit rather than looking with my eyes. Perception stops,
and spirit moves as it desires."
Tai Chi: Push
Hands & Divine Clarity. In two-person push hands, physical senses step
down, relying entirely on "spirit-intent" and "listening
energy" to perceive. Responding to the opponent's emptiness, fullness,
hardness, and softness, achieving "adhering, sticking, connecting, and
following without separating or resisting." Without needing brain
calculation, the body moves with the flow, working with effortless skill.
經比對，您提供的段落出自吳榮輝老師所著之專書 《鬆柔太極拳推手》 中「太極拳研究心得篇：Insights
from Tai Chi Research」底下的章節。
比對結果顯示：全部提供的段落內容皆已被翻譯為英文，且原文中已有完整對照之英譯內容。
以下為比對整理之詳細清單及書中原有的對照英譯：
已翻譯內容清單與英譯對照
1. 推手四字訣 & 推手九字訣
- 推手四字訣（輕、慢、勻、正）
- 英譯：
Lightness,
Slowness, Evenness, Uprightness.
These four
characters serve as the mental formula for whole-body movement and form the
foundational training to awaken the muscles, bones, and nervous system. They
represent the core principle for maintaining balance and stability, fully
echoing the Tai Chi Chuan Classic: "In every movement, the
entire body must be light and agile, and above all, interconnected."
Practitioners must first achieve whole-body lightness before advancing to
integration, attaining a realm where movement and stillness are both
appropriate, and every joint is connected step by step.
- 推手九字訣（敬、靜、定、鬆、勻、柔、慢、圓、整）
- 英譯：
Respect,
Stillness, Stability, Relaxation, Evenness, Gentleness, Slowness, Roundness,
Integration.
Among these,
"Respect" holds the foremost position. It is the core mental formula
for awakening the body's muscles, bones, and nervous system. This state is like
cradling a newborn baby in one's arms, or a hen carefully hatching eggs—a
fraction more force is too much, and a fraction less is insufficient. It
perfectly aligns with the classic sayings: "Seemingly relaxed yet not
relaxed, about to expand but not yet expanded" and the Middle
Way of "Neither excess nor deficiency." It is the
starting point of internal power in push hands.
2. 老子各章節與太極拳之對照
- 老子第一章： 「道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。」⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 1:
"The
Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is
not the eternal name."
The realm of
Tai Chi suppleness is extremely empty and spiritual, much like the profound
mystery of the "Tao," which language can hardly capture. Su Zhe
remarked: "Subtle yet unfelt, present yet unseen."
When hands
connect and designated push hands begins, the body and hands are light, soft,
and continuous—as if present, yet non-existent. The spiritual realm is ethereal
and deep, far beyond what worldly, brute force ("weighing in gold and
ounces") can fathom. This ultimate physical suppleness cannot be described
in words; it must be experienced through inner comprehension as the essence and
physical practice as the application, gradually peeling away stiff force,
contemplating through subtle understanding, and ultimately entering a higher
realm.
- 老子第二章： 「有無相生，難易相成，長短相校，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。」⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 2:
"Being
and non-being create each other; difficult and easy complement each other; long
and short define each other; high and low incline towards each other; sound and
voice harmonize each other; front and back follow each other."
All things in
the world—existence and non-existence, long and short, high and low, front and
back, difficulty and ease, primary and secondary—are mutually opposing yet
interdependent. This philosophy perfectly fits the Tai Chi principle of
"Yin and Yang." In the training of designated push hands, dynamic
transformations of Yin and Yang are embedded everywhere: clear distinction
between substantial and insubstantial in the feet, combination of movement and
stillness in the hands, and harmony of hardness and softness throughout the
body.
Isolated Yin
cannot grow, and lonely Yang cannot flourish. Only when Yin and Yang assist and
complement each other can there be complete integration, leading the opponent
into emptiness and reaching the divine realm of "understanding
energy" (Dong Jing).
- 老子第四章： 挫其銳，解其紛；和其光，同其塵⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 4:
Blunt the
sharpness, resolve the confusion; harmonize with the light, unify with the
dust.
Blunting
Sharpness & Resolving Confusion:
In push hands
interaction, humility is the core, putting into practice "When the opponent advances, I retreat; when I advance, the
opponent retreats." Both sides let go of persistence and
sharpness, fully accepting the opponent to become one. Following the Ten
Essentials of Tai Chi: sink shoulders and drop elbows, contain chest and round
back, relax waist and drop hips... avoiding hard-on-hard collision. Dissolve
the opponent's aggressive energy with total relaxation (blunting sharpness) and smooth out disordered incoming
forces through body structure (resolving confusion).
Harmonizing
Light & Unifying Dust:
Let go of
subjective resistance and merge into the opponent's rhythm and energy,
achieving the state of "sticking, adhering, connecting,
following, and becoming one."
