Confucianism in kung fu

Kung fu today, regardless of the style, explains most of its theories through Taoism and\or Buddhism. A lot of effort is put to connect kung fu’s ancient roots to Taoism and Buddhism, even the superficial observation will lead to a conclusion that these philosophical and religious systems are not the original systems which laid foundation of Chinese martial arts. Before republican period (1911-1949) Taoism and Buddhism has no connection to kung fu . A person who fist used Taoist teachings to describe and explain his arts , and who actually shaped modern view on Chinese martial arts , especially “internal” styles was Sun Lu Tang. His work , for better or worse , gave the frame for modern kung fu theories and way of explaining them. Buddhism , or more precise its theories and philosophy ,as a foundation of martial arts was used only in last several decades ,and even today it is not widely spread . Although , first mention of “Buddhist’s” martial arts can be found in early republican period , at the beginning of 1920’s as a result of marketing strategy used by the leadership of Goushu academy , serious attempt to use Buddhist teachings as a frame for kung fu concepts and theories was not made until the end of 1970 and “kung fu craze’ after Bruce Lee’s death.

If not Taoism or Buddhism, what philosophical system was used as a foundation for Chinese martial art?

Separated from its original cultural context, especially on the west , kung fu can be easily seen as “Taoist” of “Buddhist” , but in Taiwan , where original Chinese culture and way of life is still alive it is obvious that philosophical system which is deeply ingrained in Taiwanese culture and represents its basic foundation is Confucianism .

 Confucianism is a comprehensive system of thought and behavior encompassing religion, philosophy, morality, and political science. Confucianism and its teachings have shaped the political and social development of China for hundreds of years. Confucianism established the social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society. It influenced and shaped every aspect of life in China for two millennium. Confucianism is very specific , it is a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion in sense that we perceive Buddhism or Christianity.   Sense of religious identity and common moral understanding are laid at the foundation of a society's central institutions, which were not a separate entities like a church or religious order of any kind , but family, school, and state institutions .There are no priests , that role belongs to parents, teachers, and officials.

Confucianism developed over the course of two thousand years, beginning with the teachings of its founder, the philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC). Confucius established a system of ritual as well as moral and social teachings which fundamentally shaped the evolution of Chinese society. Confucius taught during the Warring States Period, when China was divided into many warring factions, and governments were corrupt. His teachings dealt mainly with personal and political morality. His teachings sought to restore the Mandate of Heaven to the rulers so that peace and prosperity would return to China. His goal was to help the people achieve social and personal perfection and reestablish the ordered society that had supposedly existed before this period of internal warfare. We do not have original teachings of Confucius, his teachings were revised , developed and formalized by political philosophers during the course of history .

Chinese martial arts are inseparable part of Chinese society and way of life. Confucianism influenced kung fu the same way as it influenced Chinese society in general. We can see reflection of main Confucianism core concepts in traditional kung fu.

Ren or humanness is a core principle of Confucianism . Altruism is a natural feature of a human being and urge to protect lives and wellbeing of family members and not only them but to protect all weak and in need and on the highest level to protect  the state and the people of the state led eventually to the invention of martial arts .Kung fu in its core is not aggressive , and , although it has deadly techniques and it used the best weapons of the time , kung fu is defensive , protective and used only as a last resort . If we look Chinese history , which cannot be separated from kung fu history , China led only defensive wars although ,for the most of its history was the strongest military force in Asia . That fact says a lot of the nature of Chinese culture and nature of kung fu .

Rites , in Chinese “Li” in the context of human individual and social behavior has been translated as "custom", "mores", and "rules". It is a way of formalized behavior used to distinguish between people; their usage allows people to know at all times who is the younger and who the elder, to people on their correct social place . In traditional Chinese society and especially in kung fu family \school , there is a highly formalized way of social interaction and hierarchy. There is one more level of Confucianism influence on kung fu in this area. Kung fu ,just as Confucianism , is highly formalized. Actually, forms , as a basic tool in martial art’s training are invented in China and are originally part of kung fu . Forms were and still are the main way of transmission, preservation and teaching in kung fu. This way of martial arts teaching later spread on Japanese and Korean martial arts and on some other Asian countries like Vietnam, India ect but the influence was not so strong . 

