Fajin or Fajing

[Xue Sheng]

It is Fajin not fajing actually (also see here)

fā jìn, 發勁 is issuing power or literally shoot strength Fajing is not

jīng (&#31934 closest english is essence and it is used in discriptions of the body in TCM - jing qi shen = essence, energy, spirit

However fa jing has nothing to do with issuing power like we tend to discuss in the CMA section when dealing with things internal and Taijiquan. From what I am told on mainland you will not see a combination of fā and jīng and if you talk to a Chinese person, or at least my wife or Sanda sifu (both Northeners) and refer to Fajing they will likely thing you are fā shén jīng which translates to crazy. There is a fajing but I beleive it is fājìng which is 4th tone not 1st tone (jīng &#31934 and it used in saying your body is tight or stiff

And I have been guilty as the next person of using fajing in the past.

I have yet to run this past my Taiji Sifu but I will soon.

 

[blindsage]

Xue, all of the above is true, I have no doubt (since I don't speak Mandarin, I'll take your word for it ). But in many, many, older books in English, (and according to many Chinese instructors) fajing has been used to refer to what you (and I) call fajin. This may ultimately be grammatically incorrect (which I agree with), and I want to blame Wades Giles but it appears that this is just a mistake that was repeated early and often. So, just telling people, "You're wrong", doesn't really address the problem. People aren't using fajing instead of fajin because they pulled it out of thin air, they read or were told that fajing is the correct word. Can I just blame Wade and Giles anyway?

 

[pete]

Why not just speak english if that is the native language of both the speaker/writer and the listener/reader?

 

[clfsean]

Why not just speak english if that is the native language of both the speaker/writer and the listener/reader?

Then why call it <insert style name here> in it's native language to advertise & draw students??

It's similiar to walking into a bar & saying "Yeah gimme a shot of the Russian potato liquor" or going to a Mexican restaurant and ordering "one of those big round flour flatbread things with beef, cheese, and the smushed avacado with lime, pepper and spices".

 

[blindsage]

Why not just speak english if that is the native language of both the speaker/writer and the listener/reader?

The link in your signature says your school teaches Tai Chi and Kenpo Karate, why not say you teach Grand Ultimate Fist and Empty Hand Fist Way?

 

[pete]

probably because my google search results are better left as-is.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Xue, all of the above is true, I have no doubt (since I don't speak Mandarin, I'll take your word for it ). But in many, many, older books in English, (and according to many Chinese instructors) fajing has been used to refer to what you (and I) call fajin. This may ultimately be grammatically incorrect (which I agree with), and I want to blame Wades Giles but it appears that this is just a mistake that was repeated early and often. So, just telling people, "You're wrong", doesn't really address the problem. People aren't using fajing instead of fajin because they pulled it out of thin air, they read or were told that fajing is the correct word. Can I just blame Wade and Giles anyway?

They weren't told Kung Fu means Chinese martial arts either but we are not stuck with it... or we could all now just refer to it as Shooting strength

Sure blame Wade-Giles... I do... but don't tell anyone that in Wade-Giles it is, I believe, fachin


Oh and I did run this by my taiji sifu...f&#257; jìn, &#30332;&#21185; it is :asian:

 

[clfsean]

Faat Ging!!!!!!

When are you gonna learn properly??

 

[Xue Sheng]

Faat Ging!!!!!!

When are you gonna learn properly??

Not again....Just more Cantonese devil talk :uhyeah:

 

[Tensei85]

Xue,

Great point! I used Fa Jing in a lot of ways to represent Fa Jin personally, though this is incorrect you have to realize sometimes this comes from a improper use of the English translations. As I have yet to come across someone that in English letters utilize Fa Jing when they are referring to "Fa Jin" by the actual characters for "Jing" whereas in Chinese even my Sifu utilizes the correct character for Jin as opposed to Jing but sometimes it may be confusing especially when your not familar with the English language, so in stead of word checking you just type out what someone else told you or what you've seen to make up for not knowing the actual wording. This is by no means an excuse not to find or know the actual wording when speaking those that can't read Chinese but may explain sometimes why its done. But MT took care of my mistakes so "Fa Jin" is the way to go!

Haha, thanks.