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An English Translation of General QI Jiguang's "Quanjing Jieyao Pian"

Clifford Michael Gyves

AFIT Student Attending:

The University of Arizona

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Standard Form 298 (Rev

2.89)

AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF GENERAL QI JIGUANG'S "QUANJING JIEYAO PIAN"

(CHAPTER ON THE FIST CANON AND THE ESSENTIALS OF NIMBLENESS) FROM THE
JIXIAO XINSHU

(NEW TREATISE ON DISCIPLINED SERVICE)

by Clifford Michael Gyves

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN EAST ASIAN STUDIES In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

1993

STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interest of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained by the author.

SIGNED:

UC

1/

APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below:

Donald Harsiea Professor of East Asian Studies

Date

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank foremost Dr. Donald Harper of the As

University of Arizona's East Asian Studies Department. my advisor he proved to be an invaluable resource, his extensive library.

as did

We spent many hours together

de,,oloping a coherent rendering of the "Quanjing" based upon my rough initial translation work. My other Master of Arts committee members, Hedtke and Dr. Feng-hsi Liu, guidance and input. I am also indebted to Michael C. Moore, Shifu, who Dr. Charles

deserve thanks for their

introduced me to taijiquan and taught me Cheng Man-Ch'ing's short form. His interest in this thesis has contributed to a quality product.

what I hope is

For Accesion NTIS CRA&I DTIC TAB Urnannouf-ced justification ............................... By ................... Distribution 1 Availability Codes Dist Avail and i or Special

S1

4 DEDICATION

This thesis is and Mrs. Marion E.

dedicated to the memory of Mr. Nutter.

Earle A.

Their scholarship fund provided

me with the opportunity to undertake this Master of Arts program.

Cliff Gyves

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................. A NOTE ON ROMANIZATION ............................... I. II. III. IV. V. THE AUTHOR ........................................... THE TEXT ............................................ THE TEXT AS UNIQUE IN MILITARY LITERATURE ............ POSSIBLE INFLUENCES UPON THE TEXT .................... THE TEXT IN TRANSLATION ............................. Introduction .................................... Verse 1 ......................................... Verse 2 ......................................... Verse 3 ......................................... Verse 4 ......................................... Verse 5 ......................................... Verse 6 ......................................... Verse 7 ......................................... Verse 8 ......................................... Verse 9 ......................................... Verse 10 ........................................ Verse 11 ........................................ Verse 12 ........................................ Verse 13 ........................................ Verse 14 ........................................ Verse 15 ........................................ Verse 16 ........................................ 7 8 9 16 21 23 32 33 38 38 39 39 41 41 42 42 43 43 44 44 45 45 46 46

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS--Continued Verse 17 ........................................ Verse 18 ........................................ Verse 19 ........................................ Verse 20 ........................................ Verse 21 ........................................ Verse 22 ........................................ Verse 23 ........................................ Verse 24 ........................................ Verse 25 ........................................ Verse 26 ........................................ Verse 27 ........................................ Verse 28 ........................................ Verse 29 ........................................ Verse 30 ........................................ Verse 31 ........................................ Verse 32 ........................................ APPENDIX A: CHINESE CHARACTERS ...................... APPENDIX B: COMPARISON OF "QUANJING" TECHNICAL NAMES 59 61 61 62 47 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 51 52 52 53 53 54 54 56

TO MODERN TAIJIQUAN NOMENCLATURE ........ REFERENCES .......................................... Works Published in Works Published in Chinese ...................... English ......................

7 ABSTRACT

Qi Jiguang is

recognized as one of the most successful Noted for his severe

generals of the Ming dynasty.

discipline and intense training, Qi led an army comprised of uniformed regulars and civilian auxiliaries against Japanese pirates in Zejiang province. His unprecedented He

victories earned Qi a reputation as a training expert. composed his first military treatise, the Jixiao Xinshu

(New Treatise on Disciplined Service) in in Zejiang.

1560 while serving

The text discusses command and control,

tactics, and training. Chapter 14, the "Quanjing Jieyao Pian" (Chapter on the endorses

Fist Canon and the Essentials of Nimbleness),

unarmed combat exercises as physical training for troops. No literary precedent for such a work has been discovered. Historical evidence suggests, however, that pre-Ming armies

have used some forms of martial arts in training or demonstrations. Also, similarities between the "Quanjing"

and modern taijiquan raise questions about a possible common martial arts heritage.

8 A NOTi ON ROMANIZATION

This thesis employs the pinyin romanization system developed in the People's Republic of China. Books

published exclusively in Chinese are herein referred to with pinyin titles. romanized titles Books that have been published with using the Wade-Giles system are cited here names. The technique

in that system, as are the authors'

names in the appendices are written as they appear in the cited books, retaining their original romanization.

9 I. THE AUTHOR

Qi Jiguanga was born to a Ming era military family on 10 January 1528. The family line passed the hereditary which

rank of an assistant commander of the Dengzhou Guard, Qi Jiguang attained in Qi Jingtong.b 1 Qi Jiguang did tours of duty in northern China, Beijing, and along the Great Wall,
2

1544 upon the death of his father,

in

where he fought against

the Mongol invaders.

The 1550's saw increased coastal

raids by Japanese wokouc pirates, and in 1555 Qi was assigned to Zhejiang province.3 By March 1560 Qi was Yanzhou, Qi and

appointed Assistant Commander for Taizhou,

Jinhua to defend the Zhejiang and Fujian coasts.

augmented his manpower by training local villagers in military skills. The volunteer training program enjoyed Tan Lun,d who

the full support of a Fujian civil official,

kept Qi's forces well supplied and Qi's career well protected.
4

Later that year Qi wrote his first

military

treatise, the Jixiao Xinshue (New Treatise on Disciplined Service), in which he described his training methods to

prepare troops for battle, as well as the tactical considerations of managing the troops in combat. 'Goodrich, 2 1bid., p. 3 Huang, p. 220. 220. p.159. 4Ibid., p.174. 5 Goodrich, p. 221.
5

10 Not a.L1 volunteers found placement in Qi's army. general would not recruit volunteers from the cities. preferred rural farmers because he felt they were more reliable. Military service paid higher wages than farming, as a step up. Therefore the rural The He

so peasants perceived it

recruits comprised a more competetive application pool. Urban wages, felt however, were higher than military pay. Qi

that since no urban worker would give up a high-paying

job for soldiering, the urban applicants would come predominantly from among the unemployed, food and shelter. looking for quick

They would stay with the army only until Once engaged in combat, He also feared they might

a better means of support arose. Qi feared, these men would flee.

convince other soldiers to desert so they themselves could melt into the fleeing crowd.
6

Harsh discipline controlled Qi's army. penalties awaited those who retreated.

Death

The general

motivated the civilian auxiliaries to fight by employing psychological tactics: he argued that their fellow farmers toiled to feed them in the battlefield. If the volunteers

refused to fight the pirates who were ransacking their home villages, then perhaps their fellow peasants would kill
7

them upon returning home from the service.

bHuang, 7 1bid.,

p. p.

