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DRAGON SHAPE SWORD (LONG XING   JIAN) Posted on February 23, 2011by Paul Brennan

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龍形劍DRAGON SHAPE SWORD

金一明著by Jin Yiming

新亞書店印行published by New Asia Press [Oct, 1932]

[translation by Paul Brennan, Feb, 2011]

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夭矯如龍Be supple as a dragon.

錢君試- [calligraphy by] Qian Junshi

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真傳衣缽Hold back nothing in teaching.

金佳福題- calligraphy by Jin Jiafu

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吳序WU ZHIFEN’S PREFACE

我國劍學。古無專書。曩余好劍。求劍術。見考工記。言桃氏為劍身莖長諸制。士以等服之。及觀大戴槽劍銘曰。帶之以為服。動必行德。行德則興。倍德則崩慨然於古人佩劍有深意焉。然考其運用之法。多限於鈔存祕本。輾轉相譌。真意寖失。劍學之淪胥也久矣。金師一明。武術文章。為海內冠嵗庚午。任本館訓育。見童師文華以劍術授吾儕。金師更為講解法理。與其心得余感其循循善誘。引人入勝。深以師承得所為幸金師前著有練功秘訣。及武當拳術。六通短打諸書風行於世近復將童師之龍形劍。編成鉅製釐然秩然闡劍術之精微。定無餘藴。圗成行將付幸梓。命余為序。余不敢辭。竊以劍術。昔尚鈔傳。非盡人所能得也。是以未能普及。今吾師不憚煩勞。繪圗註解。舉以示人。其欲起我國病夫共進於武士道也。裨益豈淺鮮哉。使人手執一編。精研而習練之。功效之著。捷於影響。余於國人有厚望焉。中華民國二十年春二月受業淮安吳治序於江蘇省國術館師範講習所Our nation’s sword learning did not in ancient days have proper

books. I have long loved the sword and sought the art by looking to

the “Record of Artisans” in the Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, where it

says that a Mr. Tao made swords, their body and handle lengths

were all systematized, and officials wore them as indicative badges

of office. I also consulted Senior Dai’s Book of Rites, in which it says

King Wu’s sword was engraved with these words: “By wearing it as a

part of your attire, your actions will surely be conducted with virtue,

and conducted with virtue, it will influence others, and with virtue

multiplying, it will spread like a landslide.” Usually in the old days,

the sword worn at the waist had a deep meaning. But to examine its

function, that is usually confined to collected writings in secret books

which have been passed through many misinterpreting hands, the

true meaning getting gradually lost. The sword art has already sunk

into oblivion long ago.

     When teacher Jin Yiming, whose martial arts essays have made

him the best martial arts scholar throughout the country as of 1930,

was appointed to teach in this facility, he met Tong Wenhua, who

taught us the sword art. Jin has done even more to explain its

principles, and the contents within I feel are systematic and

fascinating. His previous authorings are Secrets of Training, as well

as The Wudang Boxing Arts, and Six-Path Short Fighting, all of which

have become popular. His services have lately again been requested,

this time to compile Tong’s Dragon Shape Sword into a grand and

detailed manuscript, orderly clarifying the essence of the art, truly

holding nothing back. With its drawings completed, it is about to be

put into the hands of the printers. When he assigned me to make a

preface, I could not presume to refuse him.

     To spy on the sword art used to depend on collected writings that

only a few people could obtain, and so it could not be popularized.

But today our teachers have not shied away from the toil, making

drawings and explanations, and holding it up to show the people,

with hopes of building up our nation, advancing us together from

invalids into warriors with its wonderful benefits. May it make you all

grab a copy with which to study intensively and practice it so its

effects may be triumphant and influential. I have great hopes for my

fellow countrymen.

     – carefully written by your student, Wu of Huai’an, at the Jiangsu

Guoshu Institute’s instructor-training facility, Feb, 1931

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童序TONG WENHUA’S PREFACE

余幼時身體孱弱。垂髫入塾日出而興。抱書而往。三家村裏。日落歸來。猢猻四散。輒有好勝逞强者。以侮辱弱小之輩為能事。余受其拳足蹂躙。更不知凡幾矣。雖忍辱負痛。終不肯汪然涕泣。是亦天性使然。然不甘屈伏之心。恒思設法以挫折之惜乎多數兒童。不敢與强有刀者相抗衡。又誰為余之臂助。以作不平之鳴哉。及稍長。見村中有江湖賣技者。來使拳弄棒。觀者如堵。掌聲如雷。心焉

羡之。詢之先君。先君曰。拳棒一道。用以强身。兼可避免他人之欺侮者也。余聞之。喜極欲狂。始知天壤間尚有拳棒之一種技術。能為體弱者揚眉吐氣。吾願習焉。然鄉村之中。素鮮名師。不得已。先從事於舉石担摔石鎻等粗笨之行功。雖體軀不見其强。而筋肉自知有勁。及冠。至金陵。由顧汝章師兄介紹。得列嚴師繼藴門牆。先習拳而後習刀。刀既熟而後習槍。槍亦熟而後習劍。龍形劍法。師所傳也。十九年秋。金先生一明就任江蘇省國術館訓育處職。與余朝夕相處。獲益良多先生於國術法理。知之頗深。考據源流。叙述詳細。文華願以末技微長。請其表而出之。公諸同好。班門弄斧。自不免識者之譏。或青出於藍。能收效於他日。習者勉之民國二十年春二月下旬淮安童文華謹誌As a child, I was a weakling. When I was big enough, it was time to

start school, getting up at dawn everyday and carrying my books to

the school in our village. When we finished at sunset, all us cooped-

up hyper kids scattered in all directions. On the way home, I

encountered the bigger kids who loved to compete over who could

show off the best. Their special skill was bullying the weaklings. I

received beatings countless times. Although I endured humiliation

and suffered pain, I never cried, due to my unsurrendering nature. I

constantly tried to think of a way to reverse these circumstances for

us many pitiable kids, but I was too afraid to resist the bullies, who

had knives, nor was there anyone to back me up or make a fuss over

the injustice.

     Then when I was little bit older, I saw in our village some

traveling entertainers exhibiting a show of superb martial arts talent.

So many people were gathered around to watch, they were like a

wall, and their applause was like thunder. I was full of admiration

and asked my dad about it. He said: “Martial arts is a way of

strengthening the body and can keep you from being bullied.” I took

in his words and became giddy. I started to realize that martial arts

is one of the most valuable skills in all the world, capable of giving

confidence and relief to the weak, and so I yearned to train. Yet out

in the boondocks it was hard to find good teachers. I had nothing

else to engage in except the graceless activity of weightlifting.

Although my body never manifested an appearance of strength, I

knew my sinews had become very strong.

     When I turned twenty, I went to Nanjing. My “elder brother” Gu

Ruzhang recommended me and I became a disciple of Yan Jiyun.

First I trained weaponless fighting, followed by saber. When I was

skilled at the saber, I trained the spear. When I was skilled at the

spear, I trained the sword, specifically the method of the Dragon

Shape Sword – these are things Yan passed on to me. In the fall of

1930, Jin Yiming took up his instructional post in the Jiangsu Guoshu

Institute and we became close colleagues, a relationship I have

hugely benefited from. His understanding of martial arts theory is

very deep. He has researched its history, and can elaborate in

minute detail. I wish my own trifling skill was better, and I hope our

performance here will be passable so we can share this knowledge

with all who might appreciate it. When one demonstrates one’s slight

talent, the discerning are bound to criticize. Maybe someday there

will be someone who can do a better job of this than we have,

someone who works hard.

     – sincerely written by Tong Wenhua of Huai’an, late Feb, 1931

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童序TONG YAOZONG’S PREFACE

歐陽子曰。憂勞可以興國。逸豫足以亡身。旨哉言乎。夫天賦人以圎顱方趾。五官四肢。各有所用各司其能。不能司其所能所用。則與泥塑木偶何異。以泥塑木偶之夫。逸豫終日。而欲其保身衛國。豈可得歟。故勤則有功。嬉則無益。煅煉身體之方。是在勤勞已耳。惜乎傳書甚尠。世乏師承。尤以國術中劍術之書。幾如鳳毛麟角。不可多覯。余甚苦之。十九年秋。得肄業於省立國術師範。心滋稍慰。適宗師文華任教官兼組長職。得朝夕親炙。獲益良多。師之身手。功兼內外。其堅也如銕。其柔也如綿。刀劍槍棍諸技。各極精妙。尤以龍形劍法。精勁絕倫。欽佩既極願於年假期中。與學友吳君之棻。要求補習。得師指示。術稍益進。時金師一明。任本館訓育主任。恒著國術諸書刋行於世。童師與之謀。遂得將龍形劍術編繪成篇。公諸同好。二十年春。稿成。余忝承教澤。不揣譾陋。畧述梗槪如斯。金師繪著拳書最早民國五年。中華書局即有著述出版。虚點套圗。詳加考慮譬之國術中之立法家也。童師晨昏練功。從不稍懈。教授學友。分門別次。猶之國術中之司法家也。合二美以成斯篇。積勤勞以期興國。仍不外乎歐陽子之旨而已。凡吾同志。盍興起乎。淮陰童耀宗謹識。Ouyang Xiu said: “Hard work can rejuvenate a country. Laziness is

all it takes to waste a body.” Well-worded. Nature has endowed us

with round heads and square feet, five senses and four limbs, with

each functioning in their particular departments. But if they could

not perform their functions, then how would we be different from a

sculpture or a puppet? If a sculpture or a puppet, spending all its

time in vain idleness, wished to guard its body or defend its country,

what could it do? Therefore hard work achieves and frivolity gains

nothing.

     As to methods of exercising the body, there is much

industriousness, but it is a pity that their transmission in books is so

rare, and that the world has a deficit of teacher-student

transmission, especially within martial arts when it comes to books

about the sword art, which seem as rare as phoenix feathers and

unicorn horns, they cannot often be encountered, and I am very

troubled by it.

     Then in the autumn of 1930, I got into my provincial Guoshu

instructor-training school and I felt some relief. It is fitting for a

teacher such as Wenhua to hold a teaching post and also be head of

a section. From morning to night he personally trained me and I

benefited from it tremendously. His skill is equal in both the internal

and the external, his hardness hard as iron, his softness soft as silk.

He is skilled in all weapons – saber, sword, spear, staff – in each

attaining profound expertise, especially the method of the Dragon

Shape Sword, in which he is peerless. Admiring him extremely, I

sought during the New Year break, along with fellow student Wu

Zhifen, to request extra lessons, and we got instruction from him and

our skill got something of a boost.

     When Jin Yiming was appointed instructor for this facility and

given the permanent post of writer and publisher for all its martial

arts books to the world, he discussed with Tong about making a book

on the Dragon Shape Sword art for the benefit of all those who might

appreciate it. By the spring of 1931, a draft was completed. I am

unworthy to spread any instruction, being so unlimited in my

ignorance, so I give here but a few words in broad outline.

     Jin has been making martial arts books since 1916, published

through China Press, with detailed diagrams and carefully

considered examples, a leading authority in martial arts. Tong trains

day and night and never lets up, and instructors and colleagues from

other schools just do not compare. It seems the Guoshu

administrators have merged both of these perfections in the making

of this book, an accumulation of hard work in hopes of rejuvenating

the country, just like Ouyang Xiu’s message. How could all our

comrades not feel encouraged?

