Wu Yu Hsiang's Four Character Secret Transmission

[D_Glenn]

Appledog, In Chinese Chess ( 象棋 Xiangqi) there are 7 pieces: the General (將 Jiang), Advisors (Mandarins), Elephants, Horses, Chariots, Cannons, and Soldiers. Places on the board are the Palaces, Fields and the River.

In a checkmate the General flies across the board to capture the other player's General, a move called 飛將 Fei Jiang (Flying General).

Elephants (象 Xiang) have a limited movement and can only move if they're unobstructed, called having an open field (田 Tian) to move in. When the movement of the Elephant is blocked it's called 'Obstructing the Elephant's Eyes' (象眼塞 Xiang Yan Sai).

When one is so focused on winning the game/ Checkmate (飛將 Fei Jiang) they don't pay attention to the opponent’s Elephants and potential movements that they can do. Which became, the classic saying used in CMAs, “When one is so focused on the Fly in their face, they can't see the Elephant in the field.”, which is usually interpreted literally and with often strange meanings, since they don’t know where the saying came from.

In the Chinese Martial Arts it can be applied to what’s happening in the midst of a fight. But a lesser known meaning, is applied to practicing snd learning, where when you're only looking at the end product (the movement of your teachers hands and feet) you don't see the powerful movements of their body that are making the end movements of the hands and feet possible. Or you're so focused on the flashy movement of the hands you don't see the root of the hand's power - the spine and abdomen.

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[Appledog]

Appledog, In Chinese Chess ( 象棋 Xiangqi) there are 7 pieces: the General (將 Jiang), Advisors (Mandarins), Elephants, Horses, Chariots, Cannons, and Soldiers. Places on the board are the Palaces, Fields and the River.

In a checkmate the General flies across the board to capture the other player's General, a move called 飛將 Fei Jiang (Flying General).

Elephants (象 Xiang) have a limited movement and can only move if they're unobstructed, called having an open field (田 Tian) to move in. When the movement of the Elephant is blocked it's called 'Obstructing the Elephant's Eyes' (象眼塞 Xiang Yan Sai).

When one is so focused on winning the game/ Checkmate (飛將 Fei Jiang) they don't pay attention to the opponent’s Elephants and potential movements that they can do. Which became, the classic saying used in CMAs, “When one is so focused on the Fly in their face, they can't see the Elephant in the field.”, which is usually interpreted literally and with often strange meanings, since they don’t know where the saying came from.

In the Chinese Martial Arts it can be applied to what’s happening in the midst of a fight. But a lesser known meaning, is applied to practicing snd learning, where when you're only looking at the end product (the movement of your teachers hands and feet) you don't see the powerful movements of their body that are making the end movements of the hands and feet possible. Or you're so focused on the flashy movement of the hands you don't see the root of the hand's power - the spine and abdomen.

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If you can do it, picking up a few students to teach xiangqi or weiqi is a nice passtime when you are not training. Piano teacher is good too. It's something I would like to pursue but, time is always against us. But then if we do not take time, how can we ever have time?

I think I might, cautiously, get back into weiqi these days. You can meet a lot of friends with these games.

[Bao]

If you can do it, picking up a few students to teach xiangqi or weiqi is a nice passtime when you are not training. Piano teacher is good too. It's something I would like to pursue but, time is always against us. But then if we do not take time, how can we ever have time?

I think I might, cautiously, get back into weiqi these days. You can meet a lot of friends with these games.

I know many Tai Chi people who play weiqi. Some believe that it balances their practice. Actually, in more recent years, I have found that you can translate weiqi strategy to push hands. For instance, you want to control the four corners in weiqi, as well as the middle point at the two sides. In push hands, you want to control the shoulders and the centerline of yourself and your opponent. If you focus on dominating the four corners, you will have an advantage and can more easily dominate the rest of the space. Remember also that there's a "four corner push hands". The name is there for a reason.

[wayne hansen]

I wrote a similar thing on here a few years back

[Bao]

I wrote a similar thing on here a few years back

Ah, can't remember it. Sounds interesting, I'll try to find it and check it out.

[origami_itto]

If you focus on dominating the four corners, you will have an advantage and can more easily dominate the rest of the space. Remember also that there's a "four corner push hands". The name is there for a reason.

The only thing I'm aware of by that name uses the corners to refer to where the trigrams representing the techniques are placed on the pre-heaven bagua.

The four primary are on the sides and the supplementary are on the corners. Drills focusing on the corner techniques are the four corner push hands.

[BruceP]

I wrote a similar thing on here a few years back

https://rumsoakedfist.org/viewtopic.php ... 1e8fcbab9d

[origami_itto]

I wrote a similar thing on here a few years back

https://rumsoakedfist.org/viewtopic.php ... 1e8fcbab9d

Yeah, the da lu, big rollback, rollback fails and has to become something else.

