The meaning of 六合八法 (liu he ba fa)

When I started practicing Tàijí太極 (Tai Chi in Wade-Giles romanisation of Chinese characters) little I knew about East Asian culture and philosophy.

As a young man mostly exposed to scientific ideas my only contact with Eastern philosophies was through seminal books like ‘the tao of physics: an exploration of the parallels between modern physics and eastern mysticism’ by theoretical physicist Fritjof Capraand ‘the zen in the art of archery’ (zen in der kunst des bogenschießens) by german philosophy professor Eugen Herrigel.

My Tai Chi practice started in 1993 under the guidance of Taoist master John W. Shadow who, during training, often emphasised key words like Qi, Heart/Mind, Intention, Purity, Form, Roundness, Uprightness, Following, Restraint without suppression and, most importantly, Spirit. When I met him for the first time, he said that he had been on a quest for the Spirit for more than 30 years. There and then my foot was set on the same path.

John taught us in a traditional Chinese manner giving little or no explanation about the movements, primarily stressing the importance of the art of following and, most notably, daily sunrise practice; therefore, I did not have any idea that there were many forms of Tai Chi each carrying a different lineage and a different name. Only after several years of practice we were told the name of our form, ‘liùhébāfǎ tàijí style’, and the name of John’s Hong Kong Cantonese teacher, 方柏盛Fong Pak Shing (Fāng Bǎishèng in mandarin).

After more than thirty years of Tai Chi practice, twenty of traditional acupuncture and a few of classical language exposure, I have finally attempted at translating the lines describing the meaning of the form John taught me.

In the book ‘A Study of liùhébāfǎ Boxing’ 六合八法拳學 by Chen Yiren 陳亦人published in Hong Kong in 1969 the lines about the six harmonies and eight methods (六合八法) seem to be a mix of Classical Chinese, Technical Terminology from Chinese martial arts and Taoist internal alchemy (nèidān內丹). The tone is poetic and technical at the same time and the content so rich and dense that it cannot be rendered in English without the risk of misinterpreting and distorting its multilayered meanings. What follows is my attempt at translating the text maintaining its poetic tone and rendering what, I understand, is its intended meaning.

吾宗心意法六合為體八法為用
The doctrine of our lineage based upon the relationship between heart (xīn 心) and intention (yì 意) teaches that the six harmoniesact as the underlying principles and the eight methods are their actualisation.

六合
the six harmonies:

（一）體合於心
(1) the substance of the body harmonises with the heart

（二）心合於意
(2) the heart with intention

（三）意合於氣
(3) intention with qì (the vital breath)

（四）氣合於神
(4) qì with the spirit (shén 神)

（五）神合於動
(5) the spirit with movement

（六）動合於空
(6) movement with emptiness

八法
the eight methods:

（一）氣行氣集神
(1) qì circulate, qì gather, the spirit [arrives]

（二）骨骨勁內歛
(2) bones, as bones, store the power deeply inside

（三）形化象模仿
(3) the form transforms into the essential image of what imitates

（四）隨圓通策應
(4) follow roundness, connect without obstructions; the proper response will arise

（五）提頂懸虛空
(5) lift the crown [of the head] and the body will feel like suspended in a boundless void

（六）還往來返復
(6) return, advance, come back and reverse again and again

（七）勒定靜守虛
(7) restrain yourself [without suppression], be calm, be still and guard the emptiness

（八）伏隱現藏機
(8) lie hidden as someone with no intentions and the stored power of the pivotal mechanism (機 jī/Chi) will manifest.

開闔升降
opening and closing, ascending and descending
化象虛空
transform the essential image into void
神形清靈
spirit and form are pure and potent
動定靜通
movement, stability and stillness lead to unobstructed communication.

行功十六字
sixteen-character to guide the practice:
一吸便提氣氣歸臍
one inhalation, then lift; all qì return to the navel
一提便咽火水相見
one lift, then swallow; the fire [of the heart] and the water [of the kidney] encounter one another.

