Tai Chi: Ma Yueh Liang

Ma Yueh Liang was said to be the last great Tai Chi Master of this age. He was the son-in-law of the founder (?) of Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan (he is a second generation disciple).

Of particular interest is his interpretation of the chinese character Peng. Peng is usually translated as (musculoskeletal) frame. It is also a homophone for one of the primary and fundamental "energies" of Taijiquan, usually translated as "Ward-Off." It is also a homophone for the mythic figure Peng, who was said to stand on the earth and hold the heavens on his back (thus the symbolic representation of the role of man, as that which unites the heaven and the earth).

Liang often spoke of a Yang Peng and a Yin Peng. The Yang Peng is the conventional translation of Peng, which involves the musculoskeletal framework necessary for internal strength. It is this which is usually trained in such practices as Zhan Zhuang (Pile Standing). Liang, however, emphasized the Yin Peng, which he said was possible by changing only one stroke of the conventional character Peng; this Yin Peng was more closely associated with sensitivity...

My teacher, Dr. Quach, referred to internal Peng the last time we spoke. At the time, I thought he was merely referring to Wardoff energy, but it turns out that he was talking about the Peng referred to by Liang. Dr. Quach said that, while it was necessary in initial stages to train the Yang Peng, in other words, develop a firm root so that any attack coming in could be redirected through the body into the ground, in the higher stages, one trained Yin Peng, such that when an opponent attacked, they couldn't get a sense of your root, and thus, would feel as though they were "stepping into a cloud."

I, of course, am still trying to understand Yang Peng, by means of Zhan Zhuang exercises. I recently read a book called the "Dao of Yiquan," which, although primarily about Yiquan (another internal martial art, different from, though along the same lines as Hsingyiquan), talks a lot about Zhan Zhuang or pile standing practices. I hope to eventually realize what the author discussed in that book, the ability to root, and to have ideal structural integration. But it will probably take me years.

If you have the time, check out the book, "Dao of Yiquan." Also, go on Youtube to check out Ma Yueh Liang in some push-hands action.