171. 166-7.

11 Once properly motivated, skills for battle. the troops needed the proper to

The general used training and drill Qi Jiguang argued that a

teach them those skills.

soldier's mind blanked out in battle, and a soldier would employ only twenty percent of all the skill he learned. A

soldier who could use half of what he learned in training would be invincible. to reinforce soldiers' Thus, repeated drill
8

sessions helped

skills.

The Zhejiang army relied upon numerical superiority, surprise, mobility, and speed to engage the pirates. attacked smaller pirate outposts rather than the main forces.9 The unconventional methodology would appear to It

follow the Sunzi Bingfaf (Art of War) precepts,I0 except Qi directed tactical campaigns, strategy.II all but ignoring major

This ran counter to the precedent in Chinese Qi

military philosophy which the Sunzi had established.12 Jiguang nevertheless seized numerous victories from the pirates. combat, The Japanese bandits proved better in close

but Qi wore them out by accepting heavy losses (Qi issued His

early in the battles, rather than retreating.

the death penalty for those troops who retreated.)

forces perservered long after many other Chinese armies 6Huang, pp. 172-3. 1bid., pp. 173-4. Qi Jiguang obviously read the Sunzi Bingfa, for he (See note 71.) paraph ases it in THE TEXT IN TRANSLATION. HHuang, p. 173. 1 2 Frantzell, pp. 7-8.

12 would have disengaged. the pirates' resolve. Such prolonged skirmishes depleted Many Chinese bandits who had allied

with the Japanese would simply give up, rather than fight a protracted battle.
13

Other Ming units in the past had

taken months to fight the pirate divisions without notable success, a day.
14

while Qi Jiguang's forces could crush them within The Japanese pirates now met too strong a and soon felt their raids were

resistance in Qi's defenses, too costly. 1564.15

The Japanese pirates withdrew from China by

The successful campaigns against the wokou pirates earned Qi a reputation as a military training expert. Lun became the North Zhili governor-general in 1567, Tan

whereupon he asked the Emperor to transfer Qi Jiguang there so that he could take charge of military training. assumed the post in 1568, and later was promoted to He Qi

commander-in-chief of Jizhou, a city in North Zhili. held the post for fifteen years.16 treatise in 1571, of Troop Training), tactics.17 Promotions and prestige continued to come for Qi Jiguang, Qi wrote a second

the Lianbing Shijig (A Practical Account which discussed drill and unit

including two new hereditary ranks: chiliarch of 173. 173. 174. 174-5. p. 222.

"Huang, 4 Ibid., p. "1 p. 1 5 Ibid., p. 1 6 Ibid., pp. 1 7 Goodrich,

13 the Dengzhou Guard and centurion of the Embroidered-uniform Guard. At one point in his career he held the highest
18

military rank in China.

Qi Jiguang's highly disciplined Jizhou command and his detailed direction thereof contrasted with the character of the ailing Ming military system. Uniformed generals

exercised no real command over their armies; rather the Board of War, staffed by civil officials, mobilized the orders and directed

army while the commanders followed its the tactical campaigns. little
19

Many hereditary officers had

actual military training, further weakening the Troop strength was down throughout the Empire by

armies.20

the 1550's, and those in service included old men and undisciplined rogues.
21

(Many corrupt officers falsified

personnel rosters, artificially elevating the troop counts. Military and civilian officials alike withdrew troops from soldiering duties and employed them in civil labor, often for personal contsruction projects.)22 Ill-trained

mercenaries comprised the majority of the Ming military force by the Wanlih reign (1573-1620).23 The Grand Secretary Zhang Juzhengi and Tan Lun both wanted to bolster the dynasty's failing military system, 'oGoodrich, pp. pp. p. 22Ibid., pp. Ibid., pp.
1 9 Chan, 2 0 Ibid., 2 1 Ibid.,

pp. 222-3. 40, 43. 190-1. 50. 49, 188-9. 201-2.

14 and the Jizhou command became their testpiece. joined Tan in sheltering General Qi Jiguang. problematic banditry, piracy, Thus, Despite the Zhang

and Mongol incursions,

royal court had resisted a strong military system because it could assert too much autonomy. A powerful general

stationed near Beijing had historically proven dangerous to dynastic security. The Ming court now feared Qi Jiguang's the

presence might threaten the throne, particularly if

civil bureaucracy lost its oversight of the Jizhou command. Zhang Juzheng ultimately shielded General Qi from that oversight. The Grand Secretary had amassed significant

power in the state (more than his official post warranted), so the dissenting courtiers could not counter Qi's military reforms. Zhang ensured that any civil officials who
24

interfered with the reforms lost their posts. Tan Lun died in 1577,

leaving Qi Jiguang with only the The court could not check

Grand Secretary's patronage.

Zhang's influence and soon perceived him as a threat to the Emperor's power. The stigma soon included Zhang's protegde
25

General Qi Jiguang. died in

The Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng

1582 and shortly thereafter Qi was assigned to

Guangdong province.

The following year Qi resigned,

but

, 4 Huang, 2 5 Ibid., 2 6 Ibid.,

pp. 176-7. pp. 178-9. pp. 102, 184.

15

the court retroactively impeached him.

27

Qi Jiguang

retired to Dengzhou in 1585 and died on 17 January 1588. Disgrace plagued his name for another thirty years until finally the Imperial Court posthumously pardoned him and named him Wuyij (Martial and Intrepid).28

2"Huang, p. 184. Goodrich contends that Qi was impeached in 1582, and that he was briefly removed from officI only to be recalled to his post. Goodrich, p. 223.

16 II. THE TEXT

The Jixiao Xinshu contains eighteen chapters on military skills. printed it Qi Jiguang wrote the book in 1560. He

himself in 1562,
29

and several versions have been Qi authored the Jixiao Xinshu in

printed in China since.

Zhejiang province where he had been fighting Japanese wokou pirates, so the text reflects those campaigns. (swords, The Jixiao lances,

Xinshu focuses on contact weapons etc.),

shields,

since the Japanese pirates were keen fighters in

close combat and Qi's forces needed improvement in that area. The text describes techniques which "had been handed some of them

down through oral tradition by individuals,

The first

fourteen chapters address general troop

management and skills, both in preparation for combat and in actual campaigns. These techniques have universal The last four chapters consider

application in warfare.

subjects which have application only in specific circumstances. The book opens with a chapter on directing the fiveman squad, the smallest unit in a Chinese army. Chapter 2

discusses signals and commands,

while Chapter 3 explains

f"Goodrich, 3 0 Huang,

p.

p. 223. 168.

17 how to motivate the troops to follows those commands once issued. Qi Jiguang examines the campaign itself with Chapter 4, which addresses how one issues orders and prohibitions Chapter 5 tells how to teach the

during actual combat.

officers combat techniques,

and how to instruct them in

directing the troops, which left unto themselves would never follow regulations. Qi writes in Chapter 6 about evaluating soldiers' military

prowess and the consequential rewards and punishments. Chapters 7 and 8 consider field camp activities. First Qi writes on regulating mobile encampments, discusses in-camp drill then he

and training using flags and drums.