Constant seeking for knowledge as well as constant effort toward one’s personal improvement is one of the basic principles of Confucianism .Exactly same principles are part of the basic foundation of kung fu .

 Loyalty , one of the core concepts of Confucianism was and still is one of the core concepts in kung fu. In old times , commitment to the particular martial school , teacher , style was life long . Member of one school\style couldn’t neither wanted to become a member of another school . These things happened only in very rare occasions .

Filial piety(孝, xiào) in Confucian philosophy, is a virtue of respect for one's father, elders, and ancestors and also to be obedient . In more general terms, filial piety means to be good and take care of one's parents; to bring a good name to one's family and ancestors; to support parents materially, carry out sacrifices to the ancestors. Xiao also includes respect and support among brothers, to show courtesy among family members, ensure male heirs, and uphold proper rituals after parents death as well as show sorrow for the lost . Also uphold necessary rituals for the ancestors.

 Filial piety is considered a key virtue in Chinese culture and influenced almost every aspect of life in China, and kung fu is not an exception. In traditional kung fu school there will always be an altar dedicated to the famous ancestor or founder of the style. In more traditional school, like the school of Zonghequan where I learn this art, before every training session , teacher and students will show respect to the founder of the style and offer a cup of tea which would be left on the altar. Kung fu ancestor is respected as an family ancestor.

Traditional kung fu school is a reflection of traditional Chinese family. Same rules of behavior are upheld on kung fu school as well as they are upheld in the real family. In the past , more than today , teacher was really considered as a father and school was really considered as a family . Even the titles and ranks are reflection of the traditional family where teacher , Sifu(師父, 師 means "skilled person" and父 is "father"),is a fatherly figure and his word is followed without question . Students , depending of the time of their arrival and time spent in school are addressed as older or younger brothers and sisters . Teacher’s kung fu brothers are addressed as kung fu uncles , ect. Complete structure of kung fu school is identical to the structure of the family. From the member of the school same things are expected as from the family member. Teacher had responsibility to take care for his students same way as he would take care for his own children, to passes the all his knowledge and to be a good example for them in every way. On the other hand, for the student was like the son and he had same responsibilities and obligation as he has in a real family. Student should respect his elders and his teacher, his actions should bring good name to his teacher, school and style. To perform duties well to display courtesy ,uphold fraternity, respect and support among brothers , to keep himself from any moral unrighteousness, to continue teaching and ensure next generation of style’s practitioners after the teachers death.

In Confucianism great attention is payed to relationships .Harmony results in part from every individual knowing his or her place in the social order, and acting according to that.

In a kung fu school one’s particular duties arise from one's particular situation in relation to others. The individual stands simultaneously in several different relationships with different people: as a junior in relation to his teacher and elders, and as a senior in relation to younger students, as an equal to his classmates. These rations define one’s duties and a place in traditional kung fu school.

As we can see , traditional kung fu is for the most part based in Confucianism , at least the social part which governs the relationships , behavior , duties , ethics ,moral ,heritage .

Discipleship

This article is written by my teacher , Master Wayne Yung from Hong Kong , head of Snake Crane Wing Chun athletic association .

Being a Snake Crane Wing Chun teacher I had a number of students from all over the world . Some of them became my disciples but not all understood what discipleship really means, what  honor and responsibility title of a disciple brings. I will try in short to explain what discipleship really means .

DISCIPLESHIP

is social institution related to Chinese martial arts and has its roots in old Confucian tradition . This kind of  engagement  can be only found in traditional  Chinese martial arts and it is Chinese tradition for centuries . We need to preserve traditional cultural values on which foundation traditional martial arts were built or we will loose the arts and our self. It is important to know , discipleship is acceptable for all people regardless of the culture , religion or ethnicity they belong . Discipleship is ethical and moral guide among other things and norms that discipleship is trying to uphold are universal.