In interactions
of mutual yielding without resisting or separating, one not only greatly
enhances full-body sensitivity (listening energy),
but also tempers solid leg strength and agile body technique.
- 老子第六章： 谷神不死，是謂玄牝。綿綿若存，用之不勤。⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 6:
"The
valley spirit never dies; it is called the profound female. Continuous and
closely connected, it seems to be ever-present, and its use is
inexhaustible."
During
designated push hands practice, the body acts like a valley—open-minded and
hollow to accommodate all things, allowing life to flourish endlessly, just as
a mother cow nurtures offspring.
Through
repeated neutralization in push hands, practitioners create space for each
other, awakening the muscles, bones, and nervous system, making the body quiet
like a valley and life-creating like a mother cow.
- 老子第十章： 專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 10:
"Can
you concentrate your vital energy to attain supreme suppleness, like that of a
newborn infant?"
An infant
possesses three characteristics: ignorance, helplessness, and detachment. These
three qualities are philosophical cultivations in life as well as three major
elements in practicing Tai Chi Chuan:
- Ignorance: Ignorance leads to
single-minded focus and deep listening. Push hands practice:
Close off sensory faculties and use a tranquil body and mind to perceive
the opponent's substantiality, emptiness, movement, stillness, hardness,
and softness.
- Helplessness: Helplessness leads
to supreme suppleness and letting go of ego. Push
hands practice: Relax the body's muscles, bones, ligaments,
and mind, let go of the ambition to win, accept incoming force, and go
with the flow.
- Detachment: Detachment leads to
non-attachment. Push hands practice: Do not
cling to predefined techniques; move spontaneously according to the
opponent's changes.
- 老子第十六章： 「致虛極，守靜篤」⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 16:
"Attain
utmost emptiness; maintain absolute tranquility."
This is the
central hub for Tai Chi Chuan to transition from external form to internal
spirit, ascending from "familiarity with techniques" to
"understanding energy."
"Attaining
utmost emptiness" is expressed in Tai Chi as a mindset of
"yielding oneself to follow others." Only an open mind without preconceptions
allows listening energy to grow.
"Maintaining
absolute tranquility" is expressed in Tai Chi as poise and
minute observation within movement—generating motion from stillness, containing
stillness within motion.
- 老子第二十二章： 「少則得，多則惑」⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 22:
"To
have little is to gain; to have much is to be confused."
In practicing
Tai Chi Five-Element Footwork and forms—from Single Whip, Raise Hands, Right
Shoulder Strike, White Crane Spreads Wings, to Left Brush Knee and Twist
Step—practicing slowly and holding body weight on a single leg for over 30
seconds trains leg strength. It also allows repeated reflection on key points
like relaxing shoulders, dropping elbows, dropping hips, and distinguishing
full and empty. Unconsciously, leg strength is cultivated, and energy sinks to
the Dantian.
- 老子第四十二章： 「道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰抱陽，沖氣以為和。」⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Laozi
Chapter 42:
"Tao
produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced all things.
All things carry Yin and embrace Yang, harmonizing through the blending of
vital energy (Chong Qi)."
Chong means
emptiness and tranquility. In dynamic push hands interaction, both parties'
hands distinguish movement and stillness, feet distinguish full and empty, and
the body distinguishes hardness and softness—this is called the "Three
Dimensions of Yin and Yang." The hub of Yin-Yang transformation relies on Chong; only through mutual yielding, harmony, and
reconciliation can both sides complement each other.
In push hands,
letting go of subjective persistence, setting aside pride, and opening one's
heart to accept and sense the opponent's incoming force embodies this spirit of
"empty harmony." It is not only structural redirection and
neutralization, but also inner tolerance and spiritual resonance. Nurturing
each other in Yin and Yang, both practitioners polish each other, elevating
martial skill and life state together.
3. 莊子典故與太極拳三階段對照
- 《莊子·人間世》心齋： 「若一志，無聽之以耳而聽之以心⋯⋯」⋯⋯
- 英譯：
Chuang-tzu
"Human World" - Fasting of the Heart:
"Unify
your intent. Listen not with your ears, but with your heart; listen not with
your heart, but with your Qi. Ear listening stops at sound; heart listening
stops at mental concepts. Qi is empty and waits for all things. The Tao gathers
only in emptiness. Emptiness is the fasting of the heart."
In push hands
practice, the primary requirement is single-minded focus.
Do not listen
with ears, but with the heart.
Do not listen
with the heart, but with Qi.
Ears reach
only sound; the heart reaches only phenomena. Only "Qi" is empty,
spiritual, and clear, capable of embracing and responding to all things.