Chapter 9 discusses the march itself. The following five chapters address an individual's soldiering skills. Chapter 10 explains the appropriate use and Chapter 11 summarizes

of long weapons such as spears, cane-shield techniques. for it Next,

Chapter 12 complements the tenth, etc.) use.

examines short weapon (i.e. swords,

Chapter 13 investigates archery, while Chapter 14,

the "Quanjing Jieyao Pian''a (Chapter on the Fist Canon and the Essentials of Nimbleness), martial arts training. The book's final sections contain information with unique application. Chapter 15 presents diagrams and summarizes physiological

illustrations of devices and formations which forces can

18 use to defend a city's walls. illustrations of standards, Chapter 16 contains and signal drums, and

banners,

Chapter 17 addresses guarding outposts.

Chapter 18 gives a which obviously

detailed account of naval coastal warfare,

reflects Qi Jiguang's coastal defense mission. Chapter 14, the "Quanjing Jieyao Pian", discusses the

"32 positions" that an individual can use in unarmed combat. Qi Jiguang feels that physical prowess comprises While not Qi contends

the essential base of skills for a soldier. offering direct relevance to "great warfare",

unarmed combat training can benefit soldiers and civilians alike by developing physical strength and coordination. The phrase "those who cannot be strong" probably refers to civilians, since Qi organized Zhejiang villagers into
31

auxilliaries which supplemented his uniformed troops.

The actual "Quanjing" text follows a rough poetic style, usually with seven characters per line. of characters varies, however, The number Some

as does the meter.

lines contain only six characters.

Writing the seven-

character lines, Qi employs the standard four-and-three character rhythm at times and an unorthodox three-and-four breakdown at others. The general did have some literary

education and himself dabbled in the arts, but Ray Huang notes that Qi Jiguang's poetry did not:

31Jixiao Xinshu,

14.307.

19 It produced neishow great literary quality. ther the kind of intriguing sensitivity that emerges from from deep emotional traumas... nor the angular naturalism conveyed by powerful staccato rhythms inevitably repeating themselves and inviting echo--two mal~r techniques in which Chinese poets excelled.' Huang admits that despite his literary shortcomings, Qi

Jiguang stood above his military contemporaries simply because he could write. his time were illiterate. Most (though not all) generals of And "[f]ortunately, none of

[Qi's] publications ever have to be judged on literary merit alone."' 3 3 artistic field. If the Jixiao Xinshu was first a military treatise and The "Quanjing" warrants study not as

literature, but as a military essay unique in its

poetic literature only second, why did Qi Jiguang bother using verse at all? Instructional texts in Qi's day

traditionally assumed poetic form, so Qi simply followed precedent. Such essays provided little useful information

alone; they often served as supplements to a living teacher. The "Quanjing", being one of these, requires an

instructor, presumably one of the "masters" Qi recruited to train his troops. The verses and technique names probably

served as memory triggers--a type of working outline--to help the troops learn what the teachers passed orally. poetic verse would be easier to memorize than prose. "Huang, 3 3 Ibid., p. p. 183. 183. The

20 (Often students using a text in conjunction with oral instruction would have to memorize and recite verses, demonstrating their commitment to the course of study.) Finally, Qi Jiguang may have written in poetic form because some of the verses could have come from other texts. Qi borrowed a segment from the Sunzi Bingfa with He conceivably may have copied some of which his training (The ecclectic sources

only minimal changes.34

from other martial arts essays, instructors probably gave him.

could account for the inconsistencies in the rhythm and number of characters per line.) in verse, Thus, what Qi Jiguang read

he may have then copied in verse.

3 4 The Jixiao Xinshu 14.308 describes the Mount Constancy Snake Formation (see THE TEXT IN TRANSLATION, note 71, with three modified lines from the Sunzi (Zhuzi Jicheng edition, 11.199). Qi has substituted synonyms for three characters and omitted two possessive pronouns.

21
III. THE TEXT AS UNIQUE IN MILITARY LITERATURE

A survey of Chinese military treatises uncovers no literary precedent for the "Quanjing". primarily discuss strategy, texts.
35

Most treatises

like the early Sunzi and Wuzia was the School

Lennart Frantzell believes "[i]t

of Strategy which alone had any serious influence on the political and military leadership of China through the ages" and claims "the driving force behind the Strategic School was one man, [Sunzi].''
36

Chinese armies did not Thus, actual combat was

develop large battlefield arrays.

a disorganized and "highly hazardous affair" and generals placed "prime emphasis on prebattle maneuvre [sic] to weaken the enemy and thus enhance their chances of victory."' 3 7 (Some texts, such as the Song era Wujing and

Zongyao,b do discuss troop formations for drill maneuver,

but the formations were probably used only to Song Dynasty theorists

bring the army to the battlefield.)

"probed new facets of war," but they compiled their writings in anthologies that included non-military works, so many of these essays sank into obscurity.38 If any

precedent for Qi Jiguang's "Quanjing" essay were to exist,

3'Both the Sunzi and Wuzi were written between the (Griffith, pp. 11, 150.) fifth and third centuries B.C. 3 76Frantzell, pp. 7, 8. 3 7 Ibid., p. 167. Ibid., p. 15.

22 one might find it found its among these works, but no such text has

way into mainstream circulation.

Frantzell has examined the library catalogues of military works dating from the Han through the Song Dynasty. He divides the writings into three major the School of Strategy, the School of and the School of Astrology and ProgThe Strategy and Astrology schools are

categories: Technology, nostication. enormous,

yet the works under Technology comprise a very

small collection.

The Technology school discusses more

tactical matters such as weapons and siegecraft, much like the Jixiao Xinshu. Archery essays predominate, while the

authors relegate discussions of other weapons to their writings on siege warfare.

Neither physiological troop

training nor martial arts receive mention in Frantzell's statistics, implying that they had no real place in

military literature before or during the Song.

4 gFrantzell, 4 0 Ibid., p.

p. 168. 167.

23 IV. POSSIBLE INFLUENCES UPON THE TEXT

A military life and career awaited Qi Jiguang from birth. Once born into a military family, Qi naturally The Dictionary "saw

found himself thrust into military studies.

of Ming Biography notes that Qi's father, Qi Jingtong, to it that he receive a well-rounded education in the

Classics and literature in addition to the military arts."'4 1 Qi Jiguang's confidence in "fist methods" in the

"Quanjing" suggests this cultural education may very well have included some martial arts training, if not in a

military context then probably in a self-cultivation or hygiene (health-maintenance) framework.

Qi Jingtong may

have prescribed boxing lessons for his son Jiguang, although one finds no written record of such lessons. if Even

Qi Jiguang had no childhood experience in martial arts,

he himself recalls having trained as an adult under a Liu Caotanga in Zhejiang province.
43

Chapter 14 considers thirty-two stances and techniques used in hand-to-hand combat. Each technique has a

metaphorical name which describes the stance or motion relative to things the student can visualize. Names such

"4'Goodrich, p. 220. 42Martial arts (like taijiquanb) frequently include hygiene practices in addition to combat skills. Many practicioners limit their concentration either to hygiene or cotat. Jixiao Xinshu, 14.309.