Yup Sut Dai Gee which literary translated means (In the back door Skill son) is the Chinese name for Discipleship.
Traditionally the Yup Sut Dai Gee or disciple  represents the school & Sifu in the public eye. If a Disciple behaves badly or sets a bad example it is a poor reflection on the school and the Sifu of that school. Dishonor is then placed on that school through the disciple’s actions. The Yup Sut Dai Gees looks after the school and makes sure that Mo Duk (Martial Virtue) is upheld at all times in the Sifu’s absence. A Disciple is committed to carrying on his or her Sifu’s teachings. Before a student becomes a Yup Sut Dai Gee he must  earn the respect and trust of his Sifu. It must be proven that the student who may become a disciple is honorable, loyal, reliable and has total faith is the School & his or her Sifu !
If a Yup Moon Dai Gee (student) decides to accept the honor of becoming a Yup Sut Dai Gee or Discipleship he or she then takes on the responsibilities that come with that title.

Many people now days seek discipleship for all the wrong reasons. If you want to become your Sifu’s Disciple, consider what are your  motives for such an action. It is not what your Art can do for you, but what you can do for your Art. You do not become a disciple to promote yourself. Quite the opposite, to become a disciple is to abandon your own selfish thoughts and dedicate your practice to others.
You must always put your Art, your Ancestors , your Sifu  and your kung fu brothers and sisters first.
It becomes your sworn duty to honor your teachers by maintaining your lineage. To become a disciple is like adopting a parent it is not something to be taken lightly. You will swear on oath to be bound to your school & Sifu until death. A warrior’s word is like an arrow, once released; it can never stray until it strikes its target. A Yup Sut Dai Gee also takes on the responsibilities of the school’s growth. If a school does not grow it dies. So the disciple shares this burden with the Sifu. It is said if a Sifu has many Yup Sut Dai Gees, his school will prosper. Because there are many looking out for the well being of the Sifu & school.


Master Wayne Yung.

Tv report about my kung fu practice in Taiwan . I am sorry about the narration , some things are wrong and some totally out of the contest but that cannot be changed . Anyway , I am grateful to TVBS for this special experience

Biu Gee - true meaning

Usual translation of Biu Gee is darting finger or shooting finger. Interpretation of this term is often goes so far that explains Wing Chun third form as some kind of magic tool which will give practitioner some superhuman powers. When we talk about Wing Chun terminology we have to aware of some things . For the most part of its history , wing chun was a style practiced by a handful of people . These people were  members of the upper social class , rich and highly educated. They had their own way of using Chinese language which is quite different from modern Chinese and at same time different from Chinese language used by common people , just like today , highly educated people , especially in some fields of work ,use pretty different and very specific terminology , often hard to understand for others . To properly understand term Biu Gee , we have to understand it’s origin , time period when it was used for the first time , who used it and why . Wrong interpretation of kung fu terminology is quite common today , not only for “biu gee’” but for the most of wing chun terms and it is not specific only for wing chun , it is the same for the most of kung fu styles today.

Term ‘’ Biu Gee” originally comes from Ch’an Buddhist story where after years of practice nun Wu Jincang asked the Sixth Patriach Huineng for advice and explanation of some things regarding her spiritual practice .

The patriach responded, “I am illiterate. Please read out the characters to me and perhaps I will be able to explain the meaning.”

Said the nun, “You cannot even recognize the characters. How are you able then to understand the meaning?”

“Truth has nothing to do with words. Truth can be likened to the bright moon in the sky. Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger. The finger can point to the moon’s  location. However, the finger is not the moon. To look at the moon, it is necessary to gaze beyond the finger, right?”

This story was wildly know to people of 19^th century , it was part of their education and they took it to describe the true meaning of Wing Chun third form. Of course , instead of telling the whole story all the time they just used “Biu Gee”, where “Biu” has nothing to do with shooting or darting but actually means pointing .

So what “Biu Gee” actually means in wing chun terms. The form is the finger . Finger is actually the path , a set of tools for a practitioner . These tools are not only technical , but also intellectual and  ethical . The form\”finger” will give models and concepts for future growth and advancement of the practitioner.

