The Snake is a type of Soft (Rou) and Hardness (Gang); The Crane has a different type of Hardness and softness.
The Snake has the body that epitomizes 'Peng' but can transform it's body around and manifest 'Lu'.
The Crane with it's body covered in feathers, epitomizes 'Lu', but hidden within the combined strength of it's feathers it can manifest 'Peng'.
Even in the 1920s China people were missing the fact that Taijiquan needs hardness and softness. Taiji is Yin and Yang constantly changing.
太極拳勢圖解
TAIJI BOXING POSTURES WITH DRAWINGS AND EXPLANATIONS
許禹生
by Xu Yusheng
[1921]
[translation by Paul Brennan, Aug, 2012] https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-taiji-manual-of-xu-yusheng/
序
PREFACE [BY YANG CHANG]
拳技有內外兩家。外家祖達摩祖師。曰少林派。內家祖張三丰先生。曰武當派。其所資為師承之具者。不外乎着與勁。形於外者為着。蘊於內者為勁。着其質也。勁其氣也。着其體也。勁其用也。氣質兼修。體用皆備。而後可以言拳。外家與內家之別。卽以着與勁二者言之。外家精於着。內家邃於勁。猶漢儒之重訓詁。宋儒之明性理。雖各有獨到之處。要亦並行而不悖。世人不察。以為外家主剛。內家主柔。烏知剛柔不可偏重。且亦未嘗須臾離哉。太極十三式。傳自張三丰。張固道家者流。故其論太極拳曰。人剛我柔謂之走。我順人背謂之黏。又曰。由着熟而漸悟懂勁。由懂勁而階及神明。走也、黏也。皆當於勁中求之。必也感覺靈敏。無有窒礙。而後可謂之懂勁。必也隨機因應。一任自然。而後可謂之階及神明。與老子所謂常無欲以觀其妙。常有欲以觀其徼之旨。正無以異。拳家論勁。至此境界。亦可謂臻無上上乘矣。惟其陳義極高。說理極細。故習之者、殊難計日程功。嘗見有人以為習太極拳、祗須懂勁。好高務遠。專致力於推手。而於身手步法。略不注意。習之數年。疲弱如故。甚至不能與習他拳數月者一角。此皆誤於內家主柔之說。而不求姿勢正確着法純熟之所致也。禹生同學、治斯道垂三十年。更能博通內外諸家。識其精義。因强其著書。以餉同志。詳其動作。誌其應用。而於推手法尤為重視。三易藁而後書成。名之曰太極拳勢圖解。讀者苟能悉心體會。豁然貫通。着旣熟矣。更習推手。以求懂勁。自不難階及神明。卽使無暇更習推手。亦當使此十三式着着皆能任意運用。游刃有餘。始可謂極熟着之能事。此禹生之所志也。滄海橫流。萬方多難。明達之士。多逃於釋老以自晦。其亦有聞風興起、由藝而進於道者乎。是書或亦津梁之一也。
In boxing arts, there are the two schools of internal and external. The external was founded by Damo and is called the Shaolin school. The internal was founded by Zhang Sanfeng and is called the Wudang school. The elements taught in both do not go beyond technique and energy. Technique is what is outwardly revealed. Energy is what is inwardly concealed. Technique is substance. Energy is flow. Technique is form. Energy is function. When substance and flow are both cultivated, and when form and function are both prepared, then it can be said to be boxing.
The distinction between external and internal comes down to these two terms: technique and energy. The external school excels in technique. The internal school excels in energy. It is similar to the way the Han Dynasty scholars put importance on the commentaries to ancient texts but the Song Dynasty scholars were more concerned with understanding the ideas within the texts themselves. Although each group has its distinct method, they should work in parallel to each other rather than in opposition.
Most people do not scrutinize, thinking that the external school is all about hardness and the internal school is all about softness, and they do not understand that hardness and softness must not be individually emphasized, and that there should never be a moment when they are separated. Taiji’s “thirteen dynamics” [i.e. the solo set] was passed down from Zhang Sanfeng. Since Zhang was a Daoist, it is therefore said in Taiji Boxing things such as: “He is hard while I am soft – this is yielding. My energy is smooth while his energy is coarse – this is sticking.” And also: “Once you have engrained these techniques, you will gradually come to identify energies, and then from there you will work your way toward something miraculous.”