     – written respectfully by Tong Yaozong of Huaiyin

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自序JIN YIMING’S PREFACE

嵗庚午。余蒙內政部長鈕公惕生。命往江蘇省國術舘。擔任訓育處職務。得遇同事童組長文華者。其人短小精悍。筋骨剛勁。視之如婦。奪之如虎。精於內外家拳術凡數十種。尤以龍形劍為其特長。恒於日落之時。練不稍輟其一呑一吐。勢

若游龍。伸縮自然。光如掣電。起落似風舉雲從。蟠舞似流星繚日余見舞劍之士亦夥矣。尚未覩弄鐵如轉丸若斯之甚者。久擬為新亞書局編著劍術一書。俾與孫斌權之少林拳賈如海之風波棍。邱鳴皋之單戒刀。合之共成為四册。陳邦楨君。請余編著八仙劍。八仙劍演習者雖有其人。第余以為非少林之衣缽。且不若龍形劍動作敏捷。姿勢優美。適值年假期間。師範學員童耀宗吳治隨童君補習劍術。余遂亦費半月之光陰編著此篇使龍形劍法得與世人相見。他日對書練習。持劍遙從者。南北有徒。不僅童君與余之幸。是亦國術倡明之大幸也。用述梗槪如此。聊以當序云爾。民國二十年一月十日揚州金一明氏序於江蘇省國術館訓育處In 1930, I received a visit from the Minister of the Interior, Niu

Tisheng, who came to the Jiangsu Guoshu Institute to take charge of

the teaching assignments. I then got to meet and work with section

chief Tong Wenhua, who is small but strong with a vigorous build.

He can be as gentle as an obedient wife and then burst into action

like a wakened tiger. He is proficient in many kinds of internal and

external styles, particularly the Dragon Shape Sword, which is his

specialty. With every sunset, he trains very hard, his movement like a

swimming dragon, flexible and natural, flashing fast as lightning,

rising and falling like wind whipping up and fog descending, coiling

and dancing like shooting stars embroidering the sun. I have seen

many sword wielders, but I have never observed anyone who can

turn a lump of iron into a spinning ball like this man.

     A long time ago it was planned that I write a sword book for New

Asia Press, alongside the Shaolin Boxing of Sun Binquan, the

Tempest Staff of Jia Ruhai, and the Monk’s Saber of Qiu Minggao, to

be combined with them to make a set of four volumes. Mr. Chen

Bangzhen, head of New Asia Press, invited me to put together a book

for the Eight Immortals Sword. Although there are people who

practice it, it does not seem to me to be authentic Shaolin, nor does

it compare to the Dragon Shape Sword’s quickness of movement and

gracefulness of bearing.

     During the New Year’s holidays, members of the instructor-

training program – Tong Yaozong, Wu Zhisui [Zhifen], and Tong

Wenhua – all crammed their sword practice, and I myself then spent

those two weeks compiling this book on the method of the Dragon

Shape Sword. Some day, practicing according to the book, those who

take up a sword and work from it will produce followers of it

everywhere, and this would not only be fortunate for Tong and I, but

especially for Chinese martial arts itself. I have made these words to

supply a broad outline, just a few words by way of introduction.

     – written by Jin Yiming of Yangzhou at the Jiangsu Guoshu

Institute, Nov 10, 1930

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龍形劍總目CONTENTS

吳序Wu Zhifen’s Preface

童序Tong Wenhua’s Preface

童序Tong Yaozong’s Preface

金序Jin Yiming’s Preface

童國章先生肖影Portrait of Tong Guozhang [Wenhua]

吳之棻君肖影Portrait of Wu Zhifen

童顯庭君肖影Portrait of Tong Xianting [Yaozong]

[These three photos, though mentioned in the contents, were

strangely not included in the book.]

劍術總論General Introduction to the Sword Art

劍術源流Origin and Development of the Sword Art

龍形劍之來源Source of the Dragon Shape Sword

龍形劍之名稱The Dragon Shape Sword’s Name

龍形劍之劍法The Dragon Shape Sword’s Method

劍法分解Breakdown of the Method

龍形劍姿勢圗解目錄List of Postures in the Dragon Shape Sword Set

龍形劍全路姿勢方向圗Posture Illustrations for the Entire Set

龍形劍全路姿勢圗解Movement Descriptions for the Entire Set

龍形劍各箇姿勢用法說明Application Explanations for Each Posture

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龍形劍DRAGON SHAPE SWORD

揚州金一明繪著ILLUSTRATED AND AUTHORED BY JIN YIMING OF YANGZHOU

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劍術總論GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE SWORD ART

世謂槍為器械中之龍。刀為器械中之虎。劍為器械中之鳳。此言槍力尚直。刀力尚猛。劍力尚斜。以言槍法。去如箭來如線。指人頭縐人面。扎人還不見。你槍扎。我槍挐。你槍不動我槍發。只見其首。不見其尾。比之為游龍。其不宜乎。以言刀法。雙刀看走。單刀看手。刀光灼灼刀風吼吼。雖有劈山砍地之能。却無旋轉雙鋒之口。猶猛虎之不能迴頭。欠劍鋒之八面能走。譬之以猛虎。不亦宜乎。以言劍法。左右迴環勢莫當。一偏一閃把身藏。烏龍擺尾鋒芒利。丹鳳朝陽不易防。飄搖不定點還刺。呑吐如綿潛復藏。兩臂平分如展翅。斜迴側轉意悠揚。此言劍法敏捷便利。能輕身飛過。陡轉反挑。能撩能刺。能收能展。二面俱是鋒鍔。八面能走。到令人不易提防。為他種兵器所不及。比之以飛鳳。不亦宜乎。然則名之為飛鳳劍法。其不名符其實。安用又名之為龍形劍哉。要知飛鳳劍法。昔為西蜀宋賡平氏之絕技。宋氏傳古安吳廣霈。別號劍華道人。與潛川劍泉居士吳學廉。曾將其法編著成書。業經出版。世人多有知者。而龍形劍法。則世間尚無專書。且龍形與飛鳳亦確有不同之點。以劍論劍。則飛鳳為砍撩抹刺抽揭橫倒八法而已。龍形則有劈撩斬抹掤托鈎挂提刺扎十一字。以言身法。則多與飛鳳不同。以言步法。則更亦漸泯沒矣。又考鑄劍之法。古代鑄劍。銅鐵互用。古傳採昆吾石冶銕作劍。削玉如泥。漢魏以下。鑄劍多採楚銕。即今之漢冶銕。煅煉之後。取其精華。棄其糟粕。精華不多得。凡一斤之銕。其精華不過二三兩。火煉工夫。頗有高低。而水鍊尤難。淬水工夫。非老於鑄劍經騐宏富者。不能得此中三昧。鍊精之要。全在淬水時之適當熱力。古人又有用油淬者。其法後世莫能實用。唐時南蠻人且有用馬血淬者。不知其何所取意。漢蔡倫精於鑄劍。堅密為後世法。惜無專書。其法不得傳。又如梁陶宏景為武帝用金銀銅鐵錫五種。合鑄神劍十三口。依劍術法製造。按劍術法一書。後世又不傳。古人折鐵之法。惜無專書。今人造劍。反不及古人精工。西人素精鍊鋼。但所鑄各劍。僅能剛而不能柔。終不及中國古劍。抖之則鏗然有聲。屈之彎曲如鈎。縱之直如絃。舞之恍如練。是誠極剛柔之妙用矣。古之人善於相劍者。則為君大。桓子新論云。君大素曉習萬劍之名。凡劍遙視。不須手持熟察。即能鑑別。世有伯樂而後有千里馬。世無君大其人。故吳越之劍不復見於世。世雖有干將莫邪。棄置於塵土之中。又誰得以干將莫邪而視之哉。噫。休矣。People say: “The spear is the dragon of weapons, the saber is the

tiger of weapons, and the sword is the phoenix of weapons.” In this

saying, the spear’s strength lies in directness, the saber’s strength

lies in fierceness, and the sword’s strength lies in using angles.

     Here is a description of spear technique. It goes out like an arrow

and comes back like a string. Aiming at the opponent’s head makes

him flinch. Stab him and return unseen. When your spear stabs, my

spear drags it. When your spear does not move, my spear shoots.

Only its head is seen and not its tail. It is like a swimming dragon. Is

it not fitting?

     Here is a description of saber technique. With the double sabers,

watch the stepping. With the single saber, watch the hand. The shine

of the saber blinds and the wind of the saber roars. Although it has

the ability to chop through a mountain and cleave the earth, it does

not rotate to cut with both edges. It is like a tiger unable to turn its

head while attacking, lacking the capacity of the sword’s edges to

move in all directions. It is like a fierce tiger. Is it not fitting?

     Here is a description of sword technique. It twirls on both sides

with no definite pattern. To one side it flashes and the body is hidden

away. In the technique of Black Dragon Swings Its Tail, the edge is

keen. In the technique of Phoenix Lands Atop the Sunny Slope, it is

difficult to guard against. Fluttering and agitating go on

unpredictably, full of tappings and stabbings. Absorbing and

thrusting seem to alternate continuously, full of stealth and

concealment. The arms spread like wings, and while slanting,

retracting, inclining, or turning, the intention is of flapping. This

sword method as described is quick and nimble. It can lighten the

body into flight, suddenly turning and then rising. It can raise or

stab, withdraw or unfurl. It is doubled-edged, so it can move in every

direction, making it difficult for the opponent to defend against, and

making other weapons inferior. It is like a flying phoenix. Is it not

fitting?

     Thus as far as the name of Flying Phoenix sword method goes, the

name fits the reality, as does the name of Dragon Shape Sword. It

should be known that the Flying Phoenix sword method used to be a

unique skill of Song Gengping of western Sichuan. Master Song

transmitted his ancient knowledge to Wu Guangpei, also known as

the Sword-Flourishing Daoist, and to the Sword-Fountain Scholar,

Wu Xuejian of Qianchuan, who has compiled his writings into a book,

already published, and there are many who know it. The Dragon

Shape Sword, however, was not written down. Furthermore, Dragon

Shape and Flying Phoenix have very different essentials. Using the

swords to explain the swords, the Flying Phoenix Sword’s techniques

are eight – hacking, raising, smearing, stabbing, drawing,

uncovering, crossing, and overturning – and the Dragon Shape

Sword’s techniques are eleven – chopping, raising, slashing,

smearing, flicking, propping, hooking, hanging, carrying, stabbing,

and poking. In the case of the body methods, there are many which

are not like the Flying Phoenix, and as for the stepping methods,

they are so dissimilar as to be completely different.

     Now let us consider the methods of making swords. In ancient

times, when making swords, bronze and iron were used together.

The ancient tradition is that rocks from Kunwu were smelted for iron

to make swords that could cut through jade like mud. Since the

dynasties of Han and Wei, making swords often involved gathering

pure iron. In the present Chinese smelting of iron, once it is smelted,

the best is taken, the worst discarded, and the best does not amount

to much, usually a pound of iron yielding no more than two or three

ounces of quality. [Throughout this translation, “inches”, “feet”,

“ounces”, “pounds” are used for convenience even though the

equivalent Chinese measures do not equate them exactly.] In the

skill of tempering with fire, there is plenty of superiority and

inferiority, but with water it is especially difficult. In the skill of

tempering with water, only the older sword makers have the

necessary experience, and the younger are unable to obtain this

knack. The key to doing it perfectly lies entirely in dipping in water

of the right heat. Ancient people also used dipping in oil, but as for

its method, in later generations there are none who can do it. During

the Tang Dynasty, the southern barbarians dipped in horse blood,

but we do not know the purpose they had in mind. Cai Lun of the

Han Dyansty was an expert at making swords, but it is a secret to

later generations what his method was. It is a pity it was not

recorded in any documents and cannot be transmitted. Another

example is Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty, who for Emperor Wu

used the five metals of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and tin, combining

them to make thirteen divine swords, made depending on the

individual sword style, according to techniques recorded in a book,

which again, later generations have not had transmitted to them. As

for the ancient method of folding iron, it is a pity it was not recorded

in any documents. Sword makers nowadays make swords inferior to

the ancient craftsmanship. Westerners have perfected steelmaking,

but for making swords, they would only be hard and not soft,

altogether inferior to China’s ancient swords that when trembled

made a clear sound, that when pressed curved like a hook, that when

thrust straightened like a string, and that when performed with

moved suddenly as if a ribbon – this is the true subtlety of hard and

soft. The ancient person who knew the most about swords was Wang

Junda. In Huanzi’s New Sayings, it says: “Junda knows about every

kind of sword, just show it to him and he can see. He does not even

need to hold it and can tell just by looking at it if it is a good sword

or not.” Because the world had Bo Le who pointed out talent, it

witnessed the talent of the Thousand-Mile Horse. There are no more

Wang Jundas, and thus swords the likes of those of Wu and Yue are

no longer seen in the world. Although the world had sword makers

like Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, they have been cast aside, and no one sees

them anymore. Alas, gone.