Once mastered and adopted , models, principles , techniques will help practitioner to fully understand the art , to continue his own path , to grow , to finally make the art his own ,to personalize it and to be able to use it not only in any given fighting situation , but also In everyday life .This is the part about seeing the whole beauty of the moon. So , the form is important , the finger is there to point the practitioner into the right direction , without it , we could not find the right way , but once we find the path , we have to take it , to walk on it as far as we can and leave the finger behind. It is wrong to stay concentrated on the finger as much as it is wrong to take a path without the right pointer (finger). Both are necessary and important .

There is a deeper meaning of “Biu Gee” term ,or perhaps not deeper , it is a meaning wildly know the people of 19^th century  but hidden from modern people , especially from people whose culture has no connection to Buddhism.

There are eight aspects of life , aspects important for personal growth and development defined by Buddhist practice . These aspects were part of wing chun practice as well as everyday life of old masters , but today not known to the majority of wing chun people .These aspects are also referred as a steps on the path of development .These aspects or steps are: Right Understanding, Right Intent, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

-           Right Understanding: The first step of the path is Right Understanding . I think there is no need to elaborate this any further. Without right understanding it is impossible to reach any higher level of anything

-           Right Intent: The second step is Right Intent. Right Understanding shows us the essence of things , Right Intent helps us to decide what to do , helps us to take a step on the path , whether is learning the art or simply a fighting technique in a fight.

-           Right Speech: Right Speech is the next step of the Path. Right speech involves recognition of the truth, and also an awareness of the impact of the spoken word. There is no other way to pass and explain the art but through words. It is extremely important to use right words and pass the art correctly .

-           Right Action: In a terms of fight Right Action , closely connected to the right intent represent an appropriate response to the fighting situation and condition we are in . Right Action also encompasses the five precepts which were given by the Buddha, not to kill, steal, lie, to avoid sexual misconduct, and not to take drugs or other intoxicants.

-          Right Livelihood: It means that someone who manage to reach level of Biu Gee form must uphold the highest moral and ethical standards and be what is called a “ Pillar of the society” , ,like many of kung fu masters of the past were , and some of the masters today are.

-          Right Effort: Right Effort means cultivating an enthusiasm, a positive attitude in a balanced way

-          Right Mindfulness: Right Mindfulness means being aware of the moment, and being focused in that moment. This is the way of achieving the best possible results in any given activity

-          Right Concentration: . Right Concentration is turning the mind to focus on an desired object or a goal. It is one of the most important things in wing chun training .

As you can see, there is much more behind two simple words , “Biu Gee”, than darting or shooting . 

Wing Chun First Form - Siu Lim Tao

After long time spent in Wing Chun and practicing several different styles of the art I will try to present my understanding of Siu Lim Tao , Wing Chun’s first form meaning .There are numerous explanations and interpretations of the form and its name . In most cases explanations don’t go further than literal translation and explanation of each character in the name . Eaven this simple way of explaining the meaning of the form’s name have deep implications on training and training but it Is far from complete and full meaning of the name .We also have to be aware of the fact that Wing Chun, at the very beginning had only one form and name of that was –Siu Nim Tao. One form contained and defined the complete system . Later from well know historical reasons one long form was divided to three forms  but name of the original , old , long form stayed and was given to first of three new forms. All three forms were equal parts of the old long form but only the first part continued to exist with same name, the other two parts( forms) got new names. Coincidence ? Or there is a specific reason for this ?

To know the real meaning of Siu Lim Tao we have to go beyond the simple meaning of the characters in which the original name of the is written . Frist we have to be aware that Sui Lim Tao is a name and a name cannot be translated directly , literary but rather has a specific meaning, important and know to Wing Chun practitioners . Like it was said before, today , the most common interpretation doesn’t go beyond simplest translation of each character of the form’s name and tries to give that translation some logical meaning and context . These translations and interpretations are not wrong , and no matter there are pretty different interpretations ,they are for the most part correct but they are far from to be full and complete. I , also do not have full and complete meaning of the form, and that is the beauty of it , but I will return to this fact later. To reveal the meaning of the form we have to start with several simple facts . People who named the form lived in a very different world from today , their mind frame was completely different from anything we can find today and their thoughts and actions were driven by reasons we can’t fully understand today . Words had different meaning at that time and were used in a specific manner in a specific situation from specific group of people , just like today people from specific occupation have their specific vocabulary and sometimes even common words have very different or wider meaning .

