Push hand is a wrong translation ! （Or at least not precise enough）
People always think push hand means push and pull , actually , Push hand is a wrong translation ! Push hand"s Chinese is "Tui Shou" , "Shou" means "hand" but also can explain as "Zhao" or "application " , "Tui" actually here means "Tui Qiao" , in English is "Inquire" , not "Push " . Zhaobao Taiji has another name "Dai Li Jia " , that means "The form is to decribe the theory " , "Tui Shou" is two people to "Inquire/Investage the application of Taiji theory " . If you can know some Chinese , you can go to my Chinese blog ,
http://blog.sina.com.cn/tuishoudao We can dicuss more about it .
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A Good comment by Wuyizidi
That is a nice way of translating the meaning of the term. I like it. Wang Zong Yue does mention the word three times in his Song of 13 Postures (十三势歌). Each of those times he"s using the word Tui (推) in the generic sense of inquiry/investigation, which, in the case of Taiji Quan practice, is not confined to Tui Shou practice only. Here"s an excerpt of a translation of those sentences from the Taiji Ji Quan Jin translation that I"m working on with my teacher:
仔细留心向推求，屈伸开合听自由。
Translation: Observe carefully, think deeply, deliberate repeatedly, and investigate every detail; bending and unfolding, opening and closing, everything should be done naturally. Explanation: This is about the importance of thinking in practice. To learn Taiji Quan, you must approach it sincerely and pay great attention. This is because the main idea behind Taiji Quan is that it does not follow natural human instincts and abilities. If you become negligent and sloppy in your practice, you’ll revert back to those old habits. Also, if you do not think deeply, you cannot understand the principles and the methods clearly. It will then be very difficult to make progress. Without rigorous analysis and repeated deliberation, you will not be able understand Taiji Quan. Do everything carefully and bring awareness to all your movements until everything becomes second nature to you. The second part of the sentence tells us that every movement of Taiji Quan should be done in a natural way. Here the interesting question is which nature does this “natural way” refer to - human nature, or the newly acquired second nature? There is a very famous line that offers the answer - “follow nature to seek nature”. Here the first “nature” in the sentence refers to our original human nature, and the second nature refers to the new nature acquired from training. The idea is to develop an enhanced second nature by following our original human nature. It means when you practice, you do not perform movements which are difficult for your body condition. Do what you can do naturally, otherwise movement will be too tight. From this natural way practice little by little to make internal and external changes, and it will finally lead to the new nature.
详推用意终何在，益寿延年不老春。
Translation: Reflect deeply, what is the ultimate purpose of training? It is to promote longevity and preserve youthful vitality. Explanation: This is a traditional Daoist idea. Taiji Quan is not just for martial artists anymore. Now you can find most Daoist practicing it. Practicing for your health and prolonging your life are more important than anything else. That is the real goal of the practice. Cultivate good health and sound mind, and it will be as if you’re living in eternal spring. So Taiji Quan is a way to study Dao. With this kind of martial arts practice, you can gradually understand the true meaning of Dao – understand the meaning of the life and have a healthy life. Here the common question is, if we practice Taiji Quan just for the health, do we need to study application? The answer is still a definitive yes. There are many different practice methods for the health in the world, Taiji Quan is but one of them. But it is a special one, this was a way developed for martial art, so a lot methods are based on martial applications training. For example, if you do not practice push hands, it will be difficult for you to understand the true meaning of relaxing. Without high-level relaxing ability, it will be difficult for you to get the subtle internal feelings, which in turn makes it hard to learning to control your qi and get benefit from this practice. So even you do not like applications, we suggest you still do some push hands practice, maybe just some basic skills. That will really help you understand many things.
若不向此推求去，枉费功夫贻叹惜。
Translation: If you do not study this way, you’re liable to waste much time and energy and end up sighing in regret. Explanation: To succeed in anything you must first have a correct understanding of the principles involved, as well as the right approach for achieving the goal, otherwise all the hard work is for naught. It is very common for many people to practice Taiji Quan for a long time but still do not understand it. So please think about what you do. Your time is precious, when it is passed, it can never be brought back. Do not waste it and give yourself causes for regret. This post has been edited by Wuyizidi: Oct 22 2007, 02:41 PM