Liuhebafa Chuan

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Liuhebafa Chuan

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Liu He Ba Fa 六合八法拳 (Six Harmonies Eight Methods), was originally called “Water Boxing” 水拳 and is a form of internal Chinese martial arts.

Its principles are associated with a ‘water’ exercise method said to pre-date the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The legendary Taoist sage Chen Tuan (Chen Bo, Chen Xi Yi, Chen Hsi I) is credited with its origin and development.
He was associated with the Hua Shan Taoist Monastery on Mount Hua in Shaanxi Province; its counterpart rival is the Buddhist Temple in the Wudang Mountains.

The LHBF form “Zhu Ji 築基” was taught in the late nineteen thirties in Shanghai and Nanjing by Wu Yi Hui (1887-1958). It is said he had learned the art from three teachers: Yan Guo Xing, Chen Guang Di, and Chen He Lu.

Many of Wu Yi Hui’s students had martial arts backgrounds and modified the form to merge it with their own knowledge.

This is one of several explanations for its similarities with other martial arts such as Xingyiquan, Baguazhang ,Taijiquan and Yiquan.

The derived variants usually have standards in common:

  1. Practitioners consider the art an internal martial art.
  2. The core form usually has the 66 movement form called “Zhu Ji 築基” and is divided as two parts.
  3. The sequence of moves is the same in the variant styles.
  4. The starting movement is also repeated as the last, final movement.

Liuhebafa, which translates to “six harmonies and eight methods”, falls under the class of “internal” martial arts. It is, depending on who you ask, a hybrid style of taiji, xing yi, and bagua, or a “superset” of the three.

Six Harmonies:
1. 體合于心 Body and Mind Combine
2. 心合于意 Mind and Intent Combine
3. 意合于氣 Intent and Chi Combine
4. 氣合于神 Chi and Spirit Combine
5. 神合于動 Spirit and Movement Combine
6. 動合于空 Movement and Emptiness Combine

Eight Methods:
1. 氣 Chi
2. 骨 Bone
3. 形 Shape
4. 隨 Follow
5. 提 Rise
6. 還 Return
7. 勒 Retain
8. 伏 Conceal

Techniques: The liuhebafa form consists of 66 techniques. It is different from other styles in that each technique is unique (there are no repetitions anywhere in the form, even though some of the names repeat). Each technique can also consist of many submovements.

1. 停車問路 ting che wen lu stop the cart and ask the way
2. 臨崖勒馬 lin ya le ma rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff
3. 閉門推月 bi men tui yue close the door and push the moon
4. 撥雲見日 bo yun jian ri brush aside the clouds to see the sun
5. 臨崖勒馬 lin ya le ma rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff
6. 摘星換斗 zhai xing huan dou pluck the stars and rearrange them
7. 鴻雁雙飛 hong yan shuang fei a pair of wild geese fly together
8. 閉門推月 bi men tui yue close the door and push the moon
9. 孤雁出群 gu yan chu qun the single goose leaves the flock
10. 野馬追風 ye ma zhui feng the wild horse chases the wind
11. 川流不息 chuan liu bu xi rivers flow without end
12. 伏虎聽風 fu hu ting feng the crouching tiger listens to the wind
13. 聲東擊西 sheng dong ji xi feint to the east but attack to the west
14. 青龍探爪 qing long tan zhua the green dragon stretches its claws
15. 丹成九轉 dan cheng jiu zhuan the miracle pill is formed after nine turns
16. 撥雲見日 bo yun jian ri brush aside the clouds to see the sun
17. 順水推舟 shun shui tui zhou push the boat with the current
18. 怒馬回頭 nu ma hui tou the angry horse turns around
19. 瓶花落硯 ping hua luo yan the flower falls from the vase onto the inkstone
20. 高山流水 gao shan liu shui water falls from high mountains
21. 兒童送書 er tong song shu the page boy brings books
22. 樵夫擔柴 qiao fu dan chai the woodcutter carries firewood
23. 天官指星 tian guan zhi xing the celestial officer points at the stars
24. 五雲捧月 wu yun peng yue five clouds cradle the moon
25. 托天蓋地 tuo tian gai di support the heavens and cover the earth
26. 燕子抄水 yan zi chao shui the swallow skims across the water
27. 朝陽貫耳 zhao yang guan er the morning sun pierces the ears
28. 截手雙推 jie shou shuang tui intercept the hands and push out
29. 薰風掃葉 xun feng sao ye the breeze sweeps away the leaves
30. 燕子啣泥 yan zi xian ni the swallow holds clay in its beak
31. 靈猿摘菓 ling yuan zhai guo the wise monkey plucks fruit
32. 猛虎回頭 meng hu hui tou the fierce tiger turns around
33. 旋轉乾坤 xuan zhuan qian kun turn the universe around and around
34. 風擺荷葉 feng bai he ye lotus leaves sway in the wind
35. 掩手衝拳 yan shou chong quan conceal the hand and punch out
36. 琵琶遮面 pi pa zhe mian shield the face with a lute
37. 流星趕月 liu xing gan yue the shooting star chases away the moon
38. 燕子斜飛 yan zi xie fei the swallow flies obliquely
39. 丹鳳朝陽 dan feng zhao yang the phoenix looks up at the morning sun
40. 翻江攪海 fan jiang jiao hai overturn the river and stir up the sea
41. 倒騎龍背 dao qi long bei ride backwards on the dragon’s back
42. 狸貓撲蝶 li mao pu die the sly cat pounces on the butterfly
43. 抽梁換柱 chou liang huan zhu pull out the beam and exchange the pillar
44. 風卷殘雲 feng juan can yun the wind rolls up and scatters the clouds
45. 蟄龍現身 zhi long xian shen the hibernating dragon reappears
46. 烏龍擺尾 wu long bai wei the black dragon swings its tail
47. 平分秋色 ping fen qiu se split evenly the autumn colours
48. 走馬觀花 zou ma guan hua look at the flowers while riding on horseback
49. 魁星獻斗 kui xing xian dou Kui-Xing presents the constellation
50. 燕子穿雲 yan zi chuan yun the swallow flies through the clouds
51. 提手七星 ti shou qi xing lift the hands in the form of the seven stars
52. 雁子橫斜 yan zi heng xie a line of wild geese fly obliquely
53. 黃龍轉身 huang long zhuan shen the yellow dragon turns around
54. 五聖朝天 wu sheng zhao tian five saints salute the heavens
55. 葉底藏蓮 ye di cang lian the lotus flower is concealed underneath leaves
56. 鳳凰展翅 feng huang zhan chi the phoenix stretches its wings
57. 白鸛啄食 bai guan zhuo shi the white stork pecks at its food
58. 月掛松梢 yue gua song shao the moon hangs at the end of the pine
59. 倒揭牛尾 dao jie niu wei topple the ox by its tail
60. 童子抱琴 tong zi bao qin the boy embraces a zither
61. 犀牛望月 xi niu wang yue the rhinoceros looks at the moon
62. 鷂子穿林 yao zi chuan lin the hawk darts into the woods
63. 赤龍攪水 chi long jiao shui the red dragon stirs the water
64. 風動浮萍 feng dong fu ping the drifting duckweed is blown by the wind
65. 氣升崑崙 qi sheng kun lun the Qi rises to the Kun-Lun mountains
66. 存氣開關 cun qi kai guan keep the Qi ready

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