We don’t know for sure when was the first version of Wing Chun appeared , but we can guess with a great amount of certainty  it was at the beginning of 19^th century. What we know is , that first version of Wing Chun appeared among Red Boats opera troupe and it contained only one , long form , named Siu Lim Tao. The fact is , many of the Red Boat’s actors were members of the resistance . The other important fact , they were , being actors , better educated than most of the other people of their time. One other thing is also important to have in mind , at that time martial arts were not meant for ‘outsiders” , public teaching was not invented yet and it was something unthinkable , martial arts were kept in secret and terminology used in particular style in most cases was understandable only for the people who were initiated into the teachings . Often, terminology was deliberately confusing and meaningless and it would have no sense to outsiders, especially if martial artists were involved in revolutionary secret societies.

So , what Siu Lim Tao小念頭, actually means. At the beginning , like it was said before , Wing Chun system had only one form, Siu Lim Tao ,and complete teachings, concepts , principles and techniques were in that form . Name of the form had at that time much wider meaning than it has today , at least that is what I believe after decades of practicing and historical research .

Simple translation would be: 小 means small , 念頭 means idea , so the translation would be little or small idea . But if know the form , if we are involved in Wing Chun, and you have to be in order to understand the form and its meaning , it is obvious that this explanation of the name doesn’t cover the whole content of the form , not even the technical part.

First form of Wing Chun is an embodiment of Taoism in technical, conceptual and philosophical way and name of the form implies exactly that.

 Tao is a way", "path", or "principle", an “idea” . Small idea reflects the ultimate one .

Just as in Taoism , The term Tao means "way", "path", or "principle" where Tao denotes something that is both the source of, and the force behind everything that exists , first form has the same meaning and significance for Wing Chun , it is a source  of the system and the force behind it .

First form completely mirror Taoism in every aspect , all major concepts and principles of Taoism are major concepts and principles of Siu Lim Tao , and also they do not have same name , they are identical in their nature and can be explained using exactly same words .  

One of the most important things taught in the first form is how to respond immediately and appropriately to all the changes that occur moment to moment. It is how the fight is developing, a changes happened from moment to moment . This Wing Chun principle is identical to one of the major Taoist virtues known as ”Ziran” . Ziran is defined as naturalness and spontaneity – responding immediately and appropriately to all the changes that occur moment to moment , exactly the same as we define ability and skill to react properly in a fight , to have necessary skills and respond immediately ,without thinking ,where Wing Chun becomes our nature and it spontaneously ‘speaks” when it is necessary . Large part of the system is dedicated to developing this kind of skills , chi sao , various level of sparring and some other drills and exercises .

No opposition , is one of the most important concepts of Wing Chun and again it mirrors one of the most important principles of Taoism, Wu Wei , where this Wing Chun principle of “no oppositions” have its origin , or it is more accurate to say this principle is Wing Chun expression of Wu Wei. Wu wei is typically translated as "non-action". This does not mean that nothing is ever done. Quite the contrary, what this means is that one acts only with purely natural actions, or actions aligned with the Tao. Such actions contain no willfulness or controlling tendencies, no willful strategizing or trying to force things to go a certain way. Instead, those exhibiting wu wei simply go with the flow of things. This is exactly how “no opposition” is explained in Wing Chun . In the original Taoist texts, wu wei is often associated with water and its yielding nature. Same way is used in Wing Chun , technique , just as wu wei can assume any form or shape it inhabits. Wu Wei shaped the technical content and fighting strategies of Wing Chun , all hand positions , wrongly known as “blocks” are designed to offer no direct opposition to the incoming force but to disperse it or change its path .Footwork is developed following the same principle as well as body structure . Body is alight in a specific manner that allows neutralization of the incoming force by simply conduct it to the “ground” in a same manner that the wire conduct electricity. A great amount of power going on through the wire , but there is no opposition in the wire to all that power so the wire stays undamaged , it is the same with wing chun body structure and incoming force .

 

“Three Treasures” of Taoism also play important part in a set of principles from first form.