梁陶宏景刀劍錄。載劍之年月尺度及其上面之篆文頗詳。供後人研究資料不少。惜繼陶氏後者則不多覯矣。畧擇劍之源流如下。Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty, in his Record of Sabers and

Swords, details the swords’ eras, measurements, and inscriptions,

supplying later generations with lots of material to research, but it is

a pity there are not many to find who follow in Tao’s footsteps. Brief

selections of sword development follow below.

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劍術源流ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SWORD ART

劍之源流。其最初者。管子謂葛天盧之山。發而出金。蚩尤受而制之。以為劍。似為劍之鼻祖。其後歐冶鑄劍。赤董之山。破而出錫。若耶之溪。涸而出銅。是時天地為爐。陰陽為炭。太乙下觀。鑄劍有五。一曰湛盧。二曰純鈎。三曰勝邪。四曰魚腸。五曰巨闕。劍之相傳。源流已久。古之君子。佩劍之意。劍者檢也。所以防檢非常也。有文事者必有武備。旣以衛身。兼有莊嚴高尚之旨趣已耳。故古時定有制度。考工記載。劍古兵器名。兩刄而有脊。自脊至刄謂之臘。或謂之鍔。脊刄以下與柄分隔者謂之首。首以下把握之處曰莖。莖端施環曰鐔。此亦足證古代劍式與近代劍式。名稱均有不同之處矣。周官桃氏為臘。廣二寸有半。（臘劍身）兩從半之。（從劍刄）以其臘廣為之。莖圍長倍之。（莖劍柄）中其莖。設其後。身長五。其莖長重九鋝。（按周禮六兩半為一鋝古權三當今之一）謂之上制。上士服之。身長四。其莖長重七鋝。謂之中制。中士服之。身長三。其莖重五鋝。謂之下制。下士服之。此為劍之最古制度。天子二十而冠帶劍。諸侯三十而冠帶劍。大夫四十而冠帶劍。隸人不得冠。庻人有事得帶劍。無事不得帶劍。亦均可考者也。秦代朝儀。臣不得帶劍入朝。漢代朝儀。臣得帶劍。但至殿階則解劍。下替晉代。始代之以木。貴者用玉首。賤者用蚌金銀玳瑁為雕飾。自此以後。佩劍之風。與飛鳳各異。一以輕便閃讓為主一以迴環伸屈為

主。同舞一劍。而其舞法不同。同為一劍。而其戰術各異。其相同之處。總宜短兵應長用。短見長。不用忙。忙則為他所擊中。待他兵刄近我身旁。既不躱閃。亦不招架。立即提劍進擊。其劍雖短。偏身進步。一進四尺。手長二尺。劍長三尺。一進一退。一丈有餘。彼槍雖長能奈我何。况乎龍形劍尚有盤龍步。迴身劍之巧妙。則練精而後。以短勝長一進長兵之門。長兵失效。視刀槍如無物。等棍棒如弁髦。加之縱跳之能。進退之法。雖千萬人吾往也。亦目無全牛。游刄而有餘矣。龍形劍法。可不傳乎。As to the oldest swords, the book of Guanzi says: “A mountain in Ge

Lu had an explosion and put forth gold. Chi You received it and

worked with it to make swords.” He seems to be the originator of the

sword. After him, Ou Ye then made swords. At a mountain in

Chidong, there was an avalanche and tin was exposed, and a stream

in Ruoye dried up and copper was exposed. With the sky and earth

as a furnace, and the passive and active energies as the coal, and

with Nature to oversee the process, he made five swords, called

Deep River, Pure Hook, Conquering Evil, Fish Guts, and Big

Watchtower.

     The sword tradition was already old, so ancient rulers deliberately

wore them that through the sword they would set such an example,

and thus avoid setting an example of being inconstant. During peace,

there must for the sake of defense be preparation for war. By equally

addressing the civil and martial aspects, the objective of each is

given integrity. Therefore in ancient times, during periods of stability

there was systematization.

     In the “Record of Artisans”, the sword is named as one of the

ancient weapons. It has two edges and a spine. From the spine to the

edge is called “the sacrificer”, or “the blade”. Below the spine and

edge, where the hilt separates is called “the head”. The place that is

grasped below the head is called “the stalk”. At the end of the stalk

is a ring called “the depths”. This is enough to show that between

ancient and modern sword styles, the terms for the parts of the

weapon were not the same.

     According to the Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, Mr. Tao made the

blade two and half inches wide. The blade and sword body were

divided into two halves. As for the sword edge, the width of the blade

was the circumference of the grip, and the length of the grip was

twice the width of the blade. As for the grip and hilt, the grip was at

the center of the hilt and behind that was the stabilizing pommel.

When the body length was five times the handle length and the

weight was nine pounds (According to the Rites of the Zhou Dynasty,

six and a half ounces makes a pound, its measure three times of

today’s.), it was called a “top make”, and worn by high level officials.

When the body length was four times the handle length and its

weight was about seven pounds, it was called a “mid make”, and

worn by mid level officials. When the body length was three times

the handle length and its weight was about five pounds, it was called

a “low make”, and worn by low level officials. Thus was the ancient

system of the sword measurements.

     When the Emperor turned twenty, he was given a sword to wear.

When a noble turned thirty, he was given a sword to wear. When a

senior official turned forty, he was given a sword to wear. Lower

officials did not get one. Commoners with achievements got one, and

those without did not, but all were eligible. In Qin Dynasty court

rituals, officials did not get to wear swords when entering the court.

In Han Dynasty court rituals, officials got to wear swords but had to

take them off at the palace steps. Then in the Jin Dynasty, they began

to be replaced by wooden ones. Expensive ones used jade hilts.

Cheap ones used for their engravings gold, silver, clam shell, or

tortoise shell. Since then, worn swords were the custom.

     These flying phoenixes were each different. While one was

primarily evasive, another was primarily offensive. All trained with

the sword, but their training methods were different, and all used the

sword, but their fighting techniques were different. Where they were

the same, it was always in the way short weapons respond to long.

When short meets long, there is no need to hurry. If you hurry, he

will get you for sure. I wait for his sword to get near me, then take

my body to the side, neither dodging nor parrying, but immediately

lifting my sword and advancing to strike. Although the sword is

short, I move aside and attack. The step covers four feet, the arm

another two feet, the sword a further three feet. Advancing and

retreating covers more than ten feet. Although his spear is long,

what can he do to me? Furthermore, the Dragon Shape Sword

emphasizes coiling dragon footwork and the marvels of spinning-

body swordwork. Consequently after practicing this, short weapon

defeats long by advancing through the long weapon’s gaps,

rendering long weapons ineffective. Look upon halberd and spears as

trivial, and staffs and cudgels as useless. Add to that the abilities for

leaping and jumping, and the methods of advancing and retreating,

then so what if hoards of opponents came to attack me, including the

very skilled, with their countless dancing blades. The method of the

Dragon Shape Sword deserves to be transmitted!

夏禹子帝啟。在位十年。以庚戌八年鑄一銅劍。長三尺九寸。後藏之秦望山。腹上刻二十八宿。文有背面。面文為星辰。背記山川日月。（按五金以銅出為最早）Yu of the Xia Dynasty’s son, Emperor Qi, reigned for ten years, and

in his eighth year, the forty-seventh year of the sixty-year cycle, he

had a bronze sword made, three feet nine inches long, later stored at

Mt. Qinwang. On its belly was engraved the twenty-eight

constellations, and there was inscription on its back of the stars, a

record of the mountains and rivers, and of the days and months. (Of

the five metals, bronze is the oldest used.)

啟太子康。在位二十九年。嵗在辛卯。三月春。鑄一銅劍。上有八方面。長三尺二寸。頭方。Qi’s son Tai Kang reigned for twenty-nine years, and in the twenty-

eight year of the cycle, third month of spring, he had a bronze sword

made with the eight compass directions on it, three feet two inches

in length to its hilt.

孔甲在位三十一年。以九年嵗次甲辰。採牛首山鐵。鑄一劍。銘曰夾。古文篆書。長四尺一寸。Kong Jia reigned for thirty-one years, and in his ninth year, the forty-

first year of the cycle, he had iron taken from Mt. Ox Head to have a

sword made, on which was engraved “Maintain” in ancient seal

script, and it was four feet one inch in length.

殷太甲在位三十二年。以四年嵗次甲子。鑄一劍。長二尺。文曰定光。古文篆書。Tai Jia of the Yin Dynasty reigned for thirty-two years, and in his

fourth year, the first year of the cycle, he had a sword made of two

feet in length, with “Assured Glory” inscribed on it in ancient seal

script.

武丁在位五十九年。以元年嵗次戊午。鑄一劍。長三尺。銘曰照膽。古文篆書。Wu Ding reigned for fifty-nine years, and in his first year, the fifty-

fifth year of the cycle, he had a sword made of three feet in length,

engraved with “Shining Courage” in ancient seal script.

周昭王瑕。在位五十一年。以二年嵗次壬午。鑄五劍。各投五嶽。銘曰鎮嶽。尚方。古文篆書。長五尺。King Zhao, given name Xia, of the Zhou Dynasty, reigned for fifty-one

years, and in his second year, the nineteenth year of the cycle, he

had five swords made and sent to each of the five sacred mountains.

On them was engraved “Pressing Down the Mountains to Elevate the

King’s Way” in ancient seal script, and they were five feet in length.

簡王夷。在位十四年。以元年嵗次癸酉。鑄一劍。長三尺。銘曰駿。大篆書。King Jian, given name Yi, reigned for forty years, and in his first year,

the tenth year of the cycle, he had a sword made that was three feet

in length, engraved with “Greatness” in greater seal script.

秦昭王稷。在位五十二年。以元年嵗次丙午。鑄一劍。長三尺。銘曰誡。大篆書。King Zhao, given name Ji, of the Qin Dynasty, reigned for fifty-two

years, and in his first year, the forty-third year of the cycle, he had a

sword made that was three feet in length, engraved with “Warning”

in greater seal script.

秦始皇在位三十七年。以三年嵗次丁巳。採北祗銅。鑄二劍銘曰定秦。大篆書。李斯刻。埋在阿房宫閣下。一在觀臺下。長三尺六寸。First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty reigned for thirty-seven years, and

in his third year, the fifty-fourth year of the cycle, he had bronze

taken from Beizhi to make two swords engraved with “Establishing

Qin” in greater seal script, engraved by Li Si. They were buried

under the temple pavilion at Efang, can be seen there beneath its

terraces, and are three feet six inches in length.

