Chen Bing - On Practicing Slowly

　 2010年国庆期间，我在陈家沟陈炳老师的陈家沟国际太极院学习了些时日，期间，就一些心中的疑惑请教了炳师，陈炳老师的耐心解答如拨云见日，一洗心中积累已久的疑惑，受益不少。现将炳师的解答和自己的感悟，整理出来，以资拳友参考。

During the National Day celebrations of 2010, I studied for a few days at Chen Bing Laoshi’s Chenjiagou Internaional Taiji Institude in Chenjiagou. During this period, I had a few questions I asked Teacher Bing to explain. Chen Laoshi’s patient answer was like dispelling the clouds and seeing the sun, washing away the doubts which had accumulated in my mind, benefiting me greatly. Now I will lay out Teacher Bing’s answer and my appreciation of it as reference for our taiji friends.

　　在公园里、在电视上，在全国各地，我们到处都可以看到太极拳的爱好者在练太极，慢慢的缓缓的松松的轻轻的柔柔的，如一幅恬静的美丽图画一般，这就让我由此产生了一个疑问，而且这个疑问在心中是积累得越来越大。

In the parks, on TV, throughout the country, everywhere we go we can see fans of taijiquan practicing taijiquan, slowly, without haste, relaxed, lightly, softly, like a tranquil, beautiful painting. It was from this that a question arose, moreover accumulating ever larger in my mind.

The question is this: is it the case in taijiquan that the slower one practices the better?

　　陈炳老师的耐心解答，使得我对这个问题有了深入的了解。

Chen Laoshi’s patient answer brought me to a deep understanding of the question.

　　慢，是为了在最初的时候寻找身体中的静、松、定的状态、感觉；如果快练，动作一晃而过，来不及体会，根本无法寻找到、感受到身体内部的变化，所以要慢慢地练习，慢慢在练习的过程中去仔细体会、寻找。不仅仅要寻找身体内部的静、松、定，也要去仔细地寻找每一个式子里的静、松、定。不仅仅在静止的定式时保持这种状态，在拳势的运动过程中也仍然要保持这种状态。

Slowness at first is for seeking the state and feeling of jìng, sōng, and dìng; if one practices fast, the movements flash by, with not enough time to experience them. Basically there is no way to find them, to feel the changes going on inside the body. Therefore, practice slowly, and in the process of practicing slowly, experience in detail, seek. Not only must one seek within the body jìng, sōng, and dìng, one must also seek in detail the jìng, sōng, and dìng of every posture. One must not only maintain this state when coming to rest when a posture is set, one must also maintain this state in the process of moving into postures.

　　怎么样保持呢？那就是不能快。快了动作容易变形走样，某些细节与细微处一不小心就容易忽略过去了，而“细微之处见精神”，这即是一句流传甚广的名言，也是太极拳精义的一种体现。细微之处尽管只是一举手、一投足，一点一滴、一丝一毫，但滴水藏海、一叶知秋，从其一举一动之中，可以看出拳艺的水平高低。

How does one maintain this? It’s for this reason that one cannot go fast. In fast movements, it is easy to go astray. As soon as one is not careful, certain details and subtleties are easy to overlook; moreover, “the devil is in the details”3, a widely known saying, is also a kind of embodiment of the essentials of taijiquan. Those subtle places, even though only raising a hand, throwing a foot, or any little bit – but dripping water fills the ocean, a single leaf heralds fall. In these movements can be seen the level of taijiquan skill.

　　太极拳就好比是个精细的雕刻，需要我们慢慢地仔细雕刻，原本是一个粗略的大胚，只有经过日复一日的精雕细刻，才会逐渐初具形态，再到略有完整，再到神韵具备，形神合一。慢工出细活。所以在刚开始的时候快不得，心急吃不了热豆腐。在以前，老一辈的名家明师传授技艺的时候，常常是一次只传一式，一式反复练习，一式不会则不教下一式。这样教学虽然看起来慢，但基础打得扎实，一步一个脚印，很是稳健，动作式子不容易走形出偏差。

Taijiquan can be compared to a fine carving. It requires that we slowly, meticulously carve. The original piece is a rough block. Only by undergoing day-by-day meticulous carving is one able to begin to have the form, then to have a bit of completion, then to having gracefulness, the form and the spirit as one. Slow work produces fine art.4 Therefore, when first beginning one must not move fast, as hot doufu cannot be eaten in haste.5 In the past, when famous teachers of the older generations passed down the art, often only one form was passed on at a time, repeatedly practicing the form, and not until the student had mastered it would they go on to the next form. Although teaching this way seemed slow, the basics were solid. One step, one footprint, very stable and steady, moving through the postures one will not easily go astray and develop defects.