Jing 精 -sperm/ovary energy, or the essence of the physical body .We all operate with our physical bodies , in Wing Chun we use the body In a very specific way to achieve our goal .

Qi 氣 – vitality energy, including the thoughts and emotions. Qi in Wing Chun can be explained on two ways . First is the combat explanation where Qi is defined as a biomechanical efficiency . This biomechanical efficiency is what old masters called “internal” and it is a basic foundation of Wing Chun and proper understanding is necessary in order to have proper power generation , structure, ability to manage incoming force ect .

Second definition of Qi is the most common one where qi is a form of life energy, or life force.

Shen 神 -spirit or spiritual power as well as mind. In wing chun this concept represents one of the most important principles of the art – intention . “Intention” is one of the major fighting principles but it is purely mental process that effects physical performance and quality of technique execution .Without intention structure of every movement and position as well as the body in general will collapse .

At the end , how come such important and complex set of principles contained in th first form can be named “little idea” ? Using ‘little idea” to describe such a great amount if information clearly associates with Yin and Yang , represent the interplay of opposites. The concepts of yin and yang are central to Chinese religion and philosophy . They form the dynamism of the Tao, or the way of all things. Life is lived inside the interplay of opposites: up and down, hot and cold, male and female, dry and wet, outside and inside, high and low, joy and sadness, peace and war, exertion and rest, life and death, and so on. Yin and Yang symbolize this interplay that is at the center of life's dynamism or energy. Wing Chun style and its fighting concepts have their deepest foundation in this principle . Wing Chun is soft , internal , offers no opposition but expressed techniques will be hard on the opponent , soft, relaxed body will be a hardest obstacle to the incoming force .

“Little Idea” is everything but small , yet ,such a great amount of information , the most important parts of the art ,actually the art its self is expressed by small things , short name and simple , small number of movements.

Siu Lim Tao as well as Wing Chun art is the highest peak not only of Chinese martial arts achievement in a technical sense but also in philosophical and theoretical . First form is amazing tool and it will allow the practitioner to fulfill all his needs for technical knowledge . But first form is more than that , it is , like I said before , an embodiment of Taoism, and just like the philosophical system from which is derived from , first form will allow the practitioner to learn, advance and understand the art as much as he wants and is capable for.First form will follow the practitioner and provide all the answers accoridng to his skill level , education, culture , intelligence , interests ,ect. Technical level of practicing and understanding is just a basic level, a first step in a path of knowledge , intellectual and psychological growth ,in some cases it can be even a spiritual path. First form will give practitioner what he needs , and more , as long as he is ready to explore , to learn , to experiment , to think and to feel . Through constant effort, personal sacrifice, concentrated hard work, aspiration toward perfection first form is transformed and becomes effortless , from physical and psychological point of view .Physical movement and mental effort get close to one another and the boundaries between them are slowly loosening. Siu Nim Tao grows and develops between body, mind and spirit until they eventually unite in order to continue to grow together. Then, everything happens spontaneously, there is only awareness of what is happening, but there is no conscious effort. From this point Siu Nim Tao stops to be something separated from the person, stops to be an activity , stops to be a way of life , it becomes a life its self , involved in every movement , thought , becomes a part of every conscious and unconscious action.  

   

In Tainan , 5. I 2016

Wing Chun First Form - Siu Lim Tao

After long time spent in Wing Chun and practicing several different styles of the art I will try to present my understanding of Siu Lim Tao , Wing Chun’s first form meaning .There are numerous explanations and interpretations of the form and its name . In most cases explanations don’t go further than literal translation and explanation of each character in the name . Eaven this simple way of explaining the meaning of the form’s name have deep implications on training and training but it Is far from complete and full meaning of the name .We also have to be aware of the fact that Wing Chun, at the very beginning had only one form and name of that was –Siu Nim Tao. One form contained and defined the complete system . Later from well know historical reasons one long form was divided to three forms  but name of the original , old , long form stayed and was given to first of three new forms. All three forms were equal parts of the old long form but only the first part continued to exist with same name, the other two parts( forms) got new names. Coincidence ? Or there is a specific reason for this ?