Yielding and sticking should both be sought in the aspect of energy. You must be sensitively aware and be without obstruction, and then you can say you are identifying energies. You must respond to circumstances and do what is natural, and then you can say you are on your way toward something miraculous. It is as Laozi said [Daodejing, chapter 1]: “Dwelling with nothingness, you will see mystery. Dwelling with somethingness, you will see details.” Truly this is no different. When boxing experts discuss energy and have reached this level, it can be said they have achieved a way that is great beyond greatness. But when they explain its meaning, it is so lofty, and when they discuss its theory, it is in such detail, and therefore for those who practice it, it is very hard to predict the day when skill will arrive.
I have seen people who think that in practicing Taiji Boxing, it is only necessary to identify energies, who then get ahead of themselves by rushing into focusing on pushing hands without having given adequate attention to how they are using their torsos, hands, and feet [i.e. the aspect of technique]. After practicing like this for many years, they are just as weak as when they started, reaching the point that they cannot even be a match for someone who has been practicing other boxing arts [i.e. external] for only a few months. These are all mistakes of thinking the internal school is all about softness, the result of not striving to make the postures correct and the techniques skillful.
Xu Yusheng, my fellow student, has researched this method for nearly thirty years and is capable and knowledgeable in both the internal and external schools, understanding the essentials of each, and so he is perfect for the task of making such a book to provide for his comrades. He has explained the movements, including their applications, and the pushing hands methods, which is especially valuable. He went through three drafts to make the final manuscript, calling it Taiji Boxing Postures With Drawings and Explanations.
If you can put your heart into what you learn from it, you will break through and become skillful. The more you practice the pushing hands, striving to identify energies, from there it will not be difficult to get on your way toward something miraculous. Even if you have no extra time to practice the pushing hands, practicing the techniques in the solo set should be sufficient for you to begin to be able to say you are well-versed in these skills. This is Xu Yusheng’s goal. When there is social turmoil or natural disasters, sensible people often flee to hide in philosophy. But it is also the case that we hear of things that wake up our senses, such as: through art we approach the Way! And this book is a bridge toward it.
民國十年歲次辛酉孟秋湘潭楊敞序於都門
- written by Yang Chang of Xiangtan in Beijing, 1st autumn month, 1921
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此言習太極拳者。進功自有一定之程度。而不可躐等躁進也。太極拳之妙全在用勁。此勁字係靈明活潑由功深練出之勁不可僅作力量解然勁為無形。必附麗於有形之着。始能顯著。言太極拳者。每專恃善於運勁。而輕視用着。以致習者無從捉摸。有望洋興歎之槪。虛度光陰。難期進益。較循序漸進者。反事倍功半。不遵守自然之程序故也。昔孔子講學。常因材授敎。故諸門弟子。各得其益。拳術雖屬小技。然執塗人而語以升堂入室之奧。未有能豁然者也。故習此拳者。應先模仿師之姿勢。姿勢正確矣。須求各姿勢互相聯貫之精神。拳路熟習矣。須求各勢着數之用法。着熟矣。其用是否能適當。用均得其當矣。其勁是否不落空。勁不落空。是眞為着熟。
{For Taiji Boxing practitioners, there is a fixed process of progress. You cannot skip steps and rush ahead. The subtlety of Taiji Boxing all comes down to using energy. (This “energy” has to do with nimbleness and liveliness, comes from a deeper level of training, and cannot be explained only in terms of physical strength.) Although the energy is shapeless, it must be in accord with the shape of the technique in order for you to start to be able to manifest it. In Taiji Boxing, whenever you concentrate power it depends on being good at moving energy. If you neglect it when applying techniques, you will end up unable to understand why they are not working, and you will feel pathetic, that you have wasted your time, and that progress is hopeless. Compared to proceeding step by step and progressing gradually, you will instead get half the effect for double the effort, the result of not abiding by the natural sequence.
Confucius discussed education along these lines: if it is always based in talented instruction, then each student will benefit from it. Although boxing arts are a lesser skill, it takes applying it upon opponents to say you have mastered it, which no one has ever been able to do quickly, therefore a practitioner of this boxing art should first imitate the teacher’s postures.
Once you are doing them correctly, you must seek to be mindful of linking them with each other. Once you can do the solo set fluently, you must focus on each posture’s function. Once you are familiar with the techniques, see whether or not you can apply them properly. Once you have grasped the proper way to apply them all, see whether or not your power is empty. Once your power is substantial, you have truly engrained the techniques.} [~ Xu Yusheng]
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