24

as "crouched tiger" and "golden rooster" provide model images which help the student properly execute a technique.
44

Qi's "Quanjing" chapter uses many of the same This does not imply techniques.

names or similar names as taijiquan. that the "Quanjing" illustrates taiji

(Different martial arts schools can share common metaphorical names while the actual techniques differ. Taijiquan's "fair lady weaves at shuttles" technique sounds similar in name to the gongfuc "shuttle weaving" exercise, yet the two boast little similarity.)
45

Not all of the

"Quanjing" positions readily share names with modern taiji counterparts, but of those that do (about eight), most *d

reveal technical similarities. published in position.46 1607,

The San Cai Tu Hui,

presents good sketches for each

These sketches depict men performing the

names may represent a "link" with the universe (or other elements therein) that the specific The third ceptury A.D. exercise intends to provide. physician Hua Tuoe developed the wu qin xi. (play of the five animals), exercises in which one imitated animal movements. Needham believes these exercises had become (Needham, p. 161.) standagdized by the Ming dynasty. "4Lady Weaves at Shuttles (yu nU quan suoe) is a taijiquan technique described in Delza, pp.130-3; Tseng Chiu-yien, pp.13-4, 24; gnd Cheng Man-ch'ing's form, taught The gongfu Silk-Weaving by Michael Moore, Shifu. (These exercises are described in Minick, pp. 69-94. multiple exercises all fall under the silk-weaving versions probably get Both the gongfu and taiji category.) their name from a resemblance to silk-weaving activities, (It is interesting to but they do not resemble each other. note the character for a weaver's shuttle, suo, also means simpl X6back and forth" and "swift".) "Da Mingda says the San Cai Tu Hui edition has the best sketches of the different versions he compared, for they are complete and are faithful to those in the

4 4 Metaphorical

25 exercises, techniques. many of which resemble modern taijiquan The similarities between the taiji and the

"Quanjing" elements point to a possible common heritage. Taiji, like all martial arts, passes from teacher to so the lineage has become

student via verbal instruction, obscured over time.

Sophia Delza's taijiquan book

primarily cites the Taijiquanjing,i ostensibly written by a Wang Zhongyuej during the Ming Dynasty. yien48 has examined the taiji
47

Dr.

Tseng Chiu-

lineage, and has traced the

Taijiquanjing to a nineteenth century author, Wu Heqing.k He contends that Wu attributed the book to Wang Zhongyue, famous fifteenth century boxing master, to lend it credibility.
49

more

Nevertheless,

Delza's modern technique

names and descriptions match those of Cheng Man-ch'ing's form and of Dr. Tseng Chiu-yien's T'ai Chi Ch'Uan T'u HsiehI (published under the English title Chi Ch'Uan), both also modern. The Chart of T'ai

The "Quanjing" methods in

question have their technical counterparts in all three taiji schools, so one may infer that, while taiji is a

relatively late art, Qi Jiguang's "fist

methods" and

taijiquan may connect to a common martial arts lineage. "original edition"; thus he has incorporated them into his own i i publication. (Jixiao Xinshu, 14.326 n. 1.) 48Delza, Body and Mind in Harmony, p. iv. 4 8 The Chart of T'ai Chi Ch'Uan renders Tseng's name as Chiu-yien in Cantonese. Seidel romanizes Tseng's name as Chao-jan, which is the Mandarin pronunciation for the chara ers which comprise his name.m Seidel, pp. 505-6.

26 This assessment is not definitive. Other evidence

points away from any ancestral connection to a taijiquan predecessor. Anna Seidel's essay "Chang San-feng: Taoist

Immortal" considers the attribution of taijiquan to the famous twelfth century Daoist eccentric Zhang Sanfeng.n 50 A sixteenth century boxing master Zhang Songqi founded a Daoist martial arts tradition, school), called neijiaP (esoteric

to counter that of the Buddhist Shaolinq temple. Zhang Songqi

Eager to acquire prestige for his school, named Zhang Sanfeng as its

Daoist "patron saint".

The

Wang Zhengnan Muzhi Mingr (Epitaph for Wang Zhengnan), written in the seventeenth century, outlines the neijia

lineage from Zhang Sanfeng to the Ming military commander Wang Zhengnan. The tradition spread to north Zhejiang

province and by the sixteenth century had become "more a method of military training than of physical selfcultivation.,,52 Qi Jiguang may have been exposed to this

militarized boxing form during his tenure in Zhejiang. (The neijia school, founded on Daoist precepts, bases

victory on yielding to an opponent's force and exploiting his weak points rather than overpowering him with physical 5ULegend antedates Zhang Sanfeng to the Song dynasty, but he actually lived during the early Ming, dying in 1420 "This antedating...is (Needham, pp. 169, 240.) A.D. designed to enhance the prestige of the Immortal [i.e., (Seidel, p. 506.) Zhang5 anfeng]." 5 'Ningbofu Zhi,s Quanbo chapter, 3b-4a, cited in Seidej, pp. 504-5. Seidel, p. 505.

27 strength. The "Quanjing" similarly asserts "weakness

begets strength.") neijia school,

If

the "Quanjing" does reflect the

then it

probably has no historical Seidel insists

connection to any taijiquan antecedent.

"(the taijiquan] school has nothing to do with [the Zhejiang neijia boxing tradition]."' 5 4 The Epitaph

highlights one famous master in the neijia lineage named Wang Zong.u 55 Tseng Chiu-yien believes that taijiquan

became erroneously linked with the neijia school (and hence with Zhang Sanfeng) because Chinese historians confused Wang Zonq with Wang Zongyue, boxing tradition in Henan. the founder of a different (Tseng believes that in the

ineteenth century a man named Yang Fukuiv merged Wang Zongyue's techniques with Shaolin gongfu, developing taijiquan.)56 thereby

This line of argumentation would

question any proposed evolutionary connection between the "Quanjing" fist methods and taijiquan. Their similarities

could suggest that modern taiji

may have borrowed from the

neijia school after Qi Jiguang had written the Jixiao Xinshu, or even from the "Quanjing" itself. Mythology and folklore depict the use of unarmed combat in military campaigns. Some legends attribute the

53jixiao 5 4 Seidel, Xinshu, 14.310. p. 505. 5 5 Wang Zhengnan Muzhi Ming, in Nanlei Wenan,y 6.29a, cited jn Seidel, p. 505. 5 "Tseng Chao-jan (Tseng Chiu-yien), Taijiquan Quanshu,Z pp. 37-38, cited in Seidel, pp. 505-6.

28 first use of gongfu to Huang Diw (the Yellow Emperor) in

his battle against Chi Youx around 2,550 B.C. Han era (221 B.C.-220 A.D.)

Qin and

acrobatic performances included

re-enactments of the battle in which performers wore ox horns and butted heads to represent Chi You's soldiers.

