中国功夫之八卦掌：尚武为善 | Chinese Martial Arts: Baguazhang

清朝咸丰年间，一套新的拳法发源于民间。

During the reign of Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a new kung fu style, Baguazhang, emerged.

“穿掌拨乾坤，扣步锁阴阳”。这套拳法名为“八卦掌”，是中国目前保留的一百二十九个拳种中晚成的一个优秀拳种。

"The hands shake the sky and earth. The feet seal the yin and yang" is one of the 129 remaining Chinese fist positions in the country's traditional martial arts.

八卦掌根据易经八卦的卦象易理阐述拳理，在练习时走乾、坎、艮、震、巽、离、坤、兑八个方位，不停地走转，用摆步扣步来转换方向，以不同的掌法进行技击。

Baguazhang is derived from the philosophy of I Ching. Practitioners move in eight directions represented by eight trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun and Dui. Practitioners should keep walking in circles with swinging and hooking steps, and strike with different palm positions. 

在练习中，练习者需要保持规律的运动和呼吸。如八卦掌的基本功趟泥步，练习者需要保持双脚平起平落，脚趾抓地，犹如在泥水中行走。

They should also keep the moves and breath stable. One of the basic moves, "the mud-wading steps," requires people to keep their feet flat all the time and grasp the ground with their toes while moving.

八卦掌的美不仅表现在运动中的高低起落、旋转变化、刚柔相济，更在于其中所寓含的深刻的传统文化意义。

Aside from the complicated and elegant moves, the philosophy of the practice has contributed to the people's admiration of Baguazhang.

“会武不用武，尚武为善，帮助弱者。”这是第四世八卦掌门人——李秀人从父亲那里承袭来的习武精髓。

"You don't practice for fights. You practice for good purposes like protecting the weak," said Li Xiuren, a fourth generation inheritor of Baguazhang, when talking about what she's learned from her father. 

160多年，八卦掌历经时代沉浮，传承发展，这尚武的道义也将代代相承下去。

Throughout 160 years, the art has survived different eras and underwent many changes.

从帮助弱者，到维护国民的健康体魄，遵循这些理念，李秀人承袭父辈初衷，为传承八卦掌而著书立作，克服重重阻碍，以习武人的毅力，将八卦掌这一脉技艺传承下去。

To help the weak, encourage people to stay healthy and preserve this art, Li writes books to promote Baguazhang. She went through a lot of difficulties, but never stopped her pursuit to pass on the art.

 “寸步不离变化”是八卦掌的练习要义，也是一种人生智慧，在这千变万化的时代中，八卦掌随势而动，传遍四方，中华文明也随着这一脉相承的技艺走向四方。

"Continuous change" is the main point for practicing Baguazhang, but also a piece of wisdom to navigate life. As a traditional form of Chinese martial arts, Baguazhang will go further by reinventing itself, bringing the Chinese culture to more people around the world.

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