Even though semantically consistent, this translation, as any translation attempting to bridge two cultures so diverse, is affected by a high level of interpretation. A more explicative, at times literal translation is indispensable to explain either the rationale behind my interpretation of the lines or the stratified philosophical, cultural and medical meanings of the most relevant Chinese characters employed in the original text.

六合八法 Liù hé bā fǎ
Literally ‘six unions eight methods’

合 hé.

According to the context the character can be translated as to unite, be in alignment, in accordance with’ or even ‘ harmonise with.’ This is why六合 Liùhé is often translated as six harmonies. Furthermore, 合 hé is homophone (same sound but different character) with和hé harmony.

法 fǎ

Etymologically, it is composed by the water (水) radical氵(water in classical Chinese thinking is the ultimate model for fairness and justice because it naturally levels taking the shape of its container) and 去 (to ‘go’, ‘remove’); hence, can be rendered as to ‘model oneself on the natural fairness of water, to remove what is unjust’. It conveys a series of meanings ranging from the concrete to the philosophical. Primarily, it represents a standard, a model, or a method. In contemporary use it mostly refers to established codes of conduct (law, constitution, rules for a language). Traditionally, it was rendered as ‘technique’, a ‘way to handle something’, a solution, or a teaching system, as in ‘the doctrine of the Buddha’ (佛法 fófǎ). It is also used to identify a ‘model’ as a calligraphy to be copied (法书 fǎshū) or a principle of nature. In this case 法 (fǎ) are eight operational laws of movement which are the functional actualisation of the substantial principles contained within the six harmonies.

六八 Liù 6 bā 8
Literally ‘six’ and ‘eight’.

The 數理 Shùlǐ, the principles/patterns behind numbers, has played a central role in Chinese civilisation since its inception. Numbers were always used to symbolically group specific qualities, so that heterogeneous phenomena could be merged using numerical analogies. This idea implies that by knowing the structure of numbers, humans could gain a better understanding of the world. Within this context, six and eight are two very important numbers.

六 liù (six) has a strong resonance with heavenly manifestations. In fact, the compound 六合 Liùhé is used in Chinese cosmology to describe what contains everything (the whole universe) because the six unions depict the four cardinal points plus the above and below; basically six reference axis which identify any possible location in space. In Chinese medicine 六合are six important confluent points around the neck. In martial arts 六合 refers to the internal and external coordination of the body (i.e. the three external unions/harmonies: shoulders with hips, elbows with knees, hands with feet or the three internal unions/harmonies: heart/mind with intention, intention with qi, qi with strength).

八 bā (eight) is an extremely important numerical archetype in Chinese culture, too. It is a deeply auspicious number, symbolising completeness and prosperity as the totality of the interactions of yin/yang can be deducted from the eight trigrams (八卦 Bā Guà) of the Book of Change (YìJīng易經). When number eight is used, it always evokes the eight trigrams, their directions and all the possible permutations of a system. The characters bā fǎ八法appears in several major domains of Eastern culture: in Chinese calligraphy they represent the eight principles of Yong 永字八法 (Yǒngzì bā fǎ), in Chinese medicine the eight therapeutic methods 八法 (bā fǎ), in Chinese law and bureaucracy the eight rules for impeachment 八法 (bā fǎ), and finally, in martial arts they are akin to the eight core techniques or the eight gates.

吾宗心意法 Wú zōng xīnyì fǎ
I translated this line as the doctrine of our lineage based upon the relationship between heart and intention teaches that; however, it literally should be rendered as
‘Our ancestors Heart-Intention Doctrine’

宗 Zōng is the altar to the ancestors and can be rendered as ‘ancestral’. In a classical context it heavily implies a lineage, something coming from our ancestors.