In push hands,
only when the body and mind are placed in a state of "emptiness" can
one sensitively perceive each other's full, empty, dynamic, static, hard, and
soft transformations. Only by "gathering emptiness" can one remain
free from subjective prejudice and clinging, seizing opportunities in empty
openness to fully manifest internal martial arts skills of "overcoming
hardness with softness" and "controlling motion with stillness."
- 《莊子·養生主》庖丁解牛與太極拳修練的三個階段：
- 英譯：
Chuang-tzu
"Master of Nurturing Life" - Cook Ding Carving an Ox and the Three
Stages of Tai Chi Practice:
Stage 1:
Chuang-tzu: "When I first began carving oxen, all I could see was the ox
itself."
Tai Chi: Imitation & Disassembly. Focus on external postures
and moves (Five Elements Footwork, Eight Methods of Tai Chi, directions). At
this point, the nine major joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, etc.) are not yet
connected, and movements are segmented—belonging to the "outside-in"
exploration phase.
Stage 2:
Chuang-tzu: "After three years, I no longer saw the whole ox."
Tai Chi: Integration & Continuity. The form is masterfully
familiar, no longer bound by external shape. Muscles, bones, and the nervous
system across the nine major joints link together into "one unified
family." Fullness/emptiness in the feet, movement/stillness in the hands,
and hardness/softness in the body transform naturally within the form, shifting
from external wholeness to internal mental intent.
Stage 3:
Chuang-tzu: "Now, I meet it with my spirit rather than looking with my
eyes. Perception stops, and spirit moves as it desires."
Tai Chi: Push
Hands & Divine Clarity. In two-person push hands, physical senses step
down, relying entirely on "spirit-intent" and "listening
energy" to perceive. Responding to the opponent's emptiness, fullness,
hardness, and softness, achieving "adhering, sticking, connecting, and
following without separating or resisting." Without needing brain
calculation, the body moves with the flow, working with effortless skill.
Here is the completed English translation for the
introductory framework and core principles from 《太極拳套路推手要點》
(Designated Push Hands Routines & Essential Training Principles):
Designated
Push Hands Routines & Essential Training Principles
Philosophical
& Foundational Overview
Tai Chi Chuan embodies the reverse logic of Laozi and
Zhuangzi's "Wu Wei" (Non-Action) and the philosophical principles of
"Yin and Yang" transformations from the I Ching (Book of
Changes). Grandmaster Cheng Man-ch'ing applied "Wu Wei" into
soft-yielding Tai Chi methods, establishing essential training keys such as the
Beautiful Lady’s Hand (Mei Ren Shou), Tai Chi Stationary Hand
(Tai Chi Bu Dong Shou), and "Taking a Loss is Gaining an
Advantage" (Chi Kui Ji Shi Zhan Pian Yi).
The "Yin and Yang" of Tai Chi Chuan encompasses
dynamic and static, substantial and insubstantial, hard and soft
transformations, as well as the philosophy of "mutual generation and
mutual restriction."
- Tai Chi Chuan
Treatise: "Yin does not separate from
Yang; Yang does not separate from Yin. When Yin and Yang complement each
other, one understands energy."
- Tai Chi Chuan
Classic: "Rooted in the feet, issued
through the legs, governed by the waist, and manifested through the
fingers—from feet to legs to waist, all must be integrated as one
continuous Qi."
These core principles use "Wu Wei" and
"Yin-Yang" as the bedrocks of soft-yielding martial arts.
To preserve these training keys handed down by
generations of Tai Chi predecessors, the World Tai Chi Chuan Federation
integrated four Soft-Yielding Tai Chi Push Hands Routines as designated
competitive events. Competitors must relax major bodily joints and let go of
brute force, clumsy strength, ambition, attachment, and stubbornness to
demonstrate "overcoming hardness with softness." On the surface,
"Wu Wei" appears soft, weak, or passive, but it is actually the
pathway toward true strength, boundless action, and ultimate application.
Combined with Yin-Yang transformations, practitioners naturally cultivate
continuous, non-stopping soft-yielding martial skills.
Four
Designated Push Hands Routines
- Adhering &
Sticking Push Hands (Nian Tie Tui Shou — 4 Breakdown
Movements): Peng (Ward-off) $\rightarrow$ Lü (Roll-back) $\rightarrow$
Cai (Pluck) $\rightarrow$ An (Push) $\rightarrow$ Kao
(Lean) $\rightarrow$ Peng...
- External Receiving
Method (Wai Cheng Jie Fa — 5 Breakdown
Movements): Peng $\rightarrow$ Lü $\rightarrow$ Cai $\rightarrow$
An $\rightarrow$ Kao $\rightarrow$ Peng...
(Alternating sequentially between left and right hands)
- Eight Methods Push
Hands (Ba Fa Tui Shou — 5 Breakdown
Movements): Peng $\rightarrow$ Lü $\rightarrow$
Neutralization (Hua, including Cai, Lie, Zhou) $\rightarrow$
An (including Kao) $\rightarrow$ Ji (Press) $\rightarrow$
Peng...