前漢劉季。在位十二年。以始皇三十四年。於南山得一鐵劍。長三尺。銘曰赤霄。大篆書。常服之。此即斬蛇劍也。During the Early Han Dynasty, Liu Ji reigned for twenty years, and

during the thirty-fourth year of the First Emperor’s reign, obtained

an iron sword from Nanshan, three feet in length, engraved with

“Red Clouds” in greater seal script, and was worn as part of his

attire. This is the “Serpent-Beheading Sword”.

文帝恒。在位二十三年。以初元十六年嵗次庚午。鑄三劍。長三尺六寸。銘曰神龜。多刻龜形。故云Emperor Wen, given name Heng, reigned for twenty-three years, and

from the beginning of his reign to the sixteenth year, the seventh

year of the cycle, he had three swords made of three feet six inches

in length, inscribed “Divine Tortoise”, and engraved with tortoise

shapes, hence the name.

武帝徹。在位五十四年。以元光五年嵗次乙巳。鑄八劍。長三尺六寸。銘曰八服。小篆書嵩恒霍華太山五嶽皆埋之。Emperor Wu, given name Che, reigned for fifty-four years, and from

his second year to his fifth, the forty-second year of the cycle, he had

eight swords made of three feet six inches in length, inscribed “Eight

to Obey” in lesser seal script and buried in the five sacred mountains

of Song, Heng, Huo, Hua, Tai.

宣帝詢。在位二十五年。以本始四年鑄二劍。長三尺。一曰毛。二曰貴。以足下

有毛。故為之皆小篆書Emperor Xuan, given name Xun, reigned for twenty-five years, and in

his fourth year had two swords made, three feet in length, one called

“Hair”, the other called “Rare”, with hairs unusually dangling from

their pommels, hence the names, both in lesser seal script.

漢光武秀。在位三十三年。未貴時。在南陽鄂山得一劍。文曰秀霸。小篆書。帝常服之。Emperor Guangwu, given name Xiu, of the Later Han Dynasty,

reigned for thirty-three years, and before he reigned, he obtained a

sword from Mt. E in the region of Nanyang, inscribed with “Excellent

Overlord” in lesser seal script, and wore it as part of his attire.

明帝莊。在位十八年。以永平元年嵗次戊午。鑄一劍。上作龍形。沉之於洛水中。水清時常有見之者。咸以龍形劍名之。Emperor Ming, given name Zhuang, reigned for eighteen years, and

in his first year, the fifty-fifth year of the cycle, he had a sword made

in the shape of a dragon. It was sunk into the Luo river, and when

the water is clear all can see it. His Dragon Shape Sword got its

name for these reasons.

順帝保。在位十九年。以永建元年鑄一劍。長三尺四寸。銘曰安漢。小篆書後改年號。Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty, given name Bao, reigned for

nineteen years, and in his first year he had a sword made of three

feet four inches in length, inscribed with “Pacifying Han” in lesser

seal script once he got his title.

靈帝安。在位二十二年。以建寧三年鑄四劍。文曰中興。一劍無故自失。並小篆書。Emperor Ling, given name An, reigned for twenty-two years, and in

the peace of his third year he had four swords made, inscribed with

“Restoring the Dynasty”, rendering them swords without cause or

purpose, in lesser seal script.

魏武帝曹操。以建安二十年。於幽谷得一劍。長三尺六寸上有金字。銘曰孟德王常服之Emperor Wu of Wei, known as Cao Cao, established peace in his

twentieth year and obtained a sword from a secluded valley, three

feet six inches in length, inscribed in gold characters with his style

name “Mengde”, and he wore it regally as part of his attire.

蜀主劉備。以章武元年。嵗次辛丑。採金牛山鐵。鑄八劍各長三尺六寸。一帝自服一與太子禪一與梁王理。一與魯王永。一與諸葛亮。一與闗羽。一與張飛。一與趙雲Lord Liu Bei of the Shu Dynasty, in his first year as chief of the

military, the thirty-eighth year of the cycle, took iron from Mt.

Golden Ox and had eight swords made, each three feet six inches in

length: one for the Emperor’s own attire, one for Prince Zhan, one

for King Liang, given name Li, one for King Lu, given name Yong,

one for Zhuge Liang, one for Guan Yu, one for Zhang Fei, one for

Zhao Yun.

後主禪。廷熙二年。造一大劍。長一丈二尺。鎮劍口山往往人見光輝。後人求之不獲。Lord Hou, given name Zhan, in his second year of courtly prosperity,

had a large sword made, twelve feet in length, to pacify Mt. Sword

Mouth for the people to see his glory. Later generations sought it but

did not find it.

吳王孫權。以黃武五年。採武昌銅鐵。作千口劍。各長三尺九寸皆是南銅越炭作之。文曰大吳。小篆書又赤鳥年中。有人得淮陰侯韓信劍。帝以賜周瑜。Sun Quan, King of Wu, after five years of exhausting the military,

had bronze and iron took from Wuchang to make a thousand swords,

each three feet nine inches in length, all of southern bronze, which

was more tan in color, inscribed “Wu the Great” in lesser seal script.

In summer there was a man who got Han, the Marquis of Huaiyin, to

send the swords, and the Emperor made a gift of them to Zhou Yu.

孫亮以建興二年鑄一劍。文曰流光。小篆書Sun Liang, in his second year after he was established, had a sword

made, inscribed “Spreading Glory” in lesser seal script.

孫皓以建衡元年鑄一劍。文曰皇帝吳王。小篆書Sun Hao had a sword made during his first year, inscribed “Imperial

King of Wu” in lesser seal script.

晉懷帝熾。以永嘉元年造一劍。長五尺銘曰步光。小篆書Emperor Huai, given name Chi, of the Jin Dynasty, had a sword made

to bless his first year, five feet in length, engraved with “March to

Glory” in lesser seal script.

穆帝聃。以永和五年於房山造五口劍。銘曰五方單符。隸書。Emperor Mu, given name Dan, made five swords to bless five years

of peace at Fangshan, engraved with “Five Directions Conforming to

One” in clerical script.

孝武帝昌明。以大元元年。於華山頂埋一劍。銘曰神劍。隸書Emperor Xiaowu the Glorious, to make his first year a grand

beginning, had a sword buried at the summit of Mt. Hua, engraved

with “Divine Sword” in clerical script.

梁武帝蕭衍。以天監二年即位。至普通中。嵗在庚子。命陶宏景造神劍十三口。用金銀銅錫銕五色合為之。長短各依劍術法。文曰服之者。永治四方。並小篆

書。此外如吳越春秋。及越絕書中。載吳王闔閭。使干將鑄劍。及越薛燭相劍二事。世人多有知者。姑不贅述。Emperor Wu, given name Xiao Yan, of the Liang Dynasty, from the

second year of his divine reign until the middle of it, the thirty-

seventh year of the cycle, had Tao Hongjing make thirteen divine

swords using all five metals – gold, silver, bronze, tin, iron –

combined, the length of each depending on the sword style, inscribed

with “He who wears it will forever rule the world.” in lesser seal

script. Moreover, in the Annals of Wu & Yue and the Lost History of

Yue, the King of Wu shut the gates to get the blacksmith Gan Jiang to

make him a sword, and the King of Yue invited the expert Xue Zhu to

appraise swords for him. Everyone knows the stories, so it will not be

necessary to repeat them here.

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龍形劍之來源SOURCE OF THE DRAGON SHAPE SWORD

龍形劍術。為山東兖州嚴繼藴師之絕技。嚴師世代以武術得名。至師練劍尤精。兼使大槍。故世人多以嚴大槍呼之。師亦樂人稱道。民國十二年南來。任江蘇省財政廰技擊教師。時年已六十又八。精神矍鑠。望之如四十許人。晨起練劍。午後扎槍。未嘗一日稍離。時童君文華聞師在金陵。負笈往謁。師見其短小精悍。筋骨堅實。固樂收之。因欲試其膽。怒目叱之不懼。欲騐其氣。以勢凌之不動。遂收為徒。童君字國璋。江蘇淮安城南附馬營人。幼而好弄。長負奇氣。喜馳馬試劍。平人不平。譽之毁之。君弗顧也。從嚴師習龍形劍時。年二十二。待嚴囘魯遂與同門顧汝章互相砥礪。顧君阜甯人。練掌有功。能用指錐穿磚瓦行路時常用掌猛擊磚牆。掌不傷而牆或有損其掌工之堅硬。於此可知又能銕板橋。首足高擱。腹上置五百觔大石。石上再上五人。其中四人。背脊相靠。雙肘相絞。坐擔胸腹。其另一人。躍立肩上。顧君之內功。於此更可知矣。他如各種武器。幾無一不精。十七年。中央國術舘舉行第一次國術考試。顧君獲最優等獎章故其劍術工夫。加人一等。自非常人之所能及。童君亦自言實得君之益不少。後鈕公惕生在甯組織江蘇省國術分舘。開辦第一期師範研究所。童君欣往就學。術成卒業。迨至省府遷鎮。開辦師範講習所。招集現任公安水警人員來舘練習由副舘長孫祿堂先生聘君為國術教官兼訓育處組長職。余至訓育處得君之臂助良多。君天資聰慧。於國術法門。一見即能記憶不忘。除龍形劍外如提攔槍。抹眉刀。五虎尋羊棍。盤龍棍春秋刀梅花雙刀。張飛矛。月牙鏟。六合大槍提鑪劍。三才劍護手鈎雪片刀。少林闖拳。提鑪拳少林長拳。梅花拳四路查拳。六路短打。形意太極八卦等。均無不熟極而流。其中除嚴師所授拳刀槍劍而外。據童君云。有為吳沁泉老師所傳者。有為金佳福老師所傳者。金佳福老先生金陵人。為本舘少林門門長。現年七十九嵗。民國十九年終。中央國術舘舘長張之江先生。任江蘇省綏靖督辦來省。金老先生於歡迎表演時。尤舞數十斤之大刀。行走如飛。亦深得國術中三昧者也。

The Dragon Shape Sword art is a specialty of Yan Jiyun of Yanzhou,

Shandong. Yan is from a family known for its generations of martial

skills. He became especially refined with the sword, equally so with

the spear, so much so that the commonfolk dubbed him “Big Spear

Yan”, and he delighted in their praise. In 1923, he came south to

serve as martial arts instructor for the Jiangsu Department of

Finance. At this time he was already sixty-eight years old, but he was

full of vitality and still looked like a man of forty. When he got up in

the morning he would practice the sword, then in the afternoon drill

the spear, never neglecting his practice for even a single day.

     When Tong Wenhua heard Yan was in Nanjing, he left home and

went to learn from him. Yan saw he was a small man but strong, a

good solid physique, and so he was happy to receive him. Then he

decided to test Tong’s courage. He glared with anger and shouted at

him, but Tong was not alarmed. Yan wanted to examine his

character, to make sure insult would not affect him, and after that

accepted him as his pupil. Tong Wenhua’s given name is Tong

Guozhang. He is from Huai’an City in Jiangsu. When he was a child

he loved to play, and by the time he grew up he had developed a

marvelous spirit, relishing riding horses and also sparring with

swords. Whenever he encountered injustice, he helped people, and

any praise or criticism he might receive did not concern him. When

he learned the Dragon Shape Sword from Yan, he was 22 years old,

and during a period in which Yan returned to Shandong, Tong and

fellow disciple Gu Ruzhang encouraged each other in their training.

     Gu, who comes from Funing county in Jiangsu, has trained his

palm skill to the level that he can use a finger to drill through brick

or tile. While he walks from place to place, he often strikes brick

walls. His palms go unharmed, but because they are so solid there is

sometimes damage to the walls. This verifies his palm skill. He can

also perform the skill of iron bridge, from head to foot becoming a

shelf. A five hundred-pound boulder is placed on his belly upon which

five people sit, four back-to-back with elbows linked, sitting on his

chest and belly and a fifth who jumps atop their shoulders. His

internal skill can be known from this. He is also an expert with every

kind of weapon. In 1928, the Central Guoshu Institute held the first

Guoshu tournament, and Gu received a first-place medal because his

sword skill was superior to all. He is at a level only extraordinary

people reach. Tong himself has remarked he truly learned a lot from

Gu.