法 fǎ, in this case, has been translated as ‘doctrine’ instead of ‘method’

六合為體 liùhé wéi tǐ
The six harmonies are the Substance
八法為用 bā fǎ wéi yòng
The eight methods are the Function

體用 Tǐ and Yòng
Translated literally as Substance (tǐ) and Function (yòng), these characters make up a core philosophical pair in Chinese philosophy.

體 (tǐ) is the substance, essence, or material basis of a something (also used to represent the structure of the human body). It is what a thing is, its structural reality or its substantial structure.
用 (yòng) is the function, operation, activity, or manifestation that arises from the tǐ. It is the actualisation of the potential inherent in the tǐ.

Like other pairs in classical Chinese thinking (i.e. yin/yang), Tǐ and Yòng are not dualistic or mutually exclusive; they cannot be separated. There is no tǐ without yòng, and no yòng without tǐ. They are two aspects of a single reality. This applies to objects, living beings and even abstract concepts. For instance, the specific sound (yòng) of a bell is directly determined by the physical properties of the bell (tǐ). You cannot have the sound without that specific structure. The substance and its function are intrinsically linked.

六合Liù Hé – The six harmonies

(一) 體合於心 Tǐ hé yú xīn
I translated this line as ‘the substance of the body harmonises with the heart’ but literally should be rendered as:
(1) The Body unites with the Heart/Mind.

體Tǐ

Here tǐ (same character described above) represents the physicality of the body, its structural, substantial aspect. It is one of three characters used for the human body: Shēn 身(the body from a subjective perspective), Xíng 形 (form, shape, appearance of the body) and Tǐ 體 (the substantial body, made of many parts).

心 Xīn

Translated both as heart or mind, xīn is one of the most profound and complex concepts in Chinese thought. Its translation as ‘heart’ may be merely considered as a starting point as it encompasses a spectrum of meaning far beyond the Western distinctions between heart and mind. Xīn is the dwelling for the神 Shén, spirit or consciousness, but also the place for cognition, emotion, and moral will. It is the integrated centre (hence, core or heart) of a human being, not only the emotional heart or the cognitive brain but, both at once. Beyond the dualism mind-body, it may be rendered as ‘heart/mind’ assuming a vast variety of meanings according to the context in which is used.

(二) 心合於意 Xīn hé yú yì
(2) The Heart/Mind unites with the Intent.

意 Yì

Yì is composed of 音 yīn ‘sound’ and the radical 心 ‘heart’; therefore, it is something that resonates within the heart, an expression of the sound of the heart. Something arising from the heart and taking shape as ‘ideas’, ‘thoughts’, ‘opinions’, ‘meanings’, but also ‘intention’, ‘aspirations’, ‘desires’ and ‘feelings.’ The Líng shū 靈樞, probably the most influential classical Acupuncture treatise, states: ‘that which the heart remembers is called yi’. Normally, it is translated as ‘intention’ even though a less ambiguous and contentious rendering could be ‘attention’ (being present in the momentattentive in the doing).

(三) 意合於氣 Yì hé yú qì
(3) The Intent unites with the vital breath (qì).

氣 Qì

Often erroneously translated as ‘energy’, qì represents the interchange between yin and yang as manifestations of an expansive and contractive movement. It is like the breath of the universe that reverberates in everything that changes. It is a term difficult to translate because it is both what moves and what is moved, this is why, vital breath maybe a better rendering of the term. However, I have decided to leave the term untraslated because ‘qi’ is such a paradigmatic and structural element of East Asian thinking that any translation would result inadequate.

(四) 氣合於神 Qì hé yú shén
(4) The qì unites with the Spirit.

神 Shén

Contemporary Chinese dictionaries translate Shén as ‘divinity’, ‘god’, ‘spirit’, ’mind’, ‘supernatural’, ‘magical’, ‘expression’, ‘look’, ‘vigorous’, ‘intelligent’, ‘vitality’, ‘energy’. Classically, it is the radiant expression of what resides in the void of the heart (心), something that precedes yin/yang. The Book of Changes (YìJīng易經) reads: ‘that which is beyond yin and yang is called shen’. With it, we live, without it, we die. Shén, in the body, is what gives consciousness and direction to every cell, in the universe it is both the initiating and synchronising factor that allows existence; the closest thing to the non-differentiation of the dào (道).