- Internal Receiving
Method (Nei Cheng Jie Fa — 8 Breakdown
Movements): Peng $\rightarrow$ Lü $\rightarrow$ Cai $\rightarrow$
An $\rightarrow$ Kao $\rightarrow$ Peng...
10 Essential
Training Guidelines
- Wu Wei (Non-Action): Act with the flow;
act without self-centered intent.
- Yin & Yang: Distinction of full
and empty, dynamic and static, hard and soft.
- Ten Essentials of
Tai Chi: Empty spiritual crown energy (Xu
Ling Ding Jing), sink shoulders and drop elbows, contain chest and
round back, relax the waist, clearly distinguish full and empty, use
intent rather than brute force, upper and lower body follow each other,
internal and external harmony, continuous without interruption.
- Grandmaster Cheng
Man-ch'ing's Key Formulas: Beautiful Lady’s Hand, Stationary Hand,
Taking a Loss is Gaining an Advantage.
- Eight Methods of Tai
Chi (Ba Fa): Peng, Lü, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou,
Kao (Ward-off, Roll-back, Press, Push, Pluck, Split, Elbow, Lean) —
mutually generating and restricting.
- Five Elements
Footwork (Wu Xing Bu Fa): Advance (Jin),
Retreat (Tui), Look Left (Gu), Glance Right (Pan),
Central Equilibrium (Ding).
- Five Methods of
Exploration (Chuai Mo Wu Fa): Adhering (Nian),
Sticking (Tie), Connecting (Lian), Following (Sui),
Neither Disconnecting nor Resisting (Bu Dieu Ding).
- Nine Major Joints: Shoulders, elbows,
wrists, neck, back, waist, hips, knees, ankles — light, agile, and
interconnected throughout.
- Four-Character Key
Formula: Lightness, Slowness, Evenness,
Uprightness (Qing, Man, Yun, Zheng) — without breaks, unevenness,
or protrusions.
- Full-Body Expansion: The capacity for
expansive power after complete body relaxation.
Grandmaster
Cheng Man-ch'ing's Three Key Formulas Explained
- Beautiful Lady’s
Hand (Mei Ren Shou): Seemingly relaxed yet not relaxed;
about to extend but not yet fully extended.
- Stationary Hand (Bu
Dong Shou): The hands do not initiate motion
independently; they borrow gravity, reaction force, momentum, and power
from the legs and waist.
- Taking a Loss is
Gaining an Advantage (Chi Kui Ji Shi Zhan Pian Yi): Yielding oneself,
practicing humility, and redirecting incoming energy to enhance body
functions. While appearing to "take a loss," it is an essential
path toward mastering "overcoming hardness with softness."
[MT1]
老莊與太極｜英譯核對與補譯稿
Prepared for Peter Tsai 蔡孟宏 • 4 November
2026
This review matches the supplied Chinese
handout against the attached bilingual book and two existing reference
documents. It identifies earlier English material and completes the current
handout in English, with Chinese beside key terms. This is a separate review
supplement; the source books have not been changed.
Sources
and scope
A — 鬆柔太極拳推手全反黑（蔡0522）.docx, the
attached bilingual book. Paragraph locators below count every body paragraph,
including blank and table paragraphs, in document order. They are not printed
page numbers; search by the accompanying article title in Word.
B — Master Wu’s New Book 240216(all
book).docx. Checked as an additional bilingual reference; it confirms the
overlapping Nine Character Formula, Laozi Chapters 2 and 10, Zhuangzi’s fasting
of the mind, and Chapter 6 material.
C —
Designated_Push_Hands_Yi_Jian_Teaching_Notes_English.docx. Its existing English
includes Chapter 4, the infant and hen analogy, and Cook Ding’s three stages.
These are earlier handout translations, not passages located in book A.
“Not found” means not found in these
checked documents. It does not establish that a translation has never existed
elsewhere. The modern teaching applications below represent the supplied
author’s interpretation of Laozi and Zhuangzi, not the wording of the ancient
texts themselves.