     After Minister of the Interior Niu Tisheng made a visit to Nanjing

to organize the Jiangsu Guoshu Institute into multiple locations, the

first instructor-training facility was opened. Tong took joy in his

studies and was finally graduated for his skills. When the provincial

government changed the location of their own offices, another

instructor-training facility was opened. Police and coast guard

personnel assembled at the new school to receive training, and Tong

was then appointed by assistant director Sun Lutang to be their

personal instructor as well as chief instructor for the new facility. I

have received much instructional assistance from Tong. He has

plenty of natural ability and intelligence. He learns the styles of

Chinese martial arts quickly and retains them perfectly. Apart from

the Dragon Shape Sword, he also knows Raising-Block Spear,

Eyebrow-Wiping Saber, Five-Tigers-Hunt-the-Lamb Staff, Coiling

Dragon Staff, Spring&Autumn Halberd, Plum Blossom Double

Sabers, Zhang Fei’s Spear, Crescent Moon Spade, Six Combinations

Spear, Furnace-Sparking Sword, Triple-Essence Sword, Hand-

Guarding Hooks, Snowflake Saber, Shaolin Charging Boxing,

Furnace-Sparking Boxing, Shaolin Long Boxing, Plum Blossom

Boxing, four sets of Zha Family Boxing, six sets of Short Fighting, as

well as Xingyi, Taiji, Bagua, and so on, all of which he is extremely

experienced and fluent in. From Yan Jiyun, Tong received instruction

in the boxing, saber, spear, and swords arts, as well as other things.

Tong says he also received instruction from Wu Qinquan, as well as

Jin Jiafu, a Nanjing man, who is chief instructor for Shaolin in the

original Guoshu facility, now 79 years old. As 1930 was coming to a

close, Zhang Zhijiang, who is head director for the Central Guoshu

Institute and also the Jiangsu superintendent of peace, made an

inspection visit. During a performance to welcome Zhang, Jin made

an outstanding demonstration with a ten-pound saber, his footwork

like a bird in flight, clearly one who had attained the deepest level of

Chinese martial arts.

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龍形劍之名稱THE DRAGON SHAPE SWORD’S NAME

龍形劍之命名。並因其劍身形狀與他劍有特異之處。亦非如漢明所鑄之劍上作龍形。因而定名。其所以以龍形為名者。不在劍身之形狀。而在舞劍之姿勢。姿勢如鳳舞。則名之為飛鳳可也。姿勢如龍蟠。則名之為龍形可也。此仍係指全路劍法而言。若其中各箇姿勢。有與他種動作相似者。則再用各箇動作姿勢之名稱以分別之。龍形劍命名之義如此。茲再將龍形劍各部之名稱及其重量。繪圗述之如

下。The Dragon Shape Sword is so called because its manner is distinct

from other swords. It is not like the Han Emperor Ming’s sword,

which he had made in the shape of a dragon and hence its name was

“Dragon Shape”. Here it is not the shape of the sword, but the

postures of the performance. If postures are like a phoenix dancing,

it could be called Flying Phoenix. If postures are like a dragon

coiling, it could be called Dragon Shape. (This has to do with the

techniques in the solo set. If the postures within it seem similar to

movements in other sword sets, then use the individual posture

names to make them distinct.) This is the meaning of the name

“Dragon Shape Sword”. Below are the terms for each part of the

sword used in the Dragon Shape Sword and their measurements.

The drawing below depicts this as follows:

（一）為劍鐓。（二）為劍柄。（三）為護手（四）為劍身。（五）為劍鋒。（七）全身。長約二尺八寸三分。（八）劍鐓。長約一寸八分。寬一寸六分。厚六分（九）劍柄。長三寸六分。寬一寸二分。厚九分。（十）護手。長約一寸一分。寬二寸六分。厚七分。其兩耳每耳長約一寸五分。（十一）劍身。長約二尺一寸八分。寬約一寸一分。（十二）劍鋒。約七分寬。1. pommel

2. handle

3. hilt

4. body

5. tip

[6. ?]

7. The length of the body is about 2 feet 8 3/10 inches.

8. The pommel is about 1 4/5 inches long, 1 3/5 inches wide, and 3/5

inches thick.

9. The handle is 3 3/5 inches long, 1 1/5 inches wide, and 9/10 inches

thick.

10. The hilt is about 1 1/10 inches long, 2 3/5 inches wide, 7/10

inches thick, and the ears about 1 1/2 inches long.

11. The sword body is about 2 feet 1 4/5 inches long, and about 1

1/10 inches wide.

12. The sword tip is about 7/10 inches wide.

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龍形劍之劍法THE DRAGON SHAPE SWORD’S METHOD

前漢書卷三十。藝文志第十。載劍道三十八篇。手搏六篇。蹵鞠二十五篇。右兵技巧十三家。百九十九篇技巧者。習手足。便器械。積機闗。以立攻守之勝者也。但顏師古僅删其要。而略記其篇數。亦因年代久遠。無以詳知故也。他如逢門射法二篇。蒲沮子弋法四篇。均不可考矣。由此可知吾國國術之書籍。失傳已久。固不僅劍道一種已也。然師弟相承。流傳迄今者。亦屬有人。如紀效新書末篇中之劍經。猶有圗說註解。雖吾國絕技。傳而不全。於斯可見一斑。惟彼時之所謂劍術者。係包括刀槍箭棍各種短兵器械而言。不必專指劍法而論。所謂劍法者何。盖依其當然之理。就其必然之勢。而定其來去之方。分其上下之意。是謂之法。古之劍法有與今法不同者。古之劍端有環。可繫之以繩。近則刺。遠則擲後世之劍有長至五六尺者。多雙手把握以舞之。其所舞之法。僅格洗擊刺四字雖屬簡陋不詳。然後世短劍之砍撩摸刺抽提橫倒八法。亦由此四字中化出由四字而八字而十三字而二十四劍。推而至四十四或八十八以至一百七十六劍。均能變化自如。隨心所欲故法不求多。貴在得法能練。得法不難。難在練而能用。世有讀破萬卷書。而不能冩一信柬者。比比皆是也。近今練劍之宗旨。原不在練而能用。祇求靈活身腰。冀强國强種之功效而已。但不練則已。既然練劍。仍宜揣其攻守之意。進退之方。兵可百年不用。不可一日無備。劍法可終身不用。今既練習。則不可不知。茲將龍形劍法之十一字分述如下。In the “Bibliographical Records” of the History of the Early Han

Dynasty is mentioned thirty-eight chapters on swordsmanship, six

chapters on bare-hand fighting, twenty-five chapters for a type of

soccer, etc. Covering the thirteen branches of military skills, there

are a hundred ninety-nine chapters. These were skills for training the

hands and feet, weapons, and collected strategies, to make one

victorious in both offense and defense.

     However, Yan Shigu in compiling that bibliography only kept

what he thought was important and there is but a slight record of

many chapters, leaving distant eras with no details that are known,

such as two chapters on the archery of the Feng school or four

chapters on the archery of Bu Puzi, but nothing that can be

examined. From this we can know our nation’s martial arts literature

is long lost, and not just sword doctrines.

      Yet passed along from teacher to student, handed down to the

present, there are those who have preserved information, as in the

case of the “Sword Classic” [by Yu Dayou], contained within the New

Book of Effective Methods [by Qi Jiguang], an illustrated handbook.

Although our nation’s unique skills were passed down incompletely,

we can [through such documents] at least catch a glimpse of them.

     In those days, the sword art was considered to be included among

saber, spear, arrow, staff, and various short weapons. It was not

necessary to discuss specific sword techniques, and it was said that

what the techniques were depended on commonsense and a natural

way of things, determined by actions of attack and defense, and

divided into intentions of up and down – these were the techniques.

     Ancient sword methods were different from modern sword

methods. Ancient swords had rings on their ends which could be tied

with cord, meaning that while they could be used to stab when near,

when fighting at a distance they could be thrown. The swords of later

generations grew to five or six feet and many double-handed grips

were used.

      The techniques that were practiced were only block, clear, hit,

and stab, and these four terms although simple are not quite

explicitly understood. Later generations with their short swords

brought it up to eight terms with hack, raise, smear, stab, draw,

carry, cross, and overturn. The four terms evolved until they became

eight, then thirteen, then twenty-four sword techniques. It went on

until there were forty-four, eighty-eight, a hundred and seventy-six

sword techniques.

     In all situations, to be able to adjust freely and do as you please

means the techniques do not need to be numerous. The important

thing is to obtain techniques and be capable of training them.

Obtaining techniques is not difficult. The difficulty lies in training

them until you are able to use them. There are people who read

countless books yet are unable to write a single page. Such is often

the case.

     Lately the purpose of training in the sword is not primarily to

train until techniques can be applied, only to make the body more

nimble, hoping that the result of strengthening the nation and

cultivating the self will be enough. But in that case, not training

would be enough, since in training with the sword you should still

harbor an intention of attack and defense, advance and retreat. The

military can go a hundred years without being called into service,

but must not go a single day without preparing for it. You can go

your whole life without needing sword techniques, but right now in

your practice you must know them.

     Description follows of the eleven techniques in the Dragon Shape

Sword.

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劍法分解BREAKDOWN OF THE METHOD

龍形劍法。為劈撩斬抹掤托鈎挂提刺扎十一字。舞劍之時。右臂多平推平起。右腕宜搖挽生花。如是則劍柄似乎不甚動。而劍尖則迴環上下。左右前後。圓轉自如。風飛電掣。而無絲毫濡滯之勢矣。因龍形劍法。用劍尖居多。而用劍身時甚少。務宜氣發尾閭。勁貫劍尖。合伸縮為進退之法。以迴環分順逆之勢。有抑有揚。無斷無間。似開而復合。或擋後而迎前。明中有暗。暗中亦有明。既欲意先劍後。又要神寄劍身。隨其形以變化。順其勢而飛騰。劍與身法步相連。劍即是手。手即是劍。則不知手中之有劍矣。意行於筋絡之間。意即是氣。氣即是意。則絕無板笨之形矣。苟能心領神會。熟極而流。自合劍術之道覈。是在習者之慧心領悟耳。兹將十一字分別述之如下。The Dragon Shape Sword techniques are chopping, carrying,

slashing, smearing, flicking, propping, hooking, hanging, lifting,

stabbing, and poking – these eleven terms. When practicing with the

sword, the right arm is most of the time pushed out and lifted up,

while the right wrist should agitate and coil in lively flourishes. Thus

the sword handle seems like it is hardly moving, yet the sword tip

circles up and down, left and right, forward and back, circling and

turning freely, fast as wind and sudden as lightning, and without the

slightest slowing of the momentum. Since Dragon Shape Sword

techniques use the sword tip the majority of the time, the sword body

is used quite a bit less. Strive for the energy to express from the

lower back and send the energy through to the sword tip. Extending

and shrinking are matters of advancing and retreating. Use winding

actions to distinguish the dynamics of moving with and moving

against. There is restraining and rousing. There are no pauses or

gaps. It seems to be expanding and again contracting, or to be

blocking behind and receiving in front. The obvious contains the

subtle and the subtle also contains the obvious. Since you should use

the mind to move first and then the sword, you should also use your

spirit to send the sword body. Follow its shape and transform. Follow

its momentum and soar. The sword techniques, body methods, and

stepping methods are all coordinated with each other. The sword is

the hand and the hand is the sword – thus you will not be aware

there is a sword in your hand. The intent flows through the space

between the muscles and vessels. The intent is the energy and the

energy is the intent – thus you will be free from clumsy stiffness. If

you can come to grasp these things intuitively, practicing it until it is

thoroughly familiar and smooth, you will become one with the core

method of the sword art, yet this will depend on your own wisdom

and understanding. Here follows a description of each of the eleven

terms:

劈CHOPPING:

提勁於劍身中部。由上向下。謂之劈。有左劈右劈。前劈後劈。右手均是虎口朝前。掌心朝後。Guide the energy to the sword body’s middle section. To go from

above to below is called chopping. There is a left chop, right chop,

front chop, and rear chop. The right hand in each case has its tiger’s

mouth facing forward and the center of the palm facing to the rear

[left].

