Whenever you move, the whole body must be light and agile
In particular, it must be connected.
Qi (vital energy) must be directed towards activity,
While Shen (spirit) must be stored inside.
In no place should there be insufficiency or deficiency,
In no place should there be holes or dents,
No place should be shortened or over-extended.
The root is in the feet;
The discharge is produced by the legs,
The controlling power is in the waist,
And the appearance is in the hand and fingers.
From the feet to the legs to the waist,
Everything must be completely uniform and accomplished in one breath (literally, one Qi),
Whether moving forward or backward.
This will result in good synchronization and correct movements.
If in some places synchronization and correct movement are not achieved,
Body movements become arbitrary and disordered.
The disease must be sought in the waist and legs.
Top and bottom, front and back, left and right are all like this.
In general, this is controlled by Yi (intention) and not externally.
If there's top, immediately there's bottom;
If there's front, immediately there's back;
If there is left, immediately there is right.
If Yi is to go up,
Yi to go down is there at once.
Or, if you lift something,
Then Yi is there to smash it down with increased force.
In this way its roots will be severely tested
And the destruction will be swift and beyond doubt.
Emptiness and substance must be clearly distinguished.
Every place, of course, has its own balance of emptiness and substance,
Each place consists of that, an empty and a substantial.
Each part of the body in turn is suspended together,
Without causing the slightest rupture.
This Chang Chuan (this long boxing),
It's like the great river, the Chang Jiang,
That surges and flows, without interruption.
Of the thirteen tactics,
Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou and Kao;
They are the Eight Trigrams.
Advance, Retreat, Turn Left, Look Right and Stabilize in the Center;
These are the Five Elements.
Peng, Lu, Ji and An,
Are the trigrams Chien, Kun, Kan, Li, the four cardinal points.
Cai, Lie, Zhou and Kao
Are the trigrams Sun, Chen, Tui, Ken, the four corners.
Advance, Retreat, Turn Left, Look Right and Stabilize in the Center;
Are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth.
This text is often attributed to the Taoist hermit Chang San-feng (14th century), but there is no evidence one way or the other.