The Sixty Four Houtian Palms translation

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The Sixty-four Post Heaven Entwining and Changing Palms

後天六十四纏化掌

The Sixty-Four Post Heaven Entwining and Changing Palms

後天掌二十四綱要 The twenty-four key demands of the Houtian palms

眼要明 The eyes should be clear
耳要靈 The ears should be lively
手要快 The hands should be fast
肘要近 The elbows should stick next to the body
腿要彈 The legs should spring
裡要掩 Moving inwards the hand should close and turn
外要撥 Moving outwards the hand should open and twist
上要截 When the hand goes up, it should intercept
下要攔 When the hand moves downward, it should block
領要橫 Ling (leading) One hand will pull across
帶要順 Dai (leading, bringing along) Two hands pull along with the movement
摟要實 Lou (embracing) should be real
抓要實 Zhua (grabbing) A grab must be solid
頓要擢 Dun (shocking and pulling down) should be done suddenly
托要準 Tuo (Lifting up) must be accurate
掖要連 Ye (clasping) should be connected
擠要黏 Ji (pressing) should stick
刁要爆 Diao (hooking) should be explosive
崩要急 Beng (smashing) should be quick
撞要靠 Zhuang (crashing) should be done close
扳要猛 Ban (pulling against) should be fierce and swift
扣要狠 Kou (hooking) should be merciless
步要清 Footwork and stepping should be distinct
身要活 The body must be lively

乾八式 Qian gua

功力掌 Palms for training martial power

為後天掌之綱領, 一要步法練清, 二要身法練活, 三要氣力練足, 四要手法練明.

These are the key methods in practicing the houtians. First, the stepping must be practiced clearly and precisely. Second, the body methods must be lively and flexible. Third, qi and power must be practiced until they are full. Fourth, the hand methods must be practiced clearly and overtly.

歌曰:

掩手順式似蛇形, 進步開掌氣力功

外領捧掌從高坉, 金龍探爪快如風

裏領立掌從外進, 外領挑掌斜掌迎

雙帶進步使蓋掌, 纏手崩拳不放鬆

1.	開掌	kai	opening palm
2.	捧掌	peng	upholding palm
3.	囤掌	dun	pulling down palm
4.	探掌	tan	testing palm
5.	立掌	li	stand erect palm
6.	挑掌	tiao	carry palm
7.	蓋掌	gai	covering palm
8.	纏掌	chan	entwining palm

坎八式 kan gua

為後天打法, 用功練熟, 手急眼快, 可以出手不見形, 打人不見影.

These are the methods for hitting in the houtians. You must practice diligently until they are very familiar. Your hands must be quick and your eyes rapid, then when your arm extends its form will not be seen, and when you hit its shadow will not be seen.

歌曰:

龍形穿手上下探, 裡立截肘左右行

進步藏花急又快, 外砍裡削快如風

外領進步二仙道, 猛虎撲肩把身擰

鳳凰奪窩迴身打, 進步連環把人贏

1.	截肋掌	chui	intercepting ribs palm
2.	葉下藏花掌	cang	flower hidden beneath the leaf
3.	內砍掌	kan	inside chopping
4.	外削掌	xiao	outside cutting
5.	二仙傳道	er	two sages preach the way
6.	惡虎撲羊	hu	ferocious tiger pounces on shoulder
7.	鳳凰奪窩	duo	phoenix robs the nest
8.	進退連環	huan	advancing and retreating continuing

艮八式 Gen gua

內含精巧, 風吹草動, 有觸即應, 其動甚捷, 掌打千斤不費力

The movements within are sophisticated. With the slightest movement, alike the wind blowing the grass, there will be movement. As soon as there is contact there will be a response. Its movement is very nimble. When the palms are hitting one thousand pounds, there will be no wasted strength.

歌曰:

回身打虎肋下藏, 穿手順步轉環強

偷步扳扣面門使, 左右截攔撞胸膛

雙帶停身四頭看, 擄身翻掌上下忙

走步穿掌隨意變, 轉身捧掌肋下撞

1.	穿肋掌	chuan	piercing hand palm
2.	橫搬掌	ban	moving, levering palm
3.	截手掌	jie	intercepting palm
4.	攔手掌	lan	blocking palm
5.	停身掌	ting/ning	stopping with the body palm or twisting body palm
6.	翻手掌	fan	overturning hand palm
7.	走行步	zou	walking palm
8.	轉身掌	zhuan	turning body palm

震八式 Zhen gua

發勁之道四剛四柔 The path to fajing, four hard and four soft.

此八式暗藏巧妙, 隨機應變, 心一動而手足皆應, 眼神一見心中早有準備.

Hidden within these eight forms is clever skill. You will adapt yourself to changing conditions and act according to the circumstances. Your hands and feet will adapt to the situation as soon as your heart moves. Your heart will already be ready as soon as your eyes see.

歌曰

燕翻蓋手翻身行, 推山入海著法靈

進步撈月托天掌, 雙帶虎抱著法精

領法單橫粘要快, 連掌不斷妙然窮

隨法掩肘斜行領, 黏手藏花不放鬆

1.	推山入海	tui	Pushing the mountain into the sea palm
2.	力托千斤掌	tuo	lifting strongly a thousand pounds palm
3.	帶扣掌	dai	carrying palm
4.	外領掌	ling	outside leading palm
5.	沾手掌	zhan	adhering (touching) hands palm
6.	黏手掌	nian	sticking hands palm
7.	連手掌	lian	continuous hands palm
8.	隨手掌	sui	following hands palm

巽八式 Xun gua

點穴分筋挫骨法

For practicing spotting the acupoints and the methods of separating the tendons and sawing the bones.