　　初习太极拳，在教学上体现出一个 “慢”。在练习上也体现出了“慢”。有句老话叫“学规矩、守规矩、破规矩”，这话讲述了学习过程中的三重境界，最初开始是“学规矩”，怎么学？完整地学，不可有遗漏；学会后，要“守规矩”，没有规矩不成方圆，任何事物学问都有一定的规律，这个规律就是“规矩”，不遵守这个“规矩”，就是违背了事物的发展道理，因而也就不会成功；经过长年累月的“守规矩”，渐悟之后会产生顿悟，也就是在思想上有一个大的飞跃，从此以后就有可能形成属于自己的独特的个人风格特色，这就是“破规矩”，即在继承的基础上有了新的发扬和光大。

When first practicing taijiquan, there is a “slow” embodied in the teaching. There is also a “slow” manifested in the practice. There is an old saying, “Study the rules. Follow the rules. Break the rules.” This saying speaks to three levels in the process of practicing. At the very beginning, it is “learn the rules”, how does one study? Studying completely, one cannot overlook points. After learning, one must “follow the rules”. Without rules, circles will not be formed. There are certain laws in all things, and these laws are the "rules". Not respecting these rules, this violates principles of the development of things. Therefore, one will not be able to succeed. “Abiding by the rules" through the months and years, after gradual realization, there will be a sudden epiphany, a big leap in one’s thinking, and henceforth, it will be possible to form one’s own unique personal style. This is "breaking the rules"; that is, on the basis of what has been learned, there is new development and enhancement.

　　但也要注意，“慢”只是暂时的，不是永远的。“慢”只是这个阶段的一种练习方法，而非永恒不变的要求。“慢”是初学时候应该要遵循的，但当你达到了这些要求，寻找到了这些状态后，则应该要升级进入下一阶段的学习程序。好比小学你读完了，不能依旧反复的读小学，而应该升入初中去学习初中应该学的知识。初中读完了则应该去学高中要学的知识。“慢”只是一种寻找感觉状态的方法，而非一直的练法。到经过长时间的“慢”的练习，寻找到了状态感觉而且这种感觉越来越明显后，则可以用下一个阶段的方法，那就是“快”，快速地练，即让练拳的速度适当快些，在“快”的过程中又去体味寻找那种“慢”中寻找到的状态、感觉，保持这种感觉不丢。逐渐地再加入快慢相间的练习，该快的时候快，该慢的时候慢，该刚的时候刚，该柔的时候柔，如此快慢刚柔缓急进退，则可充分地体现出了陈氏太极拳的风格特色，也就寻找到了进入太极大门的钥匙。

But also note that "slow" is only temporary, not forever. "Slow" is just a method of practice at this stage, not a permanent, unchanging requirement. "Slow" is what you should follow when you are a beginner, but when you meet these requirements and find these states, you should enter the next level of the learning process. For example, after you finish elementary school, you can't continue to read elementary school material again and again, but you should go to junior high school to study what junior high school students learn. After finishing junior high school, you should go to learn the knowledge of high school. "Slow" is just a method to seek and feel the proper state, not an abiding practice method. After a long period of "slow" practice, as one finds the feeling of the state and this feeling becomes more and more apparent, one can use the method of the next stage, that is, "fast". Practicing fast, that is, letting the speed of boxing practice become appropriately a little faster. In the process of "fast", look to feel the state and feeling that was found in "slow", maintaining this feeling and not losing it. Gradually add exercises with alternating fast and slow, fast when it should be fast, slow when it should be slow, hard when it should be hard, soft when it should be soft. Thus, the fast, slow, hard, soft, relaxed, pressing, advancing, and retreating, can fully reflect the characteristic style of Chen Family taiji and help one find the key to entering the gates of taiji.

　　慢是太极拳初级阶段的一种训练方法，通过这样的方法会使我们更好更快地进入到中级阶段。当然如果仅从养生角度讲，太极拳不需要去追求快速和爆发力的训练，而这则是另一个话题了。

Slowness is a training method in the first stage of taijiquan, and through this method, we can enter the intermediate stage better and quicker. Of course, if speaking only from the perspective of promoting health, taijiquan does not need to pursue fast and explosive training. This is another topic for discussion.

1From the Chen Bing entry on the comprehensive Chinese website of taijiquan masters (author unknown):

3细微之处见精神(xì wēi zhī chù jiàn īng shén) A Chinese saying meaning “The spirit is seen in the places of subtlety”

4慢工出细活 (màn gōng chū xì huó): A Chinese saying meaning, “Do not seek quick results. Only with slow, meticulous work will a perfect product be possible.”

5心急吃不了热豆腐 (xīn jí chī bù liáo rè dòufu): A Chinese saying.