To know the real meaning of Siu Lim Tao we have to go beyond the simple meaning of the characters in which the original name of the is written . Frist we have to be aware that Sui Lim Tao is a name and a name cannot be translated directly , literary but rather has a specific meaning, important and know to Wing Chun practitioners . Like it was said before, today , the most common interpretation doesn’t go beyond simplest translation of each character of the form’s name and tries to give that translation some logical meaning and context . These translations and interpretations are not wrong , and no matter there are pretty different interpretations ,they are for the most part correct but they are far from to be full and complete. I , also do not have full and complete meaning of the form, and that is the beauty of it , but I will return to this fact later. To reveal the meaning of the form we have to start with several simple facts . People who named the form lived in a very different world from today , their mind frame was completely different from anything we can find today and their thoughts and actions were driven by reasons we can’t fully understand today . Words had different meaning at that time and were used in a specific manner in a specific situation from specific group of people , just like today people from specific occupation have their specific vocabulary and sometimes even common words have very different or wider meaning .

We don’t know for sure when was the first version of Wing Chun appeared , but we can guess with a great amount of certainty  it was at the beginning of 19^th century. What we know is , that first version of Wing Chun appeared among Red Boats opera troupe and it contained only one , long form , named Siu Lim Tao. The fact is , many of the Red Boat’s actors were members of the resistance . The other important fact , they were , being actors , better educated than most of the other people of their time. One other thing is also important to have in mind , at that time martial arts were not meant for ‘outsiders” , public teaching was not invented yet and it was something unthinkable , martial arts were kept in secret and terminology used in particular style in most cases was understandable only for the people who were initiated into the teachings . Often, terminology was deliberately confusing and meaningless and it would have no sense to outsiders, especially if martial artists were involved in revolutionary secret societies.

So , what Siu Lim Tao小念頭, actually means. At the beginning , like it was said before , Wing Chun system had only one form, Siu Lim Tao ,and complete teachings, concepts , principles and techniques were in that form . Name of the form had at that time much wider meaning than it has today , at least that is what I believe after decades of practicing and historical research .

Simple translation would be: 小 means small , 念頭 means idea , so the translation would be little or small idea . But if know the form , if we are involved in Wing Chun, and you have to be in order to understand the form and its meaning , it is obvious that this explanation of the name doesn’t cover the whole content of the form , not even the technical part.

First form of Wing Chun is an embodiment of Taoism in technical, conceptual and philosophical way and name of the form implies exactly that.

 Tao is a way", "path", or "principle", an “idea” . Small idea reflects the ultimate one .

Just as in Taoism , The term Tao means "way", "path", or "principle" where Tao denotes something that is both the source of, and the force behind everything that exists , first form has the same meaning and significance for Wing Chun , it is a source  of the system and the force behind it .

First form completely mirror Taoism in every aspect , all major concepts and principles of Taoism are major concepts and principles of Siu Lim Tao , and also they do not have same name , they are identical in their nature and can be explained using exactly same words .  

One of the most important things taught in the first form is how to respond immediately and appropriately to all the changes that occur moment to moment. It is how the fight is developing, a changes happened from moment to moment . This Wing Chun principle is identical to one of the major Taoist virtues known as ”Ziran” . Ziran is defined as naturalness and spontaneity – responding immediately and appropriately to all the changes that occur moment to moment , exactly the same as we define ability and skill to react properly in a fight , to have necessary skills and respond immediately ,without thinking ,where Wing Chun becomes our nature and it spontaneously ‘speaks” when it is necessary . Large part of the system is dedicated to developing this kind of skills , chi sao , various level of sparring and some other drills and exercises .