撩RAISING:

提勁於劍尖前部。由下向上。謂之撩。有左撩右撩。反撩倒撩。左撩右撩均是正腕。反撩倒撩均是反腕。Guide the energy to the sword tip’s front section. To go from below

to above is called raising. There is a left raise, right raise, reverse

raise, and overturned raise. The left raise and right raise both are

straight-wristed. The reverse raise and overturned raise both are

reverse-wristed.

斬SLASHING:

提勁於劍身中部。由外向裏。謂之斬。如由右方向左方横斬或斜斬。均是掌心朝上。手背向下。虎口朝前。Guide the energy to the sword body’s middle section. To go from

outward to inward is called slashing. If you go from the right to the

left in a horizontal or diagonal slash, in either case the center of the

palm faces upward, the back of the hand is downward, and the

tiger’s mouth faces forward.

抹SMEARING:

提勁於劍尖前中部。由裏向外。謂之抹。如由左右向外抹。亦有由左向右外抹時。用正腕。掌心朝上者。亦或用反腕。掌心朝下者。皆可。Guide the energy to the sword tip and the forward middle section. To

go from inward to outward is called smearing. If you smear outward

from the right to the left, or when you smear outward from the left to

the right, you are using a straight wrist and the center of the palm

facing upward in the case of the former, or a reverse wrist and the

center of the palm facing downward in the case of the latter – both

are acceptable.

掤FLICKING:

提勁於劍尖前方。陡然向上。謂之掤。如順勢上掤左掤右掤。均由正腕。虎口朝上。此係專為掤開敵械而用。Guide the energy to the front of the sword tip and abruptly bring it

upward. This is called flicking. Depending on the situation, you can

flick upward, to the left, or to the right. All start from a straight

wrist, tiger’s mouth facing upward. This technique focuses on

flicking away the opponent’s weapon.

托PROPPING:

提勁於劍根後上方。逆勢反接。謂之托。如劍横身右。虎口朝外。掌心迎胸。由下向上。此法專為敵械近身而用。Guide the energy to the sword pommel, to the rear and upward. To

go against the momentum and reverse the flow is called propping. If

the sword body is horizontal to the right, the tiger mouth faces

outward and the center of the palm faces the chest. Go upward from

below. This technique is for moments when the opponent’s weapon is

near your body.

鈎HOOKING:

提勁於劍尖之上。由後下方絞起。謂之鈎有左鈎右鈎。左鈎時掌心向右。右鈎時仰腕朝上。Guide the energy to the top of the sword tip. To twist upward from

below and behind is called hooking. There is a left hook and right

hook. The center of the palm faces to the right in the case of the left

hook. During the right hook, the inside of the wrist faces upward.

挂HANGING:

提勁於劍尖前裏鋒。由右上方向左下方。謂之挂虎口朝左後方。掌心朝前下方。此法專為擊落敵人器械而用。

Guide the energy to the sword tip and forward section of the inside

edge. To go from the upper right to the lower left is called hanging.

The tiger’s mouth faces to the left and behind. The center of the

palm faces forward and downward. This technique focuses on

knocking down the opponent’s weapon.

提CARRYING:

提勁於劍尖。劍柄在上。劍尖朝下謂之提。由左上方向右前下方。虎口朝下。掌心朝外。此法用截取敵人手腕。Guide the energy to the sword tip. To have the handle up and the tip

down is called carrying. From the upper left, go forward to the lower

right, the tiger’s mouth facing downward, the center of the palm

facing outward. This technique is used to cut the opponent’s wrist.

刺STABBING:

提勁於劍身。劍鋒朝上下。勁貫劍尖。立直向前則為刺。虎口朝前。掌心朝左或朝右。分上刺喉。中刺心。下刺腹Guide the energy to the sword body. The sword edges face up and

down. The energy passes through to the sword tip. The sword going

forward as a vertical blade is called stabbing. The tiger’s mouth

faces forward and the center of the palm faces left or right. They

separate into: high stab – to the throat, middle stab – to the solar

plexus, and lower stab – to the abdomen.

扎POKING:

提勁於劍身。鋒朝左右。勁貫劍尖。匾平向前則為扎。此係仰腕。掌心朝上。掌背朝下。Guide the energy to the sword body. The edges face left and right.

The energy passes through to the sword tip. The sword going

forward as a flat blade is called poking. In this case the inside of the

wrist is upward, the center of the palm faces upward, and the back of

the palm faces downward.

舞劍之法。其腕欲柔如綿絮。其活欲勢若游龍。其直欲硬如鋼鐵。其快欲疾如閃電。尤須肩腰相乘。手步相隨。心眼相照則顛之倒之。撩之斬之。伸之縮之。點之啄之無不圎轉如意矣。How to practice with the sword: the wrist should be soft as cotton,

the liveliness should be dynamic as a dancing dragon, the directness

should be hard as steel, and the speed should be fast as lightning.

Pay particular attention that the shoulders and waist follow each

other, the handwork and footwork coordinate with each other, and

the mind and eyes reflect each other. With these things in place,

collapsing and overturning, raising and slashing, extending and

shrinking, tapping and pecking, all will happen as you wish.

劍與他種兵器不同。譬如刀有一面鋒刄。能走上下左右前後六面。而劍則能左右前後上下八面。手腕微轉。則前後能施畧一迴環。則上下皆顧。或上掤下提。或下斬平抹。得步進步。遇空即補。所謂三尺短鋒。勝是長槍大戟。古之豪傑。輒多練此以成名。即因其迴異乎凡器也。The double-edged sword is different from other weapons. For

instance, a single-edged sword with its single edge can cut in six

ways – up, down, left, right, forward, back. But a double-edged sword

can cut in eight ways, for with a slight turn of the wrist, the front and

back cuts can sneak in a returning cut, and the same goes for the

other directions, for when flicking up or carrying below, slashing

under or smearing across, obtaining the opportunity to advance,

every miss can be mended, and so it is said that a blade of three feet

can defeat a spear or halberd. The ancient heroes all practiced the

sword in this way and became famous, for in this manner it responds

different from other weapons.

善舞其劍者。妙用使人不能測。伸縮使人不能防一步快一步。一劍緊一劍。其跳躍也勢若飛騰。其懸繚也形如流電。其於練劍之初。心堅志定。不避寒暑無間無斷。會精聚神。揣摩用法。研究真理。刻苦加功。於靜中求動。動中求靜。養元氣。活血脉。保精神。戒房事。慎飲食。去雜念。其愛劍也視同生命。故劍亦樂為其所用。今人未見有愛劍如己身者。故人不重視其劍。而劍亦不為人所用矣。世有伯樂而後有千里馬。世無識干將莫邪者。干將莫邪亦不為世人所見。即雖有之。凡夫肉眼。亦視同頑鐵等爾。噫。惜哉。Expert sword wielders are superb at making the opponent unable to

see what is going on, and in their extending and shrinking make the

opponent unable to defend or attack, for one action of the sword

tightly follows another. In their leapings, their presence takes flight,

and in their twinings, their appearance blurs like lightning. In the

beginning of sword training, let the mind be resolute and the will be

firm, avoiding neither cold days nor hot days, practicing without

interruption. Gather your essence and concentrate your spirit.

Ponder the applications, study the real principles, and train hard.

Seek movement within stillness and stillness within movement.

Nourish your vitality, invigorate your blood, maintain your spirit,

avoid excessive sex, be mindful of your diet, and rid yourself of

distracting thoughts. Love your sword as yourself, then it will be

happy to do what you want. Nowadays people do not love their

swords as themselves. Consequently they do not take the sword

seriously and the sword does not do what they want. Because the

world had Bo Le to point out talent, the world witnessed the talent of

the Thousand-Mile Horse. When there is no recognition of great

swords like those made by Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, they get ignored,

and although they are there, the eye of the common person sees only

useless pieces of metal. Alas, what a pity.

昔人有論劍法。擬之以書法者。書法有八法。用永字分剖以解之。劍法亦有八法。亦以永字比之。（一）丶則為刺。（二）ˊ則為撩。（三）乛則為斬。（四）一則為掤。（五）丨則為劈。（六）亅則為鈎。（七）丿則為提。（八）乀則為抹。此外如扎則與刺相同。挂則與提相若。托則與掤相似。更有以抽揭點砍橫倒削摸為字訣用法者。總不外乎八法而已。When ancient people determined sword techniques, they imitated

the techniques of calligraphy, of which there are eight. Applying the

standard breakdown of strokes, the sword techniques also fall into

eight. The standard strokes correspond in this way:

1. A dotting stroke goes with stabbing.

2. A lifting stroke goes with raising.

3. A twisting stroke goes with slashing.

4. A horizontal stroke goes with flicking.

5. A vertical stroke goes with chopping.

6. A hooking stroke goes with hooking.

7. A left-curving stroke goes with carrying.

8. A right-curving stroke goes with smearing.

Beyond this, poking is the same as stabbing, hanging is the same as

carrying, and propping is the same as flicking. Other techniques

include drawing, uncovering, tapping, hacking, crossing,

overturning, paring, and feeling, but generally speaking, they do not

go beyond the eight basic strokes.

方今之世。以劍術著名者。莫李將軍景林若。將軍字芳宸。河北人。善武當劍劍法有十三式。以十三字名之。曰抽曰帶曰提曰格曰擊曰刺曰點曰崩曰攪曰壓曰劈曰截曰洗。亦猶之武當拳十三勢之采挒肘靠掤捋擠按前進後退左顧右盼中定也。其術劍之要點。以劍術一道。全慿乎神神足而成道。練精化氣練氣化神。練神成道。劍神合一。是近道矣。內練陰陽中和之氣。習之者當以無陋為先。保精養氣。甯神抱一。先習拳術為基礎。其步法手法須學八卦之輕靈便捷。其身法腰法須學太極之含胸拔背。沉肩曲肘。頭頂虚靈。鬆腰活腕。氣沉丹田。力由脊發。進則上下相垂退。則捷步如飛。出劍之精神。如形意拳之勇往直前。有進無退。敵劍一動。我劍已到着矣。其全路劍法之精深如此。自非稍習皮毛者所能望其頎背。是合內家各種拳術之專長而神化者也。In this era of famous swordsmen, no one is more so than General Li

Jinglin, given name Fangchen, of Hebei. He is an expert of Wudang

Sword.

     “Its method has thirteen techniques, namely drawing, dragging,

lifting, blocking, striking, stabbing, tapping, flicking, stirring,

pressing, chopping, checking, and clearing. It is the same situation

as in Wudang Boxing’s thirteen dynamics: plucking, rending,

elbowing, bumping, warding off, rolling back, pressing, pushing,

advancing, retreating, moving to the left, moving to the right, and

staying in the center.”

     The gist of his skill with the sword is that the method “is entirely

based on spirit. With sufficiency of spirit, the method is achieved.

Train the essence and transform it into energy. Train the energy and

transform it into spirit. Train the spirit and achieve the method.

