“八法五步”与“十三势”意蕴研究

Research on the connotations of“Eight Techniques and Five Steps”and“The Thirteen Postures”

“八法五步”是现代人在传统“八卦五行”理论基础上对“十三势”这种武术形式的“创新性认识”。通过对最早记录有“十三势”的拳谱——武氏太极拳创始人传抄的老三本、博爱唐村李氏《拳谱》中“掤、捋、挤、按、採、挒、肘、靠”(八法)与“进、退、顾、盼、定”(五步)的相关内容的逻辑与意蕴研究可知,“八法五步”将“十三势”理解成太极拳的八种动作方法和五种步法是不符合其原始意蕴的,更不能将其等同于太极拳。所谓的“八法”实为太极拳习练中的八种“内劲”,太极拳的每个动作劲力都由八种“内劲”中的两种以上劲力所组成。此外,传统上认为“五步”挈合五行理论,实际上这种解释较为牵强,对太极拳实践的指导意义不明确。

“Eight Techniques and Five Steps”is a modern innovative perception of“The Thirteen Pos-ture”s based on the traditional theory of“Eight Diagrams and Five Elements”.This paper studies the contents and connotations of“The Thirteen Postures”recorded in the earliest Taijiquan handbooks involv-ing the old three books passed down from the founder of Wu-style Taijiquan and Li-style Taijiquan Manual from Tang Village,Bo’ai County.“Eight Techniques”refer to“Peng(warding off),Lv(rolling back),Ji(pressing),An(pushing),Cai(pulling down),Lie(splitting),Zhou(elbowing),Kao(body stroke)”,and“Five steps”refer to“Jin(advancing),Tui(retreating),Gu(shifting left),Pan(shift-ing right),and Ding(central equilibrium)”.Studies reveal that“The Thirteen Postures”interpreted as“Eight Techniques and Five Steps”of Taijiquan is not in line with its original implication,also cannot be equated with Taijiquan.In fact,the supposed“Eight Techniques”are eight“inner forces”in Taijiquan practice,and the force of each posture contains two or more forces of the eight inner forces.Addition-ally,the general interpretation of“Five Steps”being in accordance with the theory of Five elements is far-fetched,which is not helpful to guide the practice of Taijiquan.