為肘法急快猛準貼身而用

For practicing the elbow methods, one must be quick, fast, ferocious and accurate. The elbows should stick next to the body for use.

歌曰

扣步轉身反背掌, 開掌轉身擎肘強

彼領進步使盤肘, 下使墜時截法強

進步頂肘急又快, 外領前手橫肘傷

挫肘迭肘使要猛, 搖身鑽時難提防

1.	墩肘	dun	back elbow
2.	盤肘	pan	rolling elbow
3.	墜肘	zhui	sinking elbow
4.	頂肘	ding	upwards elbow
5.	橫肘	heng	lateral elbow
6.	挫肘	cuo	filing the elbow
7.	疊肘	die	fold at the elbows
8.	鑽肘	zuan	drilling elbow

離八式 li gua

為腿擊法一腿三著能踢二十四截腿

This is for methods of striking with the legs. Each form will have three moves, leading to being able to kick with twenty-four intercepting legs.

歌曰

倒步擰身探馬名, 擄身前趨膝下贏

回身後踢使踹腿, 外擺裏掛前後胸

上踢後海前踢面, 外領下截連環蹬

擄手橫掃斜趟腿, 雙墆門撞不容情

1.	前趨腿	qu	front shin kick (forward hastening legs)
2.	後踹腿	chuai	rear kick
3.	外擺腿	bai	outside crescent kick
4.	內掛腿	gua	inside hook kick
5.	上踢腿	ti	high kick
6.	下截腿	cai	low stomping kick
7.	斜掃腿	tang	side kick / leg trap (slanting sweeping leg)
8.	正撞腿	zhuang	straight jamming leg

坤八式 kun gua

沾黏纏化 Touching, sticking, entwining and changing

行步有法, 出手有招, 手眼相隨, 身步相隨.

The footwork has a method. When the hands go out there is form. The hands and eyes should mutually follow each other. The body and footwork should mutually follow one another.

歌曰

搖身背插掌法靈, 進步掖掌肋下攻

拗步擄手使擠掌, 進步刁掌打前胸

進步擄手橫撞掌, 上步剪插反掌崩

外領裡立里撞掌, 裡扣外扳快如風

1.	掖掌	ye	clasping palm
2.	擠掌	ji	pressing palm
3.	刁手	diao	hook hand palm
4.	摟手	lou	embracing body palm
5.	崩打	beng	jabbing strike
6.	撞掌	zhuang	crashing palm
7.	扣掌	kou	hooking the face palm
8.	搬掌	ban	moving the eyebrows palm

兌八式 Dui gua

心法之變 Methods of changing the heart

練身法敏捷, 手急眼快, 內含陰陽動靜變化.

One should practice so that the body methods are nimble, the hands are quick and the eyes are fast. Within it should contain the changing of yin and yang, movement and stillness.

歌曰

迴身扳扣將身停, 猿猴搗手身後攻

狸虎敲心胸前打, 吸身橫撞將人贏

伏身撈胯下盤使, 搖身撞掌把腰擰

閃身扣掌急又快, 猛虎躥山快如風

1.	猿猴擣把	dou	pounding (shaking) palm (apes pounding the handle)
2.	貍虎敲心	li	wildcat beats the heart
3.	吸身掌	xi	drawing in the body palm
4.	伏身撈胯	kua	straddling palm (bend over and scoop up the hip)
5.	搖身掌	yao	swaying body palm
6.	閃身掌	shan	evasive (dodging) body palm
7.	橫撞掌	heng	crossing crashing palm
8.	猛虎躥山	cuan	pouncing palm (ferocious tiger leaps up to the mountain)

Important theory on Application 用法要論

快招出迅速, 要求眼快, 手快, 步快.

Fast – Your movements should come out rapidly. The eyes need to be quick, the hands need to be quick and the stepping needs to be quick.

狠一動即狠, 心要毒, 手要狠.

Merciless – As soon as you move you should be ruthless, your heart should be poisonous and your hands should be cruel.

變以順求巧, 以巧破千力.

Change – Use smoothness to seek skill and use skill to defeat a thousand pounds.

九字訣 The Nine character Song

順自然

Smooth – One should be natural in their movements.

勇果決

Courage – One should be brave and decisive in their actions.

直發必中

Direct – Every time you shoot you hit.

巧借力使力破千斤

Skillful – Borrow and skillfully apply force to defeat one thousand pounds.

妙變化多端, 出手不見形

Subtle – Change without end, when the hand extends the opponent will not see it's shadow: Change to the level where your attacks and counters are not seen.

連沾黏連隨, 招勢不斷

Continuous – In sticking, adhering, connecting and following, your movement will be unbroken.

狠動不容情

Merciless – Your movements and attacks should not show any emotion or feelings. You should be cruel and ruthless.

急一觸即發緊快

Quick – Be tight and swift as if on the verge of breaking out at any moment.

功內外功力

Skill (Gong) – Internal and external power.

高義盛 More from Gao Yisheng

凡與人交手不必著數太多 , 博而不精, 一體變化無窮而已. 藝家比武, 如同將師之用兵有好兵無勇將, 不能取勝, 有好藝無功夫不能贏人, 所謂兵不在多而在勇, 藝不在多而在精 .

When crossing hands with ordinary people you do not need to use too many techniques, broad knowledge of many techniques is not refinement; the changes within a body are simply infinite. When skilled people compete in martial skills it is similar to a general using his soldiers: having good soldiers without brave officers and you can not win battles, having good skill in technique without good kungfu and you can not win over others. Therefore in speaking of soldiers it is not in their numbers that is important it is their bravery; skill and technique being plentiful is not as important as their refinement.