From Head to Toe

练功先练桩，大鼎增力量

One shall first train pillars when training skills, upside-down adds strength

Training pillars to first fix one's posture.

Full and Keeping One's Cool

內實精神，外示安儀。

內 inside, inner part, internal

實 full

精 essence

神 spirit

精神 vitality

外 outer, external

示 show

安 peaceful, at ease, undisturbed

儀 appearance, bearing

Don't Open the Door!

開門閉戶，陰衰陽興。

開 to open

門 door(s), outer door(s)

閉 to close

戶 door, inner door

陰 Feminine principle

衰 to decline, to become weak

陽 Masculine principle

興 to prosper, to flourish 

Changing Doors

One of the eldest texts known describing the martial arts theory is called "The Lady of Yue Talks About Fencing", a passage from the historical records called "Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue" written by Zhao Ye (?-around 83 A.C.). Later literary works inspired by this lady fencer figure, such as the one of the famous Hong-Kong writer Jin Yong called "Sword of the Yue Maiden" has made this passage quite famous, more than the one about archery that follows a few paragraphs later. Indeed, introducing a lady fencer in a male chauvinistic society which forbade teaching girls because they would marry into another family and having her teacher being an ape, a white gibbon, cannot but struck one's imagination.

Roots

打拳不遛腿，必是冒失鬼

Training boxing without strolling with the legs, certainly a reckless person.

Or

Training boxing without stopping on the legs, certainly a reckless person.

Legs and up to the waist are the roots, the essential part of training.

Deciphering Martial Arts Poems

理是功能之本，法是功能之基

Theory is the essence of capability, method its foundation

皆由渡水不知津，登山不識徑*

All because they cross waters without knowing the ford, climb a mountain without the knowledge of the path

As it was already mentioned in Method, old practices favourite method of teaching was through enigmas to be solved by the students, the best ones having more than one level of understanding. Since most of the teaching were done through oral transmission at the beginning, it may be interesting to first have a brief introduction of the oral ones. Still, with the emergence of the boxing manuals, 拳譜, roughly starting at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and the decline of old martial arts practices, the main work nowadays remains in deciphering those texts.

Spirited Heart

心平氣和*

A peaceful heart for harmonised vapours

藏所藏：心藏神，肺藏魄，肝藏魂，脾藏意，腎藏志，是謂五藏所藏**

What storages store: the heart stores the spirit, the lungs store the corporeal soul, the liver stores the immortal soul, the spleen stores the intention, the kidneys store the will, this is what is called "what the five storages store".

Training differentiates the spirit methods, 神法, from the heart methods, 心法.

Three Methods, One Art

拳講三術，技，醫，藝術

Boxing emphasise on three methods: skills, medicine and art.

Skills for fighting.

In And Out

食氣者必謂吹呴呼吸，吐故納新也*

Who nourishes himself/herself from vapours has to be called the blowing and yawning breathing, spitting out the stale and receiving the fresh.

其息深深。真人之息以踵，眾人之息以喉**

Their breathing came deep and silently. The breathing of the true man comes from his heels, while men generally breathe from their throats. 

得胎息者，能不以鼻口噓吸***

Who obtains the fetal breathing can, without his/her nose or mouth, slowly breathe out and in.

Inhaling and exhaling, it is also a question of order. Internal breathing tends to reverse it, as the Chinese word for breathing, 呼吸, literally means exhaling and inhaling.