No opposition , is one of the most important concepts of Wing Chun and again it mirrors one of the most important principles of Taoism, Wu Wei , where this Wing Chun principle of “no oppositions” have its origin , or it is more accurate to say this principle is Wing Chun expression of Wu Wei. Wu wei is typically translated as "non-action". This does not mean that nothing is ever done. Quite the contrary, what this means is that one acts only with purely natural actions, or actions aligned with the Tao. Such actions contain no willfulness or controlling tendencies, no willful strategizing or trying to force things to go a certain way. Instead, those exhibiting wu wei simply go with the flow of things. This is exactly how “no opposition” is explained in Wing Chun . In the original Taoist texts, wu wei is often associated with water and its yielding nature. Same way is used in Wing Chun , technique , just as wu wei can assume any form or shape it inhabits. Wu Wei shaped the technical content and fighting strategies of Wing Chun , all hand positions , wrongly known as “blocks” are designed to offer no direct opposition to the incoming force but to disperse it or change its path .Footwork is developed following the same principle as well as body structure . Body is alight in a specific manner that allows neutralization of the incoming force by simply conduct it to the “ground” in a same manner that the wire conduct electricity. A great amount of power going on through the wire , but there is no opposition in the wire to all that power so the wire stays undamaged , it is the same with wing chun body structure and incoming force .

 

“Three Treasures” of Taoism also play important part in a set of principles from first form.

Jing 精 -sperm/ovary energy, or the essence of the physical body .We all operate with our physical bodies , in Wing Chun we use the body In a very specific way to achieve our goal .

Qi 氣 – vitality energy, including the thoughts and emotions. Qi in Wing Chun can be explained on two ways . First is the combat explanation where Qi is defined as a biomechanical efficiency . This biomechanical efficiency is what old masters called “internal” and it is a basic foundation of Wing Chun and proper understanding is necessary in order to have proper power generation , structure, ability to manage incoming force ect .

Second definition of Qi is the most common one where qi is a form of life energy, or life force.

Shen 神 -spirit or spiritual power as well as mind. In wing chun this concept represents one of the most important principles of the art – intention . “Intention” is one of the major fighting principles but it is purely mental process that effects physical performance and quality of technique execution .Without intention structure of every movement and position as well as the body in general will collapse .

At the end , how come such important and complex set of principles contained in th first form can be named “little idea” ? Using ‘little idea” to describe such a great amount if information clearly associates with Yin and Yang , represent the interplay of opposites. The concepts of yin and yang are central to Chinese religion and philosophy . They form the dynamism of the Tao, or the way of all things. Life is lived inside the interplay of opposites: up and down, hot and cold, male and female, dry and wet, outside and inside, high and low, joy and sadness, peace and war, exertion and rest, life and death, and so on. Yin and Yang symbolize this interplay that is at the center of life's dynamism or energy. Wing Chun style and its fighting concepts have their deepest foundation in this principle . Wing Chun is soft , internal , offers no opposition but expressed techniques will be hard on the opponent , soft, relaxed body will be a hardest obstacle to the incoming force .

“Little Idea” is everything but small , yet ,such a great amount of information , the most important parts of the art ,actually the art its self is expressed by small things , short name and simple , small number of movements.

Siu Lim Tao as well as Wing Chun art is the highest peak not only of Chinese martial arts achievement in a technical sense but also in philosophical and theoretical . First form is amazing tool and it will allow the practitioner to fulfill all his needs for technical knowledge . But first form is more than that , it is , like I said before , an embodiment of Taoism, and just like the philosophical system from which is derived from , first form will allow the practitioner to learn, advance and understand the art as much as he wants and is capable for.First form will follow the practitioner and provide all the answers accoridng to his skill level , education, culture , intelligence , interests ,ect. Technical level of practicing and understanding is just a basic level, a first step in a path of knowledge , intellectual and psychological growth ,in some cases it can be even a spiritual path. First form will give practitioner what he needs , and more , as long as he is ready to explore , to learn , to experiment , to think and to feel . Through constant effort, personal sacrifice, concentrated hard work, aspiration toward perfection first form is transformed and becomes effortless , from physical and psychological point of view .Physical movement and mental effort get close to one another and the boundaries between them are slowly loosening. Siu Nim Tao grows and develops between body, mind and spirit until they eventually unite in order to continue to grow together. Then, everything happens spontaneously, there is only awareness of what is happening, but there is no conscious effort. From this point Siu Nim Tao stops to be something separated from the person, stops to be an activity , stops to be a way of life , it becomes a life its self , involved in every movement , thought , becomes a part of every conscious and unconscious action.  

   

In Tainan , 5. I 2016