Sword and spirit merging into one brings you to the method.

Internally training the harmonization of passive and active energies,

the practitioner should use ‘no crudeness’ as the first principle.

Protect the essence and nourish the energy. Calm the spirit and

cherish oneness. First train in boxing arts as the foundation. For the

stepping methods and hand techniques, you must learn Bagua’s

lightness and nimbleness. For the body and waist methods, you must

learn from Taiji’s contained chest and pulled up back. Sink the

shoulders and bend the elbows. The headtop is forcelessly roused.

Loosen the waist and liven the wrists. Energy sinks to the lower

abdomen. Power expresses from the spine. In advancing, the upper

body and lower coordinate with each other, and in retreating, step

nimbly as the wind. The spirit of attacking with the sword is like the

bold forwardness of Xingyi, which only advances and never retreats.

When the opponent’s sword moves, my sword has already arrived.”

     This is the profoundness of his whole regimen of sword

techniques. As long as you do not train superficially, you will have

something solid to carry with you, something that joins you with the

specialty of every kind of internal school, and you will become

miraculous.

芳宸將軍又云。練劍有五戒。（一）戒色慾。因學劍者首重精神。有精而後有氣。有氣而後有力。有力而後有神。故宜保精養氣。節慾養生。（二）戒殘暴。學習者首重德行。干城衛國。除暴安良澤及當時。名留後世。切勿用於為非叛逆好勇鬬狠等事。（三）戒躐等。習劍者須由淺而深。由簡而繁。先練眼法身法手法步法。此為外四要。次練胆力內勁速力沉着。此為內四要。按級習練。先求開展。後求緊凑。循序漸進。方臻妙用。（四）戒過分。人身精力有限。有練劍疲勞之時。即須有保精休養之法。精神飽滿。則功夫隨之長進。故太饑太飽之時。均非所宜。（五）戒無恆。學劍者當有堅毅心。勇敢心。孔子曰。人而無恆。不

可以作巫醫。況練劍乎。勿因身弱而自餒。勿因質鈍而中止。勿因事繁而中輟。勿為環境而中斷。有志者事竟成。願學者三復斯言云。此為千古不易之言。吾願習龍形劍者。亦應奉此言為圭臬。故記錄於此。非敢掠他人之美也。General Fangchen said, “When training with the sword, there are

five things to avoid:

1. LUST & AVARICE:

For the student of the sword, of primary importance is vitality. If you

have essence, then you have energy. If you have energy, then you

have strength. If you have strength, then you have spirit. Therefore

you should protect your essence and nourish your energy, restrain

your desires and nourish your health.

2. BRUTISHNESS:

For the student, also of primary importance is virtuous conduct. Man

the ramparts and defend your country. Drive out the bullies and

bring peace to good people. The benefits you spread now will set

example for future generations. Never use the art in revolt against

your country, or to get into fights to show off how brave or tough you

are.

3. IMPATIENCE:

The sword practitioner must go from the shallows to the depths,

from the simple to the complex. First train the methods of eye, body,

hand, and step, these being the four external requirements, and then

train the courage, power, speed, and calmness, these being the four

internal requirements. Restrain yourself to the stages of training,

first seeking the gross movement and then the finer details.

Proceeding step by step, you will then attain a wondrous ability.

4. EXCESSIVENESS:

The body’s vitality is limited. When you become fatigued in your

practice, then you must protect your essence with methods of

recuperating. When your essence and spirit are abundant, then your

skill naturally makes progress. Therefore when you are either overly

hungry or overly full, practicing is not appropriate.

5. INCONSTANCY:

A student of the sword should have an indomitable will and courage.

Confucius said: ‘A man who is inconstant cannot become a shaman.’

How much more so in training the sword! Do not complain you are

weak and then lose confidence. Do not complain you are stupid and

then quit. Do not complain you are busy and then give up halfway.

Do not get distracted by life and then stop. If you are determined,

you can achieve it. If you wish to learn it, ponder these words.”

     As these are eternal truths, we who practice the Dragon Shape

Sword should receive this as a set of criteria. Therefore make note of

it, and do not dare to dismiss perfection that comes from another

school.

余嘗聞之前輩有云。鑄劍之法。須用馬蹄鐵馬鈴鐵車輪鐵為最佳。馬蹄鐵者。騾馬蹄下極滑將穿之銕。或破壞自落之鐵也。馬鈴鐵者。驢馬頸下響鈴中搖撞之鐵胆也。車輪鐵者。車輪圈環自磨損壞之鐵也。取其久經磨鍊。火氣化盡。與運用純熟也余問何以不用鍊成之鋼鑄之。豈不較之易購乎彼云現煉之鋼條。其性脆而不柔。惟所煉之鋼。能硬能軟。兼有挺勁而不易屈。普通鑄劍之法。用銕一觔。成鋼一兩。約十五斤煉成十五兩。將劍造成之後。務宜親手持磨。方能合手而無長短輕重之弊。切不可假手他人代磨。致不應手。是為用劍者不可不知之祕法也。I have heard that previous generations have said the method of

making swords must for the best quality use shoe iron, bell iron, and

wheel iron. The shoe iron is from the iron shod under the horse’s

hoof or broken bits that have fallen off. The bell iron is from the bells

jingling under the horse’s neck. The wheel iron is from the worn-out

wheel ring around the axle. Take what has been used for a long time,

beaten up, matured. Now why not go get some tempered steel? Why

is it better not to just buy new metal? Because it would be brittle and

unyielding. Only stuff that has already been used can be hard and

soft, both strong and not easily bent.

     On average when making a sword, for each pound of iron, you get

an ounce of steel. About fifteen pounds once smelted amounts to

fifteen ounces. After the sword is completed, it should be made

suitable to hold in one’s own hands, fitting just right, and not too

long or short, not too heavy or light. Be sure not to have somebody

else do the work for you, or it will not suit your hands. One who uses

a sword must come to understand that here lies the secret.

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龍形劍姿勢圗解目錄LIST OF POSTURES IN THE DRAGON SHAPE SWORD SET

第一動作   立正提劍Movement 1: STAND AT ATTENTION HOLDING THE SWORD

第二動作   仙人擔衣Movement 2: IMMORTAL CARRIES HIS ROBE

第三動作   獅子望球Movement 3: LION WATCHES THE BALL

第四動作   仙人指路Movement 4: IMMORTAL POINTS THE WAY

第五動作   犀牛望月Movement 5: RHINOCEROS LOOKS AT THE MOON

第六動作   烏龍入洞Movement 6: BLACK DRAGON ENTERS THE CAVE

第七動作   立馬聼風Movement 7: HALT THE HORSE TO LISTEN TO THE WIND

第八動作   古樹盤根Movement 8: OLD TREE TWISTS ITS ROOTS

第九動作   青龍翻身Movement 9: BLUE DRAGON TURNS ITS BODY

第十動作   鳳凰點頭Movement 10: PHOENIX NODS ITS HEAD

第十一動作   夜叉探海Movement 11: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

第十二動作   拗步鈎挂Movement 12: TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG

第十三動作   青龍探爪Movement 13: BLUE DRAGON EXTENDS A CLAW

第十四動作   夜叉探海Movement 14: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

第十五動作   倒劈華山Movement 15: TURN AROUND TO CHOP MT. HUA

第十六動作   烏龍擺尾Movement 16: BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL

第十七動作   烏龍絞珠Movement 17: BLACK DRAGON COILS AROUND THE PEARL

第十八動作   烏龍擺尾Movement 18: BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL

第十九動作   金雞獨立Movement 19: GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

第二十動作   拗步鈎挂Movement 20: TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG

第二十一動作   懷中抱月Movement 21: EMBRACE THE MOON

第二十二動作   夜叉探海Movement 22: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

第二十三動作   玉女穿針Movement 23: MAIDEN THREADS THE NEEDLE

第二十四動作   就地生風Movement 24: STAYING IN PLACE, STIR UP THE WIND

第二十五動作   白猿偷桃Movement 25: WHITE APE STEALS A PEACH

第二十六動作   脇下藏劍Movement 26: HIDING THE SWORD UNDER THE ARMPIT

第二十七動作   鷂子翻身Movement 27: SPARROW-HAWK TURNS OVER

第二十八動作   金龍盤玉柱Movement 28: GOLDEN DRAGON COILS AROUND THE JADE

PILLAR

第二十九動作   蹲身挂立Movement 29: SQUAT DOWN, STANDING AS IF HANGING

第三十動作   仙人撩雲Movement 30: IMMORTAL STIRS UP THE CLOUDS

第三十一動作   金雞獨立Movement 31: GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

第三十二動作   野馬奔槽Movement 32: UNTAMED HORSE FLEES THE STABLES

第三十三動作   金雞上樹Movement 33: GOLDEN ROOSTER HOPS ON THE TREE STUMP

第三十四動作   仙人伸腰Movement 34: IMMORTAL STRETCHES HIS BACK

第三十五動作   烏龍擺尾Movement 35: BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL

第三十六動作   朝天一柱香Movement 36: HOLD UP A STICK OF INCENSE

第三十七動作   丹鳳朝陽Movement 37: PHOENIX LANDS ATOP THE SUNNY SLOPE

第三十八動作   烏龍吐霧Movement 38: BLACK DRAGON SPITS FOG

第三十九動作   金雞獨立Movement 39: GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

第四十動作   鳳凰穿梭Movement 40: PHOENIX SHUTTLES THROUGH

第四十一動作   太公鈎魚Movement 41: GRAND DUKE JIANG FISHES

第四十二動作   拗步鈎挂Movement 42: TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG

第四十三動作   青龍探爪Movement 43: BLUE DRAGON EXTENDS A CLAW

第四十四動作   夜叉探海

Movement 44: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

第四十五動作   玉女穿梭Movement 45: MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE

第四十六動作   猛虎歸山Movement 46: FIERCE TIGER RETURNS TO THE MOUNTAIN

第四十七動作   龍王三潮水Movement 47: DRAGON KING SURGES THE WATER THREE TIMES

第四十八動作   太子站江邊Movement 48: PRINCE STANDS BY THE RIVER

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龍形劍圗解ILLUSTRATED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAGON SHAPE SWORD

SET

第一動作   立正提劍Movement 1: STAND AT ATTENTION HOLDING THE SWORD

假定正面朝南。身體立正。左手揑訣。二指三指挺伸。大指按着四指五指。指尖屈貼掌心。手背朝上。指尖向前。兩膀垂直。右手握劍。緊貼胯旁。劍鋒朝上下。劍尖朝前。目光前視。Assume you are facing directly south. The body stands straight. The

left hand pinches to make a “hex”: the index and middle fingers are

extended, the thumb pressing the ring finger and little finger, the

fingertips of which are bent in close to the center of the palm. The

back of the hand faces up and the fingertips are forward. The arms

hang straight. The right hand grasps the sword and is close beside

the hip area. The sword edges face up and down, the tip forward.

The gaze is forward.

[In each drawing are reminders of orientation: 南 “south” is the area

before you in this initial posture, 北 “north” behind, 東 “east” to the

left, 西 “west” to the right. Your left, right, front, and back will move

around throughout the set, but these compass directions will remain

constant to how they were in this first posture. The limbs are each

labeled 左 left and 右 right.]

第二動作   仙人擔衣Movement 2: IMMORTAL CARRIES HIS ROBE

左足向左方旁橫進一步。同時左手由下向左旁方提平。高與肩齊。再將右足向左足併攏。同時將左手微抬。收囘胸前。目光左視。揑訣不變。再將右足向右前方一步。左足向右足併攏。左手由胸前向下向左旁方指出平抬。形如下圗。以上各動作。均要一氣呵成。The left foot advances a step sideways to the left. At the same time,

the left hand lifts to the left side from below until parallel with the

ground at shoulder height. Then the right foot steps beside the left

foot. At the same time, the left hand slightly lifts and withdraws in

front of the chest. The gaze is to the left. The pinching of the “hex”

does not change. Then the right foot steps to the right forward

corner and the left foot steps to be beside the right foot, the left

hand lowering from in front of the chest to point out to the left to be

parallel with the ground. See the drawing below. For each of the

above movements, all must flow together without interruption.