That they wind up at different times facing or moving towards each of the four corners of the space is immaterial IMHO, it's about the gates in the pre-heaven ba gua.

[Steve James]

It was fun rereading the conversation with Wayne. Afa the video, Imo the parts toward the end where they deviate from the pattern are the most telling when it comes to Da lu as an exercise.

I agree with Bao that the "corners" gives an advantage. Maybe that's another reason they're taught after the "squares."

[Bao]

The only thing I'm aware of by that name uses the corners to refer to where the trigrams representing the techniques are placed on the pre-heaven bagua.

Why are exactly these techniques put at the "corner" of the Bagua? Because they deal with the corners of the body (yours and/or the opponent's)

Here a key from the conversation linked above, Wayne said:
"What differs in Ta lu is the use of the 4 suplimentry energies and the adjustment from being lead off line."

[origami_itto]

The only thing I'm aware of by that name uses the corners to refer to where the trigrams representing the techniques are placed on the pre-heaven bagua.

Why are exactly these techniques put at the "corner" of the Bagua? Because they deal with the corners of the body (yours and/or the opponent's)

It has nothing to do with the corners of the body or the room, it's about how they are on arrangement. They are in the corner because they are fallbacks.

This is from the Yang Family 40 chapters Doug Wiles translation also in Yang Family Secret Transmissions.

Secrets of the Use of the Thirteen Postures
If we meet an opponent whose Ward-off
does not allow us to penetrate the circle,
By simply sticking and adhering it will
be difficult for us to make headway .
If we are sealed off by our opponent's
Ward-off, then we must try Pull-down
or split;

If these are successful, capitalize
immediately and without delay.
I control my own four sides and seek
gaps in my opponent's four corners;
After contact is made, whoever acts
effectively first will prevail .

There his sides aren't enough to compensate so he goes to the corner, but it works defensively as well. We try to control our sides and try to elicit responses in their corners that we can exploit, but it's not about the corner as in a physical direction. Physical centerlines and corners are meaningless.

It's corners in that their peng couldn't hold us back but they couldn't split our incoming energy or fold around it, so they accept the energy and it affects them. That can happen directly head to head or in any direction, it's not about physical corners.

The Meaning of Four Corners in T'ai-chi ch'iian
The four cardinal directions refer to the four sides of
the square, or Wa rd - off, Roll-back, Press and Push .
Before understa nding tha t the square can be made
round and the pri nciple of the infinite a l ternating
squares and circles, how can one expect to master the
techniques of the four corners? Because of man's four
members without and spirit within, it is most difficult to
acquire mastery of the square, the circle and the four
cardinal directions. However, w hen one begins to
commit errors of lightness and heaviness, floating and
sinking, then the four corners come into play . For
example, if because of half or partial weighted ness one's
movements are clumsy and incorrect, then one will
na turally execute the four-corner techniques :
Pulldown, Split, Elbow-stroke and Shoulder-stroke . Or, if
one is guilty of double-weighted ness, then likewise
four-corner techniques will appear.
With erroneous technique, one has no choice but to
use the four corners to help return to the framework of
squareness and roundness . Thus Pull-dow n, Split,
Elbow-stroke and Shoulder-stroke make up for deficiencies . Those who after long practice have reached
a high level of skill must also acquire Pull-down and
Split to return everything to center. In this way the four
corners have a supplementary function and compensate for deficiencies .

In other contexts we discuss them as placed on the post-heaven arrangement but this talks directly about the philosophy. The corners are errors, they compensate for deficiencies but are weaker than the primary techniques and easier to counter. Sorta kinda. It's all dependent on the specific context, but the overall strategy is as I outlined.

As I mentioned before changing the direction we're facing is just a natural consequence of the da lu. Were we able to neutralize without stepping that would be our lu, but when we move to get out of the way we naturally turn towards the opponent to stay engaged or we're giving them a weak angle to exploit. For that reason we move towards the corners in doing the technique, but there is nothing inherent in zhao, kao, lieh or tsai that is dependent on any particular direction.

If you look at the modern form names, they even refer to postures towards the corner directions as slant or diagonal, not corner.

[wayne hansen]

Bao the article I was talking about was about Ma Chinese Chess and it’s relationship to the body and combat tactics
However it was good to read that one again and respond to Steve’s question which I failed to do earlier

[everything]

it would be interesting to hear a BGZ perspective on "corners"

[Steve James]

Everybody uses corners. Tcc defines them (cai, lie, jou, kao) as fundamental elements, that are generally applied at an angle. The stepping is narrower and ironically? make a triangle. [Diagonal Flying]

[Bao]

If you look at the modern form names, they even refer to postures towards the corner directions as slant or diagonal, not corner.

You are too occupied with names and semantics. I spoke about practical implications, if a technique/movement/jin affects or utilize the "corner" of the body.