Translation
status before this review
|
Section |
Existing English |
Location and work needed |
|
1 四字訣 |
Partial English in A |
A ¶1965: four terms; ¶3018–3022: lightness and
connection. New wording on muscles, tendons, bones, nerves and balance
requires translation. |
|
2 九字訣 |
Partial English in A and C |
A ¶1593–1602, Tai Chi Nine Character Formula; ¶2220–2228,
Tai Chi Chuan and Infants; C §4–5. The supplied sequence and integrated
explanation require revision and additions. |
|
3 老子第一章 |
Opening quotation not found; related English exists |
A ¶1852–1853 translates Su Zhe on Chapter 6. Chapter
1 quotation and the present push hands explanation need new translation. |
|
4 老子第二章 |
Quotation and related explanation already translated |
A ¶1687–1704, Tai Chi Chuan and the Wisdom of Lao
tzu Part One. Reuse the six-line quotation; revise and extend the explanation
to match the present handout. |
|
5 老子第四章 |
English exists in C; no matching section found in A |
C §1, Joining and Following. Reuse the classical
quotation; revise the application and add the expanded body-method and
training paragraphs. |
|
6 老子第六章 |
Quotation already translated; present explanation
new |
A ¶1844–1853, Profound Aspects of Tai Chi Chuan Part
Two. Revise quotation wording; add valley, maternal imagery, mutual space and
training explanation. |
|
7 老子第十章 |
Quotation and three qualities already translated |
A ¶1748–1758, Tai Chi Chuan and the Wisdom of Lao
tzu Part Three. Revise potentially misleading “ignorant, feeble”; add the
three specific partner-practice explanations. |
|
8 老子第十六章 |
No matching section or quotation found |
General emptiness and stillness themes exist, but
the present section requires new translation. |
|
9 老子第二十二章 |
Quotation not found; exercise principles partly
translated |
A ¶1109–1112, Tai Chi’s Health Benefits Part II.
Existing English includes more than 30 seconds of single-leg support. Add the
quotation and specific posture sequence. |
|
10 老子第四十二章 |
Chinese present in A; quotation omitted from
corresponding English |
A ¶946 includes the Chinese quotation and 沖 interpretation.
Corresponding English ¶978–983 omits them. Related yin–yang language appears
at ¶1689; translate the present section afresh. |
|
11 莊子人間世 |
Quotation and related application already translated |
A ¶1806–1820, Tai Chi Chuan and the Wisdom of Chuang
tzu. Revise quotation terminology and align the explanation with the supplied
handout. |
|
12 莊子養生主 |
Three stages already translated in C; no Cook Ding
passage found in A |
C §6, paragraphs 94–104. Reuse three classical
quotations; revise and add nine bodily regions and the transition to inward
intention. |
Editorial
decisions for checking
·
Nine Character Formula: A has 敬、靜、定、慢、勻、柔、圓、鬆、整, while the supplied handout has 敬、靜、定、鬆、勻、柔、慢、圓、整. The
translation follows the current handout’s order, without claiming that it is
the book’s original order.
·
“微而不覺，存而不見”: A gives 微而不絕 in its
Chapter 6 commentary. Su Zhe’s text reads 綿綿，微而不絕也。若存，存而不可見也. The
translation uses the corrected reading and explicitly locates this comment in
Chapter 6, even though the handout invokes it under Chapter 1.
·
“身體反覆化解強了”: presumed typo
for 反覆化解強力. Section 6 provisionally translates “repeatedly yielding to and
neutralizing strong incoming force.” Please confirm this reading.
·
“玄牝”: translated as
“mysterious feminine,” rather than “mother cow.” The cow analogy is retained in
the author’s explanatory paragraphs; it is not presented as the sole literal
meaning of 玄牝.
·
“耳止於聽”: the received
Zhuangzi passage checked here reads 聽止於耳, matching A’s quotation. The English
follows that reading. “心之所神” in the explanation appears unclear; provisionally interpreted as
the mind’s recognition of phenomena.
·
“預訂的招法” is treated as
“predetermined techniques” (預定的招法). The missing closing quotation mark in the Chapter 16 explanation
is regularized.
·
“懂勁之神明境界”: the English
preserves a progression from understanding jin (懂勁) toward intuitive
mastery (神明), rather than treating these as identical stages.
·
“九大關節”: rendered “nine
major joint regions” or “nine major bodily regions,” following the book’s
functional grouping, not a claim that the human body has only nine anatomical
joints.
·
“不需大腦思考” and “感官退位”: rendered
as freedom from deliberate step-by-step calculation and reduced reliance on
ordinary sensory judgment; not a claim that the brain or senses cease
functioning.
·
The 30-second exercise
instruction and traditional references to qi are translated as part of the
supplied teaching text. No unrelated health claims from the older book have
been imported into this supplement.
Textual checks: Su Zhe, Laozi Jie,
commentary on 綿綿若存用之不勤: https://www.shidianguji.com/zh/book/SK2154/chapter/1l9o94di7ajgg ;
Zhuangzi, 人間世: https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/man-in-the-world-associated-with ; Dao
De Jing: https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing/zh . English below is reused from the
supplied documents where marked, or newly translated/revised here; it is not
copied from modern web translations.
Complete
English review draft
Status key: [E] Existing English retained
verbatim. [R] Earlier English material revised or adapted to the current
Chinese. [N] Newly translated here; no matching English passage was found in
the checked sources. A combined label identifies a paragraph containing both
revised material and new wording. These labels record provenance, not author
approval.
