The Eight Energies and the Five Directions

In Taijiquan we occasionally talk about the Thirteen Pieces of the Brocade. What's meant by that is the 8 fundamental energies(Ba Jin) that make up all of Taijiquan and the 5 directions or phases(Wu Xing). Originally these 13 ideas made up the original motions of the old Taijiquan, a set that has been expanded incrementally into the 108 motion form we practice today.

The eight energies may be called many things by different teachers. In my teaching they are called "jin", loosely meaning "power". Jin is a different kind of idea than Qi. Where Qi is a general idea encompassing energy that "can be seen only by it's affect on other things", Jin is much more specific and transient. The best example I have used is the feeling of standing in a river or stream and feeling a sudden upwelling of the current. It arises without warning from nowhere and as quickly as it comes, it returns to nowhere. This is the core feeling of using Jin, it cannot be held or sustained, it comes from deep beneath your feet and once expressed disappears as you relax.

The 8 energies we will discuss in this blog are as follows:

Peng - Ward Off
Lu - Rollback
Ji - Press
An - Settle
Cai - Pluck
Zhou - Elbow
Kao - Bump
Lieh - Split

Like all good things in Taijiquan these names are images and ideas that do not so much reveal the nature of these energies as hint at them. In the next article I will explore these 8 kinds of Jin in depth from my first hand experience with them in Taijiquan.

The 5 phases are another important concept used not only in Taijiquan, but in other internal styles, most notable of course being Xingyiquan. The 5 phases detail the relationship of the basic elemental phases as they relate to each other in the natural world. These 5 archetypes are symbolic for everything from technique, to personality, to flavor and constitution.

The 5 phases are as follows:

Water
Wood
Fire
Earth
Metal

In future articles I will discuss the various meanings and associations of these elements, how they are arranged, and how the energy moves from one to the other.

Understanding and applying these concepts to your practice are essential in bring the magic and power of Taijiquan out from a series of otherwise simple movements and breathing exercises. The process can be daunting to be certain, however the fruits of your effort will bear again and again through your practice and daily life.

What is Taijiquan?

Everyone wonders, though few actually ask, what is Taijiquan? For many it's a mysterious exercise the elderly are sometimes spotted doing together in a park on those morning when most of us are safely tucked in our beds, warding off the inevitable alarm by just another 15 minutes. To state that Taijiquan is an exercise to promote health and longevity simplifies thing far too much to become aware of it's true value and potential. Let us take a few minutes to explore one of the most commonly under estimated and valuable arts available to us today.

Taijiquan is many things. Art, exercise, martial system, dance, ritual and more. To begin to understand Taijichuan we will first break down the name into something less exotic and more descriptive than a word in a foreign tongue.

Tai - Ultimate, Great, Vast, All; the idea of Tai is that of a force that is so large, old and primal that is inhabits everything and encompasses everything. Literally it means "Ultimate" or "Total", but these are only approximations for our language.

Ji(or Chi) - Breath, Life, Energy; the concept of Ji is even slipper than Tai is as important to understanding Taijiquan than as it is difficult to understand in itself. Literally "Breath" or "Energy" is the common translation of the term, but again this is a gross synonym at best. Ji is better explained as "a force that can only be observed by the effect it has in or on visible matter". This means that Ji is as much wind and electricity as life and breath. For our purposes Ji relates to the general idea of existence itself.

Quan(or Chuan) - Dance, Fist, Ritual, Art; in Quan we have a concept that has a deep history in the social and religious communities of a very ancient country. Commonly the term loosely means "fighting style" in context, but Quan is much deeper and broader of an idea. Once upon a time it was village life that dominated the civilizations of the orient and as a part of village life came a certain village pride. To demonstrate the power and pride of the local community groups would travel from village to village spreading their regional religious beliefs local arts. This behavior was essential for refreshing commerce, social ties and even mutual defense between villages. As part of these travels small festivals were held and martial styles were demonstrated by the visiting party, along with music, dance, circus and theater. This is the root of Quan - the traditional ritual demonstrations that showed a village's prowess and value.

Combining these terms we have the following equation: All + Energy + Dance = Taijiquan.

That, at it's most basic, is what we are discussing. In this blog I will explore openly the quirks, magic, and mystery of the "Supreme Ultimate Fist" and it's various benefits that can be won through hard work, diligent practice, a little faith and a good dose of humor. What is Taijiquan? I never did really answer that question.

Perhaps I don't really know myself. That's the funny thing about the Way: "The Tao that can be explained is not the Tao."

Some questions just don't have good answer. Usually the best ones are like that.