The horn-butting entertainments had evolved from wrestling matches conducted in pre-Han military training.
59

Joseph

Needham believes these displays constitute the origin for gymnastic Chinese boxing exercises (quan boaa).60 The Shaolin Buddhists earned a reputation for their gongfu boxing skill by the seventh century A.D. Taizongab petitioned the Shaolin monks' Tang

assistance in 621

when he fought against his chief rival, the Sui rebel Wang Shichong.ac The monks joined Taizong and helped him defeat Their martial arts

Wang at the nearby city of Luoyang.61

mastery had proven to be a military asset. More recent military trends may have drawn Qi to martial arts. The Northern and Southern Song capitals A Southern

hosted elaborate performances by army units.

Song Dynasty literatus Meng Yuanlaoad wrote about martial Minick cites "early records" but "Minick, p. 28. does not name them, and he dates "the battle" to 2674 BC. While this book is strictly He does not name Chi You. modern popular literature, it suggests that lore, however unfougged, may have placed a military value on gongfu. This may serve as evidence of some Fu, pp. 3-4. wrestling used in the battle (at least in legend). 6Lewis, p. 157. 6 0 Needham, p. 169. 6 1 Wright, pp. 243-4, 456.

29 arts performances in the Northern Song army. His Dong Jing

Meng Hua Luae (Memories of the Eastern Capital) describes the "Hundred Entertainments" which the army performed for Emperor Hui Zong.af These performances included mock

combat employing both weapons and unarmed techniques such as wrestling. The warriors presented one-on-one scenarios The martial arts displays
62

and large group engagements.

assumed mostly an acrobatic nature.

Martial arts and unarmed combat techniques had attained a de facto position in the army by the late Song Dynasty. They may not have gained enough significance to

warrant address in Song military treatises, but they certainly had found a niche in the soldier camps. Ming

officials resurrected the emphasis on martial arts during the sixteenth century. The Japanese pirates raiding the

coast demonstrated far better close-quarter combat skills than the uniformed Chinese soldiers. Thus, government

officials attempted to augment the standing armies by recruiting "Chinese individuals capable of acrobatic performance--including boxing instructors [and] Buddhist monks...as an answer to the challenge."' 6 3 Chinese resistance to the pirate assaults, embraced this fledgling trend and gave it Qi, who led the

apparently greater import by

O'u, pp. 6 3 Huang,

62-63. p. 165.

30 incorporating it into his training regimen, and ultimately

into the Jixiao Xinshu. The Mongols reached Beijing's suburbs during their 1550 incursion, whereupon the capital's elite forces proved their ill-preparedness. Qi Jiguang, on duty in Beijing,
64

fought in the city's defenses.

His observations

undoubtedly biased his attitudes toward military discipline and recruitment. Chinese military discipline had been low Of 380,000 total troops,

in the advent of the invasion.

only 140,000 were at their posts when the Mongols attacked. Those who had regularly participated in scheduled drill The Imperial

sessions numbered between 50 and 60 thousand.

Guard boasted 184,800 elite soldiers, of whom fewer than 50,000 remained to fight the Mongols; the rest had fled. Beijing mobilized civilians to fill city. the void and defend the

Those who fought included Beijing residents and

vistors who had arrived in Beijing to take the civil service examinations.
65

Qi later proposed a plan to repel

any future Mongol invasions.

Qi's Zhejiang command apparently acted upon his Beijing observations from six years earlier. The general

emphasized harsh disipline and training for his soldiers, with heavy drill. The civilian auxiliary, necessary to was not exempt. Training

offset conscription shortages, 654Goodrich, p. 6 6Tong, p.121. 6 6 Goodrich, p. 220. 220.

31 and discipline as described in the Jixiao Xinshu would transform "those who [could not] be strong" into those who could. The Jixiao Xinshu "Quanjing" chapter illustrates

the fundamental martial skills that comprise the basis, Qi contends, for all higher military prowess.

32 V. THE TEXT IN TRANSLATION

The translation when possible attempts to maintain the integrity of the original Chinese text. sometimes appears contrived. reads: Suspend a leg as empty bait and lightly advance to the opponent; Having used both legs as bait, stop being light on your feet. Broadside the opponent with a palm strike from above. The text tells the student here to stand on one leg, Thus, the wording for example,

Part of Verse 7,

holding the other in the air, perhaps to appear ready to kick. This serves as "bait" because it presents an opening

for the opponent to strike. changing the bait.

The student trades off legs, looking

All the while the opponent is

to take advantage of these vulnerable stances, the student is inching closer. Once close enough, the student regains

a firm stance and attacks. Additionally, since the "Quanjing" was intended to

supplement oral instruction, many of the verses appear hollow or disjointed. From Verse 3:

Advance and attack, withdraw in a flash--weakness begets strength; This is the best way for blocking the short strike. A description of the actual parry is missing, but the such as

context implies that some sort of "soft" technique,

yielding or blending, will set up the student to block a close-in strike.

33 Introduction

The Chapter on the Fist Canon and the Essentials of Nimbleness:

This craft does not really concern itself with military weapons, but acquiring excess strength is also something which those in the military field ought to practice. Yet

even those among the masses who cannot be strong may learn from that which renders an advantage. Thus, I am using

this chapter to serve as the conclusion to the other chapters, i.e. number 14. The fist methods do not seem to concern themselves with the arts of great warfare; nevertheless, to move the hands and feet actively and to work habitually the limbs and body constitutes the gateway to beginning study and entering the art. Therefore I have reserved it for the end

so as to complete the whole school. In studying the fundamentals of the fist, the body methods are active and versatile, the hand techniques are versatile and keen, the foot methods are light yet firm, and the advancing and withdrawal techniques achieve the appropriate positions. marvelous they are! violent they are! The legs can fly and soar--and how

Somersaults and knock-down jabs--how Chopping and splitting, striking the Mobilely

fist from the middle--how fast they are!

34 positioning yourself and facing heaven--how pliant it Knowledge is equivalent to an oblique lightning bolt. is!
67

Therefore I have selected the best among the fist positions, of which there are thirty-two, where they all When one happens upon an opponent and

succeed one another.

takes control of the situation, one can run through the various positions without exhaustion. Slight and subtle, That which called divine. strikes, one

nobody can fathom the hidden and the dark. people are unable to catch a glimpse of is There is

a common saying: "When the fist This is

does not know it."

like thunder, which allows no

time to cover the ears. saying, "If

This is what is meant by the

the opponent does not parry and does not block, he attempts to resist, then

he receives only one blow; if there are ten blows". are broad in

Once you are laden with records and

study, you will have a lot of machinations and

be victorious. Among the past and present fist Great Founder

specialists,

the Song

had the Long Fist system with 32 positions. techniques, the Monkey

Moreover there are six pace and fist Fist, and the Feinting Fist. have their own names,

The famous positions each

but in reality they are quite similar

and scarcely differ from one another. "bTAn alternative translation would be: "Knowledge withstgnds [even] an oblique lightning bolt." Song Taizua founded the Song Dynasty in 960 A.D. reigned until 976 A.D.

and

35 Looking at Master Wen in the present day, we have the 72 moving fist techniques, methods, the 36 combining and locking
69

the 24 counter-spy techniques,

the 8 flash

flips, and the 12 short strikes. lot. As for Lu Hong's 8 blows,

These are the best of the while they are firm, they The leg

do not measure up to Min Zhang's short strike. techniques of Shangdong's Li Bantian,

Eagle Claw Wang's

grappling methods, Thousand Stumble Zhang's stumbling techniques, Zhang Bojing's strikes, the Shaolin monastery

stick fighting art, together with the Green Field cudgel methods, all stand as equals. Mr. fist, Yang's spear arts and quarterstaff skills,
70

together with the open hand,

are all famous to the present day.

