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打手歌 - 王宗岳

Song of Issuing Hands by Wang Zongyue

Translated by 冷门道士 - Copyright 2015, All rights reserved.

Introduction

This "Song of Issuing Hands" could also be translated as "Song of the Badass Dude." Da3shou3 (打手) is a bigraph for hired thug or badass guy in general. But "issuing hands" is probably closer to the author's intent. Who the author really was, I couldn't even guess. This version appears to come from that collection by Tang Hao (唐豪) from 1935. It includes the first six lines which appear in all the versions of 打手歌 which I can find. And then it has two final bits that I have only seen here. The first is a two line bit about hitting the opponent first similar to what is in Another View of Taijiquan by Wu Yuxiang and elsewhere. The second is a three line bit which I haven't seen before that seems like some stuff someone stuck on the end.

It would be nice if we could know who wrote what. If I had to say, this is possibly by Wu Yuxiang with the extra bits added on by one or two later people. I personally don't believe in Wang Zongyue. He is supposed to be a student of Zhang Sanfeng, who is himself severely lacking in any reasonable proof of existence. Perhaps this all comes from the Yangs having been more or less illiterate. Yang Chengfu valued books enough to have his students write two or three volumes for him to put his name on. The original Yang, Luchan, could probably read and write a bit from working in shops but was not educated. And there is no evidence I know of that any of his offspring were better educated than he was. My point here is that because none of the Yangs wrote, their students were reluctant to put their own name or the Yang's name on these documents, at least until Zhengfu's time. So all we get for attribution are martial versions of The Yellow Emperor.

I have spared you having to read another rhymed song. I got that out of my system with the Song of the Thirteen Powers and promise not to do it again. Don't hesitate to do your own songsmithing on this piece and share it with us if you do. And don't forget to let us know what tune to sing it to.

Comments and improvements upon the rhythm and rhyme of the verse are welcome and may be sent to tangshi@tuxfamily.org. Submitting a comment implies your releasing it under the Creative Commons 3.0 SA License and agreeing to its possible inclusion in future commercial versions of this text.

NOTE: If any of the characters below appear as a big square, that means it is not in the utf-8 font on your device. This can be caused by vendor font choice or by your locale or by the character being so rarely used nowadays as to be found only in utf-16 font sets. If this occurs, you can find the original text on various sites on-line in both simplified and traditional characters. Good luck finding two that match.

The Text

掤履挤按须认真
掤履擠按須認真

An arrow-quiver step which pushes, pressing in, is what I must take to heart.

Bing1 (掤) is a quiver and we have seen this before as a symbol of power held back or in reserve. I take the first person here because of line three below.

上下相随人难进
上下相隨人難進

By always following, I make it hard for the opponent to get in.

Shang4xia (上下) can be "going up and down" but also "superior and inferior," "above and below," and even "about." I have taken it to imply "always."

任他巨力来打我
任他巨力來打我

I let my opponent come with tremendous force to hit me.

Ju4 (巨) is "tremendous," "huge," "gigantic."

牵动四两拨千斤
牽動四兩撥千斤

I lead his force by using five ounces to turn aside eleven hundred pounds.

Bo1 (拨) I have previously translated as "uproot." But it is more specifically "to push aside" or "to turn round." Qian1 (牵) is "to lead an animal by a tether or leash."

引进落空合即出
引進落空合即出

I draw him into emptiness, join and promptly issue.

Longer and more accurate: From outside (his awareness), I draw him into failure, joining with him and immediately venting (fluid energy).

粘连黏随不丢顶
粘連黏隨不丟頂

By adhering to him, no matter what he does, I do not lose my advantage.

Bu4diu1ding3 (不丢顶) can almost be translated "I do not come down from the pinnacle."

又曰
又曰

Furthermore:

Most versions of "Song of Issuing Hands" do not have what follows. They have only the lines above.

彼不动己不动
彼不動己不動

The opponent is motionless; so I do not move.

彼微动己先动
彼微動己先動

The opponent moves a tiny bit; so I preempt him.

Perhaps intended as: The opponent signals that he is about to move; so I move first. These two lines appear in other taijiquan classics with minor variations.

劲似松非松
勁似鬆非鬆

My manifest energy seems soft but it is not.

Jing4 (劲) is vigor, energy, strength, power. Song1 (松) is loose, slack, soft, untied.

将展未展
將展未展

And I am ever on the verge of issuing.

Literally, you will put (fluid energy) into effect but have not yet put it into effect. It is in reserve, in the arrow-quiver but ready to come forth.

劲断意不断
勁斷意不斷

Energy can come and go but my consciousness is continuous.

Or, issuing comes and goes; mind remains constant. Yi4 (意) can be purpose, intent, mind, consciousness, expectation and too many more to list. These last three lines of 5, 4, and 5 characters are possibly an afterthought, written in by who knows who.

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