Tajiquan by the numbers!

[origami_itto]

Ok

[roger hao]

Graham -
Zhan Zwangers
Classic

[taiwandeutscher]

4 should be touch, join, stick, follow

Zhan 沾 moisten, wet, soak; touch
Lian 連 join, connect; continuous; even
Nian 黏 stick to; glutinous, sticky; glue
Sui 隨 follow, listen to, submit; to accompany; subsequently, then

Stick and adhere are very similar in meaning, but 4 should express the idea of touching is only to join or connected to the opponent but it is sticking that enables following.

1) Nian 黏 2) Zhan or Tie 貼 3) Lian 連 4) Sui 隨 5) Budiu buding 不丟不頂

[Yeung]

[A manual handwritten by Li Yiyu,
presented to his student, Hao He (Weizhen) – 1881]
[translation by Paul Brennan, May, 2013]

打手歌
PLAYING HANDS SONG
掤捋擠按須認真。上下相隨人難進。
任他巨力來打我。撁動四两撥千斤。
引進落空合即出。粘連黏隨不丢頂。
Ward-off, rollback, press, and push must be taken seriously.
With coordination between above and below, the opponent will hardly find a way in.
I will let him attack me with as much power as he likes,
for I will tug with four ounces of force to move his of a thousand pounds.
Guiding him in to land on nothing, I then close on him and send him away.
I stick to him and go along with his movement instead of coming away or crashing in.