Although each one has its own specific proficiency, still as they are handed down, the traditions are some missing the

incomplete, upper.

some missing the lower part,

Even if

victory can be seized from a person, this

69The characters tan ma as a classical compound mean "spy", presumably one bmounted on horseback. Delza translates gao tan ma (kao t'an ma) as "high pat the horse". Tseng translates gao tan ma (kao t'an ma) as "reaching higher to handle horse". The sketch in the text is similar to the posture shown in Delza and Tseng. Nevertheless, here the full term is qi tan ma, where qic means "to dispose of". Thus, this rendering will keep the "spy" translation throughout, for the technique could have been used in Qi Jiguang's era to reach up and pull a spy off his mount. Modern nomenclature may use the "handle horse" translation because it is easier for today's studeqts to visualize. "These men were apparently martial arts masters who claimed fame at least until Qi Jiguang's day. Qi refers to them by their trade names.

36 is If nothing more than being partial to one corner of four. one takes each specialty's fist then it is methods and practices

them simultaneously,

just like the maneuver of where if you strike the head

the Mount Constancy Snake Formation, the head the tail responds, and if responds, if

you strike the tail

you strike the body both the head and tail

respond in turn.

This is what is meant by the upper and without an instance of

lower parts and the complete whole, ceding victory. For the most part, the fist, spear, woman's hairpin, rake,

quarterstaff,

knife, halberd,

double-edged sword,

bow and arrow, barb, sickle, beating shield, doesn't first hands. use fist

etc.--none

methods to exercise the body and techniques constitute the source of

These very fist

martial skill. postures.

Now I have sketched them in the various

I have annotated them with the oral

instructions,

thereby opening the avenue for later study.

Once you have acquired the skills, you must test them on an opponent, but in no way should you consider victory Rather, Or,

or submission to be a cause for shame or pride. you ought to think,

"By what means did I defeat him?"

"This is the name of an army formation, probably used for marching to the battlefield rather than actually engaging the enemy upon arrival. However, it seems the formation gives an army the ability to counter an ambush on the march. (See discussion in THE TEXT AS UNIQUE section.) The s59 tence rephrases Sunzi. (Sunzi Bingfa 11.199.) The text was meant to be used in conjunction with the teachings of Qi Jiguang's training instructors.

37 "By what means could have I defeated him?" and test yourself for a while. If still you are afraid of the opponent, If then your skill is it must be Then you exert

shallow.

you are good at contests, The ancients said, great."

that the art is

refined.

"When the art

is high, the people's courage is credible.

This is Zhoushan,
74

When I served in public office in

I was able to participate in military training with Liu Caotang's striking fists school. It was what was meant by is 10 blows".

the saying: "Try to parry and block, then it This art is of the highest caliber, and is

one of the

methods employing successive stabs and strikes within the quarterstaff field.

3 The San Cai "4 7 Zhoushan

Zhejiang coast,

Tu Hui introduction ends here. was an island group on the northeast just south of Hangzhou Bay.

38 Verse 1

Casually hitch up your clothes and let your body assume the Going Out the Door position. Change to a lowered posture and momentarily take the Single Whip stance.

Respond to your opponent as if advance forward.

you have no courage and

Vacantly brighten your eyes and ready your hands for convenient opportunities.

Verse 2

The Golden Rooster: stand on one leg and cock the head askew. Simultaneously position your leg and center your fist.

Turn your back and assume the Reclined Ox stance,

and drop

both the arm and the leg in tandem from their elevated positions. Make contact and cry out "ku" unto the heavens.

39 Verse 3

The spy techniques75 have been handed down from the Grand Ancestor; Those positions can be used sequentially and can change from one to another.

Advance and attack, withdraw in a flash--weakness begets strength; This is

the best way for blocking the short strike.

Verse 4

Stretch out the whip and using the Yellow Flower close in tightly; Continually shift weight from foot to foot, ready for an attack from either side.

Charge your steps forward, recoiling;

continuously chopping and

note 69. alternate reading would be: "When the opponent translation advances and attacks, withdraw.... " The first advocates a mix of attacks and withdrawals, while the second espouses that one withdraw from a blow to set up a block. "See 7 6 An

40 Assume the Aloes Wood posture, so as to push and upend Mt.

Tai [i.e. keep your center low so as to be heavy like aloes wood so that you could knock over Mt. Tai].

41 Verse 5

As for the Seven Star strike, the hands and feet complement each other; Step close and press the opponent high and low, but beware his trap.

The gentleman well versed in these arts has quick hands and legs like the wind; I myself have the ability to whip my legs and smash things, as well as split heavy objects with my hands.

Verse 6

Mount the dragon backwards, lose and feign flight;

make a ruse by pretending to

Entice the opponent to pursue and move in, and attack.

then turn on him

If

the opponent thinks he can rely on strength and

ferocious steadfastness when he attacks, How can he withstand my sequence of blows?

42 Verse 7

Suspend a leg as empty bait and lightly advance to the opponent; Having used both legs as bait, stop being light on your feet.

Broadside the opponent with a palm strike from above, filled with stellar power; Who would dare to spar with you twice?

Verse 8

In the Qiu Liu position, trade off the left and right hands; Come forward striking with the hands and enter with the legs, your steps connected to your center.

The fist

method for wiping your opponent away is

the same

as the spy methods;

Strike the person with one blow and his life is

spent.

" See note 69.

43 Verse 9

The lower jabbing position: bring down a single quick leg; To be able to advance the steps, to stir or to rely on the enemy's force--there is between these tasks. up the opponent, no distinction

Hooking the leg and locking the arm do not allow the opponent to break away; The one above is startled and the one in the lower stance

causes him to fall.

Verse 10

The Ambush Crouch posture: it to lie in wait for a tiger;

is

like using the hunting bow

To set the trap, use small steps and you will be stable.

Next,

release the trigger and unleash a few leg kicks; becoming bewildered and

The opponent receives the blows, endangered.

44 Verse 11

Cast the body forward and rush the steps, arms and suspend them in the air;

spread out your

Prepare your legs as you distract the opponent with your arms--why be afraid that he might recognize the ruse?

The right hand makes a horizontal strike while the left makes a jab, and both are quick as if If flying;

the opponent tries to block one strike, he will be

knocked dizzy.

