HotSoup wrote:That's actually the thing which I find most fascinating — the name affecting evolution (or degradation) of the style! Imagine that 200 years later there will be masters (or wannabe-masters) of Shanzhaiquan modifying the style to resemble its name more accurately. Sounds crazy now, but what would've Chen Changxing said, if he learned that people are trying to implement the Ying-Yang concept in practicing taolu by changing the tempo back and forth? Or the opposite, keeping the same tempo through the whole routine, claiming it resembles the unity of the "Great Pole"?
We have writings attributed to Chen Changxing and they read like philosophical treatises. Here's a portion from his ten essential points.
Qi (AIR, BREATHING, ENERGY)
Nothing exists between heaven and earth that would vanish without
returning in a different form.
Nor is there anything straight if there is nothing that is crooked.
Therefore the saying goes that all things have their counterparts and
move in circles. This truth has existed since the beginning of time and
shall continue into eternity. When we speak about ‘chui', i.e. to strike
with the fist, we speak about Qi as well. One matter divides from one
into two. Two in this respect means to breathe in and to breathe out. To
breathe in and out means Yin and Yang.
‘Chui‘, to strike with the fist, cannot exist without 'dong' and ‘ting',
to move and to be at rest. Qi cannot exist without breathing in and
breathing out. To breathe out is yang. To breathe in is yin. Rising to
the top is yang, sinking to the bottom is yin. Rising yang qi is yang,
sinking yang qi is yin. Rising yin qi is yang, sinking yin qi is yin. This
is the distinction between yin and yang. What is then the meaning
of ‘qing' and ‘zhuo’, the clear and the dim? Rising to the top is 'qing',
clear, sinking to the bottom is ‘zhuo', dim. 'Qing’ is yang, ‘zhuo’ is yin.
When we speak about the contrasts of a matter, we speak of yin and
yang, ...Jing jin and jing luo are based on yin/yang pairs. Dao yin is part and parcel of these theories. That goes back thousands of years. The people who incorporated Jing jin/jing luo theories and dao yin practices into MAs would have had a basic understanding of yin/yang prinicples and theories.
It is said that Chen Wangting passed the Imperial exams, his father was educated and his grandfather was a government official so he would have passed the Imperial exams as well. They would all be familiar with Neo-Confucian cosmology - Wuji, Taiji, Yin/Yang, 5 Phases, Bagua, and so on.
The talk of yin & yang, qi, wuji, taiji, 5 phases. bagua, xinyi. and so on is Chinese culture/philosophy. I think that if the name was Gangrouquan (hard soft boxing) the writing would still be the same. The same ideas and writing style are applied to Xinyi/Xingyi.