(五) 神合於動 Shén hé yú dòng
(5) The Spirit unites with the Movement.
(六) 動合於空 Dòng hé yú kōng
(6) The Movement unites with Emptiness.

動/空 Dòng/Kōng

The pair動 (dòng – movement/activity)/空 (kōng – emptiness/void) is the evolution of the classical Chinese philosophical pair動/靜 (dòng/jìng – movement/stillness). 動 (dòng) and空 (kōng) are borrowed from Buddhist philosophy (specifically the heart sutra) and imply not just nothingness, but the unconditioned, fundamental nature of reality.

The world of phenomena is characterised by constant change; the mind, grabbed by this flow, becomes restless and attached. However, by attaining emptiness, the mind can see through the nature of the ever-changing phenomena; attachments loosen and the restless mind settles, finding peace. Therefore, here, 空 kōng/emptiness is similar to 靜 jìng/stillness but at a much more fundamental level because it is the stillness behind or within all movement.

Using an analogy dear to Buddhist philosophers, the world of dòng is like the waves on the ocean, constantly rising and falling. The nature of kōng is the water itself, which remains fundamentally unchanged and ‘empty’ of any waveform. When we realise our true nature, as described in the Buddhist Heart Sutra, we transcend duality realising that the greatest activity contains the deepest stillness, not because it is not moving, but because it is, and always was, empty.

八法 Bā Fǎ – The eight methods

(一) 氣行氣集神 Qì xíng qì jí shén
I translated this line as vital ‘breaths circulate, vital breaths gather, the spirit [arrives]’ but literally should be rendered as:
(1) Qì circulate, qì gather, Spirit

The structure of the sentence is made of three concise clauses:

氣行 (Qì xíng): Qì circulates (the second character is the same used for the 5 phases/elements and conveys the idea of a process or a phase in a circulatory movement
- 氣集 (Qì jí): Qì gathers/accumulates/collects.
- 神… (Shén…): Spirit… (the clause is intentionally incomplete, implying an equivalent gathering of the Spirit).

The grammatical relationship between the second and third clause is ambiguous; hence it can be translated as ‘qì circulates; qì gathers, the Spirit collects’ or ‘qì circulates; qì gathers as Spirit’ implying a process of refinement of qì into Shen as in the alchemical transformation: essence > vital breath > spirit.

(二) 骨骨勁內歛 Gǔ gǔ jìn nèi liǎn
I translated this line as ‘the bones, as bones, store the power deeply inside’ but literally should be rendered as:
(2) Bones, bones, power stored internally.

骨 (gǔ) means bone. Proper structure and alignment are paramount in internal practices. In Chinese Medicine bones are an expression of the essences (jīng 精) which in turns create and allow clear thinking (intelligence and clear perception are considered to be the expression of the radiance of the jing). In classical grammar when a noun, as in this sentence, is repeated twice, it can transform it in an adjective describing the character which follows and emphasising its meaning. In this case it can translate as the bones acting as bones.
勁 (jìn) means ‘strength’, ‘power’, energy. It is a crucial term in Chinese martial arts, distinct from ‘力’ (lì), which is raw, muscular strength.
內 (nèi) means internal
歛 (liǎn) means to ‘draw in’, ‘collect’ as an active, conscious process of drawing power inward, preparing it for release.

Gathering and consolidating qi, the Spirit can be supported by the power accumulated inward within the bones.

(三) 形化象模仿 Xíng huà xiàng mófǎng
I translated this line as ‘the form transforms into the essential image of what imitates’ but literally should be rendered as:
(3) ‘Form’ ‘transforms’ ‘image’ ‘emulates’ ‘model’.