Verse 12

Taking the Elbow in Hand position:

guard against the

opponent while simultaneously manipulating your leg; When I intercept the short strike I must be aware of what is high and low.

In the splitting strike and pushing press, one wants both the hands and feet to rely on each other; Don't in the least way hurry the hands and feet.

45 Verse 13

The One Instant Step pursues opportunity and responds to changes; The left and right legs land a succession of blows upon the opponent.

If

he thinks he can rely on a stance which is

firm and

hands which are like wind and thunder, How can he withstand my dazzling surprise and my artful seizure?

Verse 14

The Capture and Grab stance: form a trap with the legs; The left and right press the opponent and are just like the Four Level positions.

If

he comes directly with a strike he encounters my

unleashing [of blows], And if he tries to use a quick leg he is unable to

penetrate through.

46 Verse 15

The middle Four Level position really pushes that which is solid; With a hard attack or advance, difficulty coming in. the opponent's quick leg has

Your two hands press the opponent's one hand; The short strike relies on unconventional trickery.

Verse 16

In the Crouched Tiger posture, angle the body off the center line and work the leg; Whenever the opponent engages me, front. I stretch out to the

When I see my opponent poised, his stance is

not stable; clear

Then I sweep his single supporting leg--the result is and decisive.

47 Verse 17

The upper Four Level position: the body takes on a model of liveliness and changing; To the left and the right the short strike goes out and in as if it were flying.

When I block the opponent, penetrate to me,

his hands and feet cannot

But at my convenience I can kick my legs and fling my own fists at him.

Verse 18

The Reverse Stabbing position does not fall into the conventional category of parries and blocks; Instead it relies on the leg being swift enough to overcome

the other's potential victory.

The Back-Facing Bow stance: advance the steps and in tarry or delay; The successive strikes are like canyon sounds, echo each other.

no way

for they

48

Verse 19

Advance directly with the Well Railing four-wise balanced; Scissor the calf and kick the knee against your adversary's head.

The rapid Boring Split relies on a one-hook swipe; Even the ironcast model generals will flee.

Verse 20

The Ghost Kicking Foot rushes the person and makes first contact; Follow the kick by moving forward with the body and with a revolving sweep against him raise a red fist palm].78 [i.e. open

The back is

like a bow,

then do a fall recovery:

open out,

raise the arm and rise; The elbow that bores the heart [i.e. strikes the sternum or gut] depends on a subtlety that is difficult to convey in writing.

luAn alternate translation would be: "In the Demon Kick, the foot assaults the person and makes first contact; To recover from it, recover your poise in front, make a sweeping rotation and raise a red fist."

49 Verse 21

The Finger Opposition posture is a technique for the virile man; The adversary finds it difficult to advance, while I myself

am good at approaching the front.

Kick him with the knee and suddenly jump on top of him; Quickly step back and land a short red fist open-palmed slap]. strike [i.e.

Verse 22

The Beast Head position is

like a shield drawing near and

appears to be a defensive posture; Thus I let his fast foot meet with my apparent flustered timidity.

From startlement below,

on high I take advantage of what my

enemy has trouble defending against; Connect and unleash the short red fist and strike upward.

50 Verse 23

The Spirit Fist is downward;

opposite the adversary's face and drives

Advance your steps and fuse your heart.

If

you meet a skillful opponent,

grasp him and take him

down; It will be too fast for the opponent to feel.

Verse 24

The Single Whip--level and straight--open it strike;

out and

Advance both legs opposite the opponent's face and inflict injury on him.

I do not fear that he has brute strength or great courage, For my skill favors blows that penetrate my7 9 spirit.

'9The text includes no possessive, only tong shen,d or "penetrate [the] spirit". It can translate as either "my spirit" or "his spirit". Blows that "penetrate my spirit" would mean strikes that originate from the spiritual center, thus having more energy or qie behind them. Blows that "penetrate his spirit" would refer to strikes that cause deep internal damage so as "to reach the spirit", or blows that have an unsettling effect on the opponent's psyche and confidence in his fighting abilities.

"51 Verse 25

The Coiled Leg method of the Grounded Sparrow Beneath the Dragon [i.e. when you are on the ground with the opponent towering over you]: In front, raise your arm and get up behind the opponent,

then render him a red-fisted [i.e. open palm] blow.

Although I am performing a fall recovery, adversary steps back

when the

And rushes upon me, my short strike should stop his extension.

Verse 26

The Yang-Facingf Hand: turn the body sideways to guard against a kick; Do not grapple, heroic opponent. but press and withdraw from your brave and

The Knockdown posture: render your opponent one kick; It would knock the wind out of even the well-disciplined

teacher.

52 Verse 27

In

the Wild Goose Wings stance,

cant the body oblique to

the center line and move in closely; With fleet legs walk and do not tarry or delay.

Once you've overtaken your opponent, with a leg;

bore and level him

You will want to add a clipping split and push him with a red fist (i.e. open palm].

Verse 28

The Straddling Tiger posture: move and shift to the side and let loose a kick; You want the leg to go but not let the opponent be aware of it.

As for left and right heel sweeps,

use them continuously;

The Lose Hands Scissor maneuver [i.e. doing a scissor motion to deny the opponent use of his hands] is very easy.

53 Verse 29

Join together the Luang 80 Elbows, chop;

step out and land a

Move a palm below and pluckingly strike the enemy's heart.

Take the Eagle Seizes the Rabbit position and firmly draw the bow; The hands and feet must invariably respond to each other.

Verse 30

The Canonball Against the Head maneuver assaults the person's fear; Advance your steps with tiger-like erectness and drive in with both fists.

The opponent withdraws and in a flash I land another blow and vanquish him; Even if still you don't take him down or knock him over, he is

flustered.

"8UThe luan is an esteemed mythical bird.

54 Verse 31

Synchronize the Luan Elbows, striking--

rely on the body shifting and

As for the flowing and swift, the opponent has trouble screening and blocking them.

Again twist and brush to the outside, recover and do the Shuan Shouh strike to his stomach; After you cause one fall, who would dare to come forward and ccntend with you?

Verse 32

The Banner and Drum posture: press and advance to the left and the right; Draw near to the adversary, moving as a pair. let your hands chop and split,

The object of the twist is to trip a person, person acknowledge he's been had;
81

and have that

5'In this rendering, the cnaracter kaoi is taken in the sense of "to rely on", implying the twist (jiao]) derives its purpose from tripping the opponent. Taking the character kao more literally as "to lean", one may translate this phrase as: "Twist and lean to trip the person (i.e. the opponent] and the person will acknowledge he's been had."

55 When the tiger embraces the head [i.e. when you have him in a headlock], though he may want to retreat, there is no

avenue for escape.

