Xingyiquan - Eight Vital Points

[Xue Sheng]

There has been some talk about the 10 essences (essentials) of Yang Taijiquan and the essentials of Chen Taijiquan and I just wanted to say something about the essentials of Xingyiquan. Actually they are called the “Eight Vital Points”.

This comes form the book: Xing Yi Nei Gong that was compiled by Dan Miller and Tim Cartmell. Just as a side note the book was dedicated to Wang Ji Wu (1891-1991) who was a Shanxi Style Xingyiquan master.

The Eight Vital Points

1) the inside must be lifted
2) the three hearts must unite
3) the three intents must follow one another
4) the Five Elements must flow smoothly
5) the four terminus must move together
6) the heart must be at ease
7) the three points must be on a line
8) the eyes must focus on a single point

Now just what the heck does this mean you ask…or maybe you don’t… but I will tell you anyway.

1) Lifting the anus, the tongue touches the roof of the mouth and the crown of the head is lifted.
2) The Bai Hui, Lou Gong, Yong Quan points
3) Qi (vital energy), Li (strength), Yi (intention)
4) This is a reference to the 5 internal and 5 external elements of the body; Internal – heart. Liver, spleen, lung, kidney. External – tongue, eyes, mouth, nose, ears. Also note the 5 elements are Earth, Metal, Water Wood, Fire
5) Tongue (the terminus of the flesh), teeth (the terminus of the bones), fingers and toes (the terminus of the connective tissue), the pores (the terminus of the blood vessels)
6) I do not think this needs explanation but basically relax
7) The nose, front hand and front foot
8) Again no explanation really needed but focus

And I want to add something that I do know has been on MT before but it might help clarify why you have some fairly major differences in the basics (essences/essentials) and the basic philosophy of the Internal Chinese Martial Arts styles, particularly Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. They have different mindsets and approaches to confrontation

Taijiquan yields and blends, Baguazhang circles and evades and Xingyiquan smashes right through. Xingyiquan tends to be the most aggressive of the 3, IMO, and in Xingyiquan attack and defense are considered the same things.

 

[Xue Sheng]

There is also the six harmonies as well

The Six Harmonies

The hands harmonize with the feet,
The shoulders harmonize with the hips,
The elbows harmonize with the knees,
The heart harmonizes with the intent,
The intent harmonizes with the qi,
The qi harmonizes with the power.

 

[Ninebird8]

Thank you very much Xue for those definitions, particularly at the end. The only slight disagreement, if you want to call it that, is whether tai ji or external, or ba gua, plus xing yi, at the very high levels attack and defend are the same, footwork is essential, and one great book "Yang's Style Transmissions" by Yang Chen Fu also expresses much of what you have said. If you would, could you perhaps define any differences in rooting, fa jing expression, silk reeling, and breathing patterns (reverse v. embryotic, etc) that you have found between the three major categories? I am interested in your comparisons there as well.

Thanks so much!!

 

[Ninebird8]

One other thing: you mention the Six Harmonies....do these differ much between what you define here and in Li He Bua Fa? I am curious, since the water boxing amalgamates all three major internal styles into a very long lesson in all three combined.

Just curious!

 

[Ninebird8]

Sorry, 31 years of external and 12 years of internal make me follow up again...your fault for your informative answers...LOL!! In Xing Yi and Ba Gua, how do you accomplish the spiritual, or rather, the deep connective tissue of mind and body vs. external arts or tai ji? This may be a vague or specious question, but I ask because my class mate in Ying Jow of 25 years has a senior who is disgusted because she feels she has not attained the spiritual side yet....he has asked my and 5 other high levels their opinion and so, I ask yours?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Thank you very much Xue for those definitions, particularly at the end. The only slight disagreement, if you want to call it that, is whether tai ji or external, or ba gua, plus xing yi, at the very high levels attack and defend are the same, footwork is essential, and one great book "Yang's Style Transmissions" by Yang Chen Fu also expresses much of what you have said. If you would, could you perhaps define any differences in rooting, fa jing expression, silk reeling, and breathing patterns (reverse v. embryotic, etc) that you have found between the three major categories? I am interested in your comparisons there as well.