1
Four Key Principles of Push Hands 推手四字訣
輕、慢、勻、正。
[R] Lightness, slowness, evenness, and uprightness.
[N] These four principles are essential mental guidelines (心法要訣) for
whole-body movement (周身整體運動). They also provide a foundation for awakening the responsiveness
of the muscles, tendons, bones, and nervous system (肌肉、筋骨與神經系統), and are
central to maintaining balance and stability (平衡穩定).
[R] As the Tai Chi Classics (太極拳經) state: “In every movement, the whole
body must be light and responsive (輕靈); above all, it must be connected
throughout (貫串).” Practitioners must first develop lightness and responsiveness throughout
the body, then deepen its overall connection, until every joint and segment
works in continuity (節節貫穿), in both movement and stillness (動靜皆宜).
2
Nine Key Principles of Push Hands 推手九字訣
[R] Respectful attentiveness (敬), stillness (靜), stability (定), relaxation (鬆), evenness (勻), suppleness (柔), slowness (慢), roundness (圓), and
integration (整).
[R+N]
Respectful attentiveness (敬) comes first. It is an
essential mental guideline for awakening the responsiveness of the muscles,
tendons, bones, and nervous system throughout the body.
[E] “The state is like holding a newborn baby in both arms, or a mother
hen carefully incubating her eggs. A little more force is too much; a little
less is not enough.”
[R+N]
This accords with the classical principles “Seemingly
relaxed, yet not slack; about to extend, yet not fully extended (似鬆非鬆，將展未展)” and
“Neither excess nor deficiency (無過不及).” This balanced middle way (中道) is the
starting point for internal cultivation in push hands (推手內功).
3
Laozi Chapter One 老子第一章
道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。
[N] “The Dao that can be expressed is not the enduring Dao; the name
that can be named is not the enduring name.”
[N] The state of relaxed suppleness in Tai Chi (太極鬆柔之境) is profoundly
empty and responsive (至虛至靈). Like the mystery of the Dao (道), it is difficult to
convey in words.
[R] Su Zhe (蘇轍), commenting on Chapter 6, describes continuity as “subtle yet
unbroken (微而不絕),” and seeming presence as “present yet unseen (存而不見).” These
words also illuminate the quality discussed here.
[N] When the hands join (搭手) in designated push hands (指定推手), the body
and hands remain gently supple and continuous (輕柔綿綿), as though present
yet scarcely perceptible (若有似無). This spacious, subtle quality cannot be assessed by the ordinary
“weighing and measuring” of crude force (秤金論兩之拙力).
[N] Such profound bodily relaxation and suppleness cannot be fully
described in words. We must take inward understanding (心領神會) as the foundation
(體) and embodied practice (身體力行) as its application (用). Through
quiet recognition and repeated exploration (默識揣摩), we gradually
release layer after layer of stiffness (僵勁) and deepen our
practice.
4
Laozi Chapter Two 老子第二章
有無相生，難易相成，長短相校，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。
[E] Existence and non-existence give birth to each other,
Difficulty and ease complement each other,
Long and short define each other,
High and low incline towards each other,
Voice and sound harmonize with each other,
Preceding and following follow each other.
[R+N]
Existence and non-existence (有無), length and
shortness (長短), height and lowness (高下), before and after (前後), difficulty
and ease (難易), and leading and supporting roles (主副) are contrasting yet
interdependent. This principle accords with the interplay of yin and yang (陰陽) in Tai Chi.
[R+N]
Designated push hands embodies these dynamic
transformations throughout: the feet clearly distinguish substantial and
insubstantial support (虛實); the hands coordinate movement and stillness (動靜); and the
whole body harmonizes firmness and suppleness (剛柔).
[R+N]
Yin alone cannot give birth, and yang alone cannot
grow (孤陰不生，獨陽不長). Only through their mutual support and complementarity (陰陽相濟、相輔相成) can
movement become rounded and connected throughout (圓融貫通). This makes it
possible to draw the partner in and lead their force into emptiness (引進落空), developing
understanding of jin (懂勁) and progressing toward intuitive mastery (神明).
5
Laozi Chapter Four 老子第四章
[E] “Blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots; soften the light, become
one with the dust (挫其銳，解其紛；和其光，同其塵).”
[R] Blunting sharpness and
untangling knots (挫銳解紛)
[R] With humility and yielding (謙讓) at the heart of push
hands, we practise: “When my partner advances, I retreat; when I advance, my
partner retreats (彼進我退，我進彼退).” Both partners release their insistence and sharpness, fully accepting
one another so that they can join as one (合而為一).
