形意拳四法/Xingyiquan Si Fa – Xingyiquan’s Four Methods

形意拳四法, 一曰身法, 二曰手法, 三曰腳法, 四曰步法。

Xingyiquan has Four Methods: the first is Body Method, second is Hand Method, third is Leg Method, fourth is Stepping Method.

身法: 不可前攏後仰, 不可左斜右歪, 往前一直而進, 向後一直而退。

Body Method: It shouldn’t bend forward or lean backward, it shouldn’t slant left or tilt right, moving forward is straight forward advancing, moving backward is straight backward retreating.

手法: 其勁在腕, 其力在指, 轉動靈活, 開合自如。

Hand Method: Its Jin is in the wrist, its Li is in the fingers, turn around with agility, Open & Close freely.

腳法: 腳起而躦, 腳落而翻, 不躦不翻, 一寸而先。

Leg Method: When the leg rises it’s Jumping, when the leg falls it’s Overturning, when neither Jumping nor Overturning, then one inch ahead.

步法: 又有寸步, 疾步, 躦步三法。寸步者, 即张身用寸力催逼而進, 後足一蹬, 前足自進。疾步者, 馬形步也。其要全在後足用力, 所謂消息全憑後足蹬也。躦步者, 一足放直前進, 後足隨之。步法除寸疾二步外, 躜步最為普通, 在三步中尤稱最要者也。

Step Method: Again, there are three methods, Inch Step, Quick Step, & Jump Step. Inch Step is, to expand the body & use Inch Force to press & advance, the rear foot presses & the lead foot naturally advances. Quick Step is, the Horse Shape’s Step. It requires the whole of the rear foot to exert strength, this is what is called “the news completely depends on the rear foot’s treading.”  Jump Step is, one foot goes straight forward, & the rear foot follows it. The Step Method could remove Inch & Quick, as these two steps are additions, with Jump Step being the most common. Among the Three Steps it is particularly fit to be called the most important.