Thanks so much!!

No disagreement at all. They all are capable of attack and defense at the same time it is just that Xingyiquan's attacks look like attacks and in general its defense is also...well... attack. It just tends to be more aggressive that is all. I have limited experience in Xingyiquan but just about every application I know of Wu Xing is attack and defense at the same time except for those defensive move that shift immediately to attack. THe Taiji I know has move that are also attack and defense but in the case of Taiji, IMO, I would call them combination defense and attack. But Taiji also has purley defensive moves that can absorbe, redirect, yield and blend. Where xingyi tends not to care as much about these.

Where Taijiquan yields and blends it can also attack and where Baguazhang circles and evades it to can attack. But in Xingyi tends to not yield, blend, circle or evade it tends to smash straight through. As one of my sifus said "Xingyi does not back up“. Of course it backs up, there are forms that do to some extent but he was referring to combat, and again it will on occasion back up but the idea of Xingyi is to attack hard first, fast and directly at your opponent who will generally back up to get away but Xingyi follows and continues to attack

 

[Xue Sheng]

Sorry, 31 years of external and 12 years of internal make me follow up again...your fault for your informative answers...LOL!! In Xing Yi and Ba Gua, how do you accomplish the spiritual, or rather, the deep connective tissue of mind and body vs. external arts or tai ji? This may be a vague or specious question, but I ask because my class mate in Ying Jow of 25 years has a senior who is disgusted because she feels she has not attained the spiritual side yet....he has asked my and 5 other high levels their opinion and so, I ask yours?

No problem, I understand, I got a lot of years in myself, let’s put it this way Enter the dragon was a VERY new movie when I started.

I am really not the one to discuss the spiritual side of any martial art with. Could be my up bringing, education or it could be my MA teachers, particularly the CMA guys. My first sensei trained a bit in Japan, got his black belt there I think and he never talked about spirituality and my TKD teacher was trained in and from Korea and never talked about spirituality either. My first sifu was from China (north) and my second sifu was also from China (south) and neither cared about or talked about the spirituality of it at all and anyone else I trained CMA with was either from China or a student of a sifu from China and none tend to get into spirituality. This of course does not mean that there is not a Chinese sifu out there that does not get into spirituality it just means I have not trained with one. And since there are over 1,300,000,000 people in China me training with half a dozen or so does not mean much.

If you look at Chinese society and philosophy it is intrinsic. They do not tend to compartmentalize things in the East like we do in the West. A new student came to my Taiji sifus class and started asking him about spirituality and his response was "I do not know anything about it, I know Taiji". A student also asked my first sifu about it as well and his response was “I have no idea what you are talking about”. Neither thought anything of it and I tend to be much the same way. Back when I taught Taiji I had a couple of students that were interested in the spirituality side of things and I did not discuss it with the either, I did however suggest books for them to look for if that is what they wanted but I do not discuss it much since as I said it is intrinsic and it is also quite individualistic and personal so to me person ‘A’ judging person ‘B’ based for not attaining a certain level of spirituality based on what person ‘A’ feels it is makes no sense. But that is just me and just to let you know I truly mean no offense here, it is just how I think. But it is kind of like person ‘A’ saying they have reached a more enlightened state than person ‘B’ because person ‘A’s” favorite color is green and ‘B’s’ favorite color is red.

And I am far from qualified to answer any questions about Bagua. I learned 2 forms (not systems) from my first sifu and it was just form with little or no application.

As to any connection between mind and body in Taiji, as far as I know and based on anything my sifu ever said, do the form don’t worry about it and it will come. As for Xingyiquan it is all in santi shi training and Zhan Zhuang and the other standing postures of Xingyiquan