56 APPENDIX A: CHINESE CHARACTERS

I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

aQi Jiguang
b. Qi Jingtong

~~

~I

Cwokou
dTan Lun

ejixiao Xinshu ~Sunzi Bin gfa gLianbing Shiji

4 .1 %~5

~/

II. THE TEXT

aQuanjing Jieyao Pian

bZhuzj Jicheng

III. THE TEXT AS UNIQUE IN MILITARY LITERATURE

awuz bwujing Zongyao

57

IV.-POSSIBLE INFLUENCES UPON THE TEXT

aLiu Caotang

v
,i

btaijiquan
Cgongfu dSan Cai Tu Hui
eHua Tuo
-

9 1

ti

hShifu
1Taijiquanjing
.$

iWang Zhongyue kwu Heqing

'T'ai Chi Ch'lian T'u Hsieh ThTseng Chiu-yen

~Zhang Sanfeng
0 Zhang

Songqi

~(A

Pnei ji a
qShaolin

rwang Zhengnan Muzhi Ming

irji

L'

58 XChi You s-

YNanlei Wenan

ZTaijiquan Quanshu
aaquan bo
abTang Taizong

A~
/

"

acWang Shichong
adMeng Yuanlao

-1~
ALJ&

1
4p

aeDong Jing Meng Hua Luf

V. THE TEXT IN TRANSLATION

aSong Taizu. bgao tan ma

Cqi* dtong shen

hShuan Shou
1 kao

)jiao

59

APPENDIX B: COMPARISON OF "QUANJING" TECHNICAL NAMES TO MODERN TAIJIQUAN NOMENCLATURE*

Qi: "Quanjing"

Tseng:

Delza:

Cheng

T'ai Chi Ch'Uan T'u Hsieh Tan Bien (sic)

Body and Mind in Harmony Tan Pien

Man-Ch'ing form***

Dan Bian
Single Whip

Single Whip

Jin

Ji

Chin Ji

Tu Li

Chin Ji

Tu Li

Golden Rooster

Golden Cock Perches on One Leg

Golden Cockerel Stands on One Leg

Golden Pheasant Stands on One Leg

Tan Ma
Spy Technique

Kao Tan Ma
Raising Higher to Handle Horse

Kao T'an Ma
High Pat the Horse

Qi Xing Quan

Shang Pu Chi Hsing Step Up to Form Seven Stars

Shang Pu Ch'i Hsing Step Up to Form Seven Stars Step Forward to Form Seven Stars

Seven Star Strike

*Written in authou.

the romanization used by the respective Only English terms available.

given. No characters Chinese rendered. ***No

60

Qi:
"Quanjing"

Tseng:
T'ai Chi Ch'lan T'u Hsieh Tui Pu Kua Hu

Delza:
Body and Mind in Harmony T'ui Pu K'ua Hu

Cheng
Man-Ch'ing form

Kua Hu Shi

A&
Straddling Tiger Position
Yan Zhi

#)K& -t
Retreat as if Riding a Tiger Retreat step and Ride the Tiger
Pai Hao Liang Ch'ih

Step Back to Ride the Tiger

Pai Ho Liang Chi

Wild Goose Wings

[White] Stork Airs its Wings

White Stork Flaps its Wings

Stork Cools/ White Crane Spreads its Wings

Xia Shi

[Tan Pien] Hsia Shih

She Shen Hsia Shih

Lower Posture
Nian Zhou Shi

Right Foot Squats Down

Snake Creeps Down

Snake Creeps Down

Take Elbow in Hand Position

Seeing Fist Under Elbow

Fist Under Elbow

Looking at Fist Under Elbow

61

REFERENCES Works Published in Chinese

Jixiao Xinshu A New Treatise on Disciplined Service.

Qi Jiguang.
Renmin Tiyu

Jixiao Xinshu A New Treatise on Disciplined Service.

Qi Jiguang.
1607.

Edited by Wang Qi.

Sunzi Bingfa
Sunzi's The Art of War. Zhuzi Jicheng edition.

T'ai Chi Ch'IUan T'u Hsieh The Chart of T'ai Chi Ch'Uan. (Published with

English translation.) Dr. Tseng Chiu-yien. Hong Kong: Union Press Limited, no listed publication date.

Taijiquan Quan Shu The Complete Book of Taijiquan.

Tseng Chao-jan.
1963.

Wujing Zongyao Essentials of the Military Classics.

Siku Quanshu

Zeng Gongliang and Ding Du.

62 Works Published in English Chan, Albert. The Glory and Fall of the Ming Dynasty. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982. Delza, Sophia. Body and Mind in Harmony: T'ai Chi Ch'Lan (Wu Style)--An Ancient Chinese Way of Exercise. New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1961.

Fu Qifeng. Chinese Acrobatics Through the Ages. Translated by Ouyang Caiwei and Rhoda Stockwell. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1985. Goodrich, L. Carrington, ed. Dictionary of Ming Biography (1368-1644). New York: Columbia University Press, 1976. Griffith, Samuel B. Sun Tzu: The Art of War. Oxford University Press, 1963. Hervouet, Yves, ed. A Sung Bibliography. Chinese University Press, 1978. New York:

Hong Kong:

Huang, Ray. 1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1981. Lewis, Mark Edward. Sanctioned Violence in Early China. New York: State University of New York Press, 1990. Minick, Michael. The Kung Fu Exercise Book: Health Secrets of Ancient China. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974. Needham, Joseph. Science and civilisation in China, vol. V, part 5. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Seidel, Anna. "A Taoist Immortal of the Ming Dynasty." In Self and Society in Ming Thought, edited by W.T. DeBary. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970. Tong, James W. Disorder Under Heaven: Collective Violence in the Ming Dynasty. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1991.

Wright, Arthur F. "T'ang T'ai-tsung and Buddhism." In Perspectives on the T'ang, edited by Arthur F. Wright and Dennis Twitchett. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1973.

63 Dr. Her's Comprehensive Essays on "The Art of War", The Her Bor-shyh Bey Luenn. Translated by Lennart Frantzell. Stockholm: 1973.

AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF GENERAL QI JIGUANG'S "QUANJING JIEYAO PIAN" (CHAPTER ON THE FIST CANON AND THE ESSENTIALS OF NIMBLENESS) FROM THE
JIXIAO XINSHU

(NEW TREATISE ON DISCIPLINED SERVICE)

Clifford Michael Gyves, The University of Arizona, Director: Donald Harper

M.A. 1993

Qi Jiguang is

recognized as one of the most successful Noted for his severe

generals of the Ming dynasty.

discipline and intense training, Qi led an army comprised of uniformed regulars and civilian auxiliaries against Japanese pirates in Zejiang province. His unprecedented victories He composed

earned Qi a reputation as a training expert. his first

military treatise, the Jixiao Xinshu (New Treatise 1560 while serving in Zejiang.

on Disciplined Service) in

The text discusses command and control, training. Chapter 14,

tactics, and

the "Quanjing Jieyao Pian" (Chapter on the endorses

Fist Canon and the Essentials of Nimbleness),

unarmed combat exercises as physical training for troops. No literary precedent for such a work has been discovered. Historical evidence suggests, however, that pre-Ming armies

have used some forms of martial arts in training or demonstrations. Also, similarities between the "Quanjing"

and modern taijiquan raise questions about a possible common martial arts heritage.