[N] Follow the body principles expressed in the Ten Essentials of Tai
Chi (太極十要), including sinking the shoulders and dropping the elbows (沉肩墜肘),
containing the chest and opening the back (含胸拔背), and relaxing the
waist and settling the kua (鬆腰落胯). Avoid meeting hardness with hardness. Through thorough
relaxation, soften the partner’s forceful sharpness (挫其銳); through
coordinated body structure, bring order to tangled incoming forces (解其紛).
[R] Softening the light
and becoming one with the dust (和光同塵)
[R+N]
Let go of subjective resistance (主觀抗拒) and enter
into the partner’s rhythm and quality of jin (節奏與勁道). Through
sticking, adhering, continuing, and following (黏貼連隨), the two partners
join as one.
[N] In this practice of mutual yielding, neither resisting nor losing
contact (不頂不丟), both partners refine sensitivity throughout the body—listening to
jin (聽勁)—while developing solid leg strength and skill in the body and
hands (腿力與身手).
6
Laozi Chapter Six 老子第六章
谷神不死，是謂玄牝。綿綿若存，用之不勤。
[R] “The valley spirit never dies; this is called the mysterious
feminine. Subtle and continuous, it seems to endure; draw upon it, and it is
never exhausted.”
[N] In designated push hands paired practice (指定推手對練), let the body be
like a valley: open, receptive, and able to accommodate what arrives (虛懷若谷). The
handout likens this nurturing capacity to a mother cow bringing forth her
young, an image of life continually renewing itself (生生不息).
[N] By repeatedly yielding to and neutralizing strong incoming force (反覆化解強力),
partners create space for one another and awaken the responsiveness of their
muscles, tendons, bones, and nervous systems. The body becomes empty and still
like a valley (虛靜), yet generative and nurturing like a mother cow bringing forth new
life.
7
Laozi Chapter Ten 老子第十章
專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？
[R] “Can you gather your qi and become supple, like an infant?”
[R+N]
The infant is described here through three
qualities: not knowing (無知), not relying on capability or force (無能), and freedom from a
fixed, calculating mind (無心). These are qualities of philosophical self-cultivation as well as
three essential elements in Tai Chi training.
[R] 1. Not knowing (無知): letting go of presumed knowledge allows wholehearted attention (專), making genuine
listening possible.
[N] In paired push hands practice, quiet the outward activity of the
eyes and ears (關閉耳目官能). With an empty, still body and mind (虛靜), sense the partner’s
changes between substantial and insubstantial (虛實), movement and
stillness (動靜), and firmness and suppleness (剛柔).
[R] 2. Not relying on capability or force (無能): relinquishing the
urge to impose oneself allows suppleness (柔) and humility (放下身段).
[N] In paired practice, relax the muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments,
and mind. Release the ambition to win (爭勝的企圖心), accept the
incoming force (接納來力), and move with its tendency (順勢而為).
[R] 3. Freedom from a fixed mind (無心): let go of
attachment (不執著).
[N] In paired practice, do not cling to predetermined techniques (預定的招法). Let your
movement adapt to changes in the partner’s actions.
8
Laozi Chapter Sixteen 老子第十六章
致虛極，守靜篤。
[N] “Reach the utmost emptiness; hold firmly to stillness.”
[N] This is a central turning point in Tai Chi cultivation: moving from
outward bodily movement (外在形體) toward inward spirit and intention (內在神意), and from
familiarity with techniques (著熟) toward understanding jin (懂勁).
[N] In Tai Chi, reaching the utmost emptiness (致虛極) is expressed
through setting aside one’s own insistence and following the other person (捨己從人). A mind
free of preconceptions allows listening to jin (聽勁) to develop.
[N] Holding firmly to stillness (守靜篤) is expressed
through settled attention and subtle awareness (定力與入微察照): seeking
stillness within movement (動中求靜), allowing movement to arise from stillness (靜中生動), and
maintaining stillness within movement (動中有靜).
9
Laozi Chapter Twenty Two 老子第二十二章
少則得，多則惑。
[N] “With less, one gains; with too much, one becomes confused.”
[R+N]
Practise the Five Element Steps (五行步法) and the
form sequence from Single Whip (單鞭), through Raise Hands (提手), Right Kao
or Right Shoulder Strike (右靠), White Crane Spreads Its Wings (白鶴亮翅), and Brush Left
Knee and Twist Step (左摟膝拗步).
[R+N]
Practise slowly, maintaining single-leg support of
the body’s weight for at least 30 seconds. This develops leg strength while
providing time to explore the essentials repeatedly: relax the shoulders and
drop the elbows (鬆肩、垂肘), settle the kua (落胯), and clearly distinguish substantial from insubstantial (虛實分清). Through
such practice, leg strength develops gradually, and qi sinks to the dantian (氣沉丹田).
10
Laozi Chapter Forty Two 老子第四十二章
道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰抱陽，沖氣以為和。
[N] “The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth
to Three; Three gives birth to the myriad things. All things carry yin and
embrace yang, and through the blending of qi attain harmony.”
[N] In this teaching interpretation, chong (沖) means empty stillness
(虛靜). In the dynamic interaction of push hands, the hands distinguish
movement and stillness (動靜), the feet distinguish substantial and insubstantial support (虛實), and the
whole body changes between firmness and suppleness (剛柔). These are the three
dimensions of yin and yang (三度陰陽).
[N] The turning point in these yin–yang transformations lies in chong (沖): only through
mutual yielding, receptivity, and harmonization (謙讓、涵容、調和) can the
partners support and complement one another.
[N] When we release subjective attachments (主觀執著), relinquish
self-importance (卸下身段), and open ourselves to accept and sense the partner’s incoming jin
(來勁), we embody this quality of open, receptive qi (沖虛之氣). It
involves both yielding and guiding through the body’s structure (走化與導引) and a
deeper willingness to accommodate and connect with the other person (包容與契合).
[N] As each partner takes the complementary role of yin or yang, both
help one another develop, refining their Tai Chi skill and deepening their
understanding of life.
11
Zhuangzi In the Human World 莊子人間世
[R] Fasting of the heart-mind (心齋)
若一志，無聽之以耳而聽之以心；無聽之以心而聽之以氣。聽止於耳，心止於符。氣也者，虛而待物者也。唯道集虛。虛者，心齋也。
[R] “Unify your intention. Do not listen with the ears, but with the
heart-mind; do not listen with the heart-mind, but with qi. Hearing stops at
the ears; the heart-mind stops at recognition. Qi is empty and waits receptively
for things. Only in emptiness does the Dao gather. Emptiness is the fasting of
the heart-mind.”
[R+N]
Paired push hands practice begins with unified
intention (心志專一). Listen with the heart-mind rather than merely with the ears;
listen with qi rather than through the heart-mind’s judgments.
[R+N]
The ears reach only sounds; the discriminating mind
reaches only what it recognizes. Qi, understood here as empty yet alert
responsiveness (虛靈不昧), can receive and respond to whatever arises.
[R+N]
Only when body and mind rest in emptiness (虛) can we
sensitively perceive the partner’s changes of substantial and insubstantial (虛實), movement
and stillness (動靜), and firmness and suppleness (剛柔). By cultivating this
openness (集虛), we avoid subjective assumptions and fixed attachments. Waiting
receptively (虛而待物), we recognize the appropriate moment and express the internal
skills of overcoming hardness with suppleness (以柔克剛) and responding to
movement through stillness (以靜制動).
12
Zhuangzi Nourishing Life 莊子養生主
[R] Cook Ding Cutting Up an Ox and the Three Stages of Tai Chi
Cultivation (庖丁解牛與太極拳修練的三個階段)
[R] Stage One — Imitation
and analysis (模仿與拆解)
[E] “When I first began cutting up oxen, all I saw was the whole ox (始臣之解牛之時，所見無非牛者).”
[R+N]
In Tai Chi, attention is directed toward the outer
shapes of the techniques (外形招式), including the Five Element Steps (五行步), the Eight Methods
of Tai Chi (太極八法), and directions (方位). The nine major joint regions (九大關節), such as the
shoulders, elbows, and wrists, are not yet connected as a whole. Movements are
broken into parts for practice. This is the exploratory stage of working from
the outside inward (由外而內).
[R] Stage Two —
Integration and continuity (整合與連貫)
[E] “After three years, I no longer saw the whole ox (三年之後，未嘗見全牛也).”
[R+N]
The form has become familiar, and the practitioner
no longer clings to its outer shape. The muscles, bones, and nervous system
associated with the nine major bodily regions become coordinated, so that “the
whole body works as one family (周身一家).” The feet’s substantial and
insubstantial support (虛實), the hands’ movement and stillness (動靜), and the body’s
firmness and suppleness (剛柔) change naturally throughout the form. Attention begins to shift
from outward bodily integration toward inward intention (內在意念).
[R] Stage Three — Push
hands and intuitive mastery (推手與神明)
[E] “Now I meet it through spirit rather than looking with my eyes.
Sensory knowing stops, and the spirit moves as it will (方今之時，臣以神遇而不以目視，官知止而神欲行).”
[R+N]
In paired push hands, reliance on ordinary sensory
judgment recedes, while spirit and intention (神意) and listening to jin
(聽勁) guide the response. Adapting to the partner’s substantial and
insubstantial states (虛實) and firmness and suppleness (剛柔), the practitioner
achieves sticking, adhering, continuing, and following, without losing contact
or resisting (黏貼連隨、不丟不頂). Movement no longer requires deliberate, step-by-step calculation.
The body responds to the situation naturally and with ease (隨勢而動、游刃有餘).
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