第三動作   獅子望球Movement 3: LION WATCHES THE BALL

右足一提。隨時落下。左腿向左旁方伸直。身體右蹲。同時左手訣指。點落右手手腕脈門之上。右手抬起。高與右額角相平。將劍鋒朝上下。手心朝前。劍尖指左。將劍橫置腦額頂上。目光左視。形如下圗。The right foot lifts, then drops down. The left leg extends to the left

side and the body squats on the right. At the same time, the hexing

finger slightly lowers to the right wrist’s pulse area, the right hand

lifting to be level with the right temple, the sword edges facing up

and down, the center of the hand facing forward [outward], the

sword tip pointing to the left, and the sword placed horizontally over

the forehead. The gaze is to the left. See the drawing below.

第四動作   仙人指路Movement 4: IMMORTAL POINTS THE WAY

身腰步劍。均仍照前勢不動。將貼在右腕左訣。向左方指出。臂與肩平。目光左視。身腰微向左轉。成左弓右箭步。兩足不動。右手將劍落下。由胸前向左前方刺出。虎口朝上。左訣仍貼右手脈門。形如下圗。Body, stance, and sword do not yet change from the previous

posture. The hexing finger goes from the right wrist and points out to

the left at shoulder level. The gaze is to the left. The body slightly

turns to the left and completes a stance of left leg a bow and right

leg an arrow, both feet not leaving their location. The right hand

lowers the sword from in front of the chest to stab forward to the

left, the tiger’s mouth facing up, with the hexing finger returning to

the pulse area. See the drawing below.

第五動作   犀牛望月Movement 5: RHINOCEROS LOOKS AT THE MOON

將劍尖由上向右旁方一挂。同時身腰右轉左蹲。成右足在前伸直。左足在後蹲坐勢。力聚腰胯。目光右視劍尖。右肘緊貼右肋。劍把緊抱胸前左手訣指。仍貼右手脈門。形如下圗。The sword tip goes from above to the right side in a hanging action.

At the same time, the body turns to the right and squats down on the

left, making a posture of the right foot extended forward and the left

foot crouched behind, the strength concentrated in the hips. The

gaze is to the sword tip. The right elbow is close to the right ribs, the

sword handle is held close to the chest, and the hexing finger stays

at the pulse area. See the drawing below.

第六動作   烏龍入洞Movement 6: BLACK DRAGON ENTERS THE CAVE

身體向右前方一移。成右弓左箭步。同時左手指訣提上。置於左額門上。右手將劍向前平刺。虎口朝上。目光前視。形如下圗。The body shifts forward to the right, making a stance of right leg a

bow and left leg an arrow. At the same time, the hexing finger lifts

and is placed over the left side of the forehead. The right hand sends

the sword stabbing forward, parallel with the ground, the tiger’s

mouth facing upward. The gaze is forward. See the drawing below.

第七動作   立馬聼風Movement 7: HALT THE HORSE TO LISTEN TO THE WIND

右足尖向右外方一磨。身腰右轉。左足向右上步。此時正面朝北。成馬襠勢蹲下。同時右臂微抬。將劍右抽。橫與眉齊。左手訣指。遙指劍尖。在劍端前下方二寸許。目光上視劍身。形如下圗。The right toes turn outward to the right, the body turns to the right,

and the left foot steps forward. The body is now square to the north,

squatting down in a horse-straddling posture. At the same time, the

right arm slightly lifts and draws the sword to be horizontal at

eyebrow height. The hexing finger points to the sword tip about two

inches below the end of the sword. The gaze is toward the sword

body. See the drawing below.

第八動作   古樹盤根Movement 8: OLD TREE TWISTS ITS ROOTS

右足尖抬起。後跟落地。足尖向右後方一磨。左足後跟提起。足尖貼地。後跟向左後方磨。身面由北轉東向南。再向西北。足在原地未動。此時成兩腿成盤絲步。右股貼坐左小腿之上。右足在左落實。左足在後。足跟微抬。同時將劍隨身腰順勢轉向右後方下抹。劍尖朝西北方。離地二三寸許。左手訣指護腦。目光向右下方視劍尖。形如下圗。The right toes lift, then the heel comes down with the toes turned

outward to the right rear. The left heel lifts, toes still on the ground,

and the heel turns to the left rear. From being square to the north,

the body turns to the east, the south, and becomes square to the

northwest [southwest]. The feet have not left their location. The legs

are now in a twisting-silk stance, the right thigh is sitting on the left

calf, the right foot to the left with most of the weight on it and the

left foot behind with the heel slightly raised. At the same time, the

sword goes along with the body’s momentum, turning around to the

right rear with a low smearing cut. The tip points to the northwest,

about two or three inches from the ground. The hexing finger guards

the head. The gaze is to the lower right, looking toward the sword

tip. See the drawing below.

第九動作   青龍翻身Movement 9: BLUE DRAGON TURNS ITS BODY

身體順勢微起。仰面朝天。向左翻轉。兩足跟提起。足尖左磨。待身腰翻轉。正面仍朝西北。成左足在前。右足在後丁字步。同時將劍並不收囘。在頭頂上方。即順勢翻轉。向前下方一刺。劍鋒朝上下。左手訣指。仍貼右手脈門。目光前視劍尖。形如下圗。The body goes along with the previous momentum by slightly rising,

leaning back to face toward the sky, and turns around to the left,

both heels lifting, pivoting on the toes to the left. The body turns

over to be square to the northwest, making a T-shape stance with the

left foot in front and the right foot behind. At the same time, the

sword, without withdrawing, goes over the head, then going along

with the momentum of the body turning around, stabs down forward,

the sword edges facing up and down, the hexing finger returning to

the pulse area. The gaze is forward toward the sword tip. See the

drawing below.

第十動作   鳳凰點頭Movement 10: PHOENIX NODS ITS HEAD

左手訣指。由內向外向上對劍柄劃小圎圈。叠連三個。同時右手將劍尖向前撩點三次。與左手圎圈遙遙相應。同時左足後退一步。右足隨之後退一大步。身腰在右蹬坐。左手訣指。向左旁伸出。右手將劍右拉。劍鋒朝上下劍身橫於右膝前下方。左訣指西目光左視形如下圗The hexing finger goes from inward to outward and up,

corresponding the sword circling, repeating continuously for a total

of three circles, the right hand at the same time sending the sword

tip forward with a rising tap three times, with the circle

corresponding from a distance. At the same time, the left foot takes a

step back, then the right foot takes a large step back and the body

squats down on it, the hexing finger extending to the left side, and

the right hand pulling the sword to the right. The sword edges face

up and down, and the sword body is horizontal in front of and below

the right knee. The hexing finger is pointing to the west. The gaze is

to the left. See the drawing below.

第十一動作   夜叉探海Movement 11: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

身腰左移。右手將劍近地二寸許。向前刺出。右足向左足前方一步。同時身隨劍起。左足竭力上提。足尖向下。膝在胸前。左訣護腦。目光前視。此時正面朝西。形如下圗。The body shifts to the left. The right hand sends the sword, close to

the ground, about two inches away from it, to stab forward. The right

foot steps in front of the left foot. At the same time, the body follows

the sword and rises. The left foot puts all its energy into lifting up,

the toes pointing downward, the knee in front of the chest. The

hexing finger guards the head. The gaze is forward and the body is

square to the west [south]. See the drawing below.

第十二動作   拗步鈎挂Movement 12: TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG

左足向右足後方倒退一步。此時右足仍然未動。同時身腰右轉。右手將劍身翻轉。掌心朝外。劍尖向下。由下近腿向後一鈎。同時右足向右旁退一步。此時兩足成平行。將劍尖鈎起向上一挂。右臂微曲。劍橫頂上。訣指隨劍柄向右。貼置右脈門上。目光上視。形如下圗。The left foot steps behind the right foot. At this moment, the right

foot has not yet left its location. At the same time, the torso turns to

the right, and the right hand turns the sword body over, the center of

the palm facing outward, sword tip downward, and goes from below

and near the leg toward the rear in a hooking action. At the same

time, the right foot retreats to the right side, the feet parallel, and

the sword tip hooks up into a hanging action, the right arm slightly

bent, the sword horizontal above the head. The hexing finger follows

the sword handle to the right to be placed at the pulse area. The

gaze is upward. See the drawing below.

第十三動作   青龍探爪Movement 13: BLUE DRAGON EXTENDS A CLAW

左足提起。足跟緊貼右膝。足尖向下。將左指屈藏右脇下旁。身腰左轉。同時右手將劍尖下垂。向左後下方操起絞前。左足在右膝前落成連枝交叉式。全體坐落於右足小腿之上。右足跟提起。足尖貼地此時劍把緊抱胸前。劍鋒朝左右。劍尖過額頂。身腰提起。雙足未動。右臂挺伸將劍前扎。左訣護腦。目光前視。形如下圗The left foot lifts, heel close to the right knee, toes downward. Bring

the hexing finger, by bending the arm, to hide below and beside the

right armpit. The torso turns to the left. At the same time, the right

hand sends the sword tip to the lower left rear, then coiling up and

forward. The left foot from in front of the right knee comes down to

make an overlapping stance. The whole body is sitting down on the

right calf. The right heel is lifted, toes staying on the ground. At this

time, the sword handle is hugged close in front of the chest, the

edges to the left and right, the tip higher than the head. The body

rises, the feet not yet leaving their location, and the right arm

extends, sending the sword forward in a poking action. The hexing

finger guards the head. The gaze is forward. See the drawing below.

第十四動作   夜叉探海Movement 14: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

此時正面仍朝西。將右足向前一步。身腰左蹲。右手將劍猛然落於右足之前。劍身平地。離地約二寸許。左手訣指仍貼右手脈門。再將身腰前探。隨劍進刺。同時左足提起。置於左後方。足尖上翹。左訣護腦。目光視劍。形如下圗。At this time, the body is square to the west. The right foot steps

forward and the body squats on the left. The right hand brings the

sword fiercely down in front of the right foot, the sword body parallel

with the ground and about two inches from it, the hexing finger

returning to the pulse area. Then the body reaches forward,

following the sword to advance with a stab. At the same time, the left

foot lifts to be placed to the left rear, toes raised. The hexing finger

guards the head. The gaze is toward the sword. See the drawing

below.

第十五動作   倒劈華山Movement 15: TURN AROUND TO CHOP MT. HUA

左手訣指向左旁方一指。目光左視。左足落下。右足向左足前方點步。左足再向左一步落實。成左弓右箭勢。身腰向左轉。正面朝東。右手將劍柄拖囘右前方。劍鋒猛然前劈。左手訣指在後挺伸。目光前視。形如下圗。The hexing finger points to the left side and the gaze goes to the left.

The left foot comes down, the right foot goes in front of the left foot

with a step that barely touches down, then the left foot again takes

another step to the left that comes down fully, making a posture of

left leg a bow and right leg an arrow. The torso turns to the left to be

square to the east. The right hand pulls in the sword handle and

sends it to the right [left] and forward, the sword edge fiercely

chopping forward, the hexing finger extending behind. The gaze is

forward. See the drawing below.

第十六動作   烏龍擺尾Movement 16: BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL

兩足原地不動。後跟提起。足尖右磨。身腰隨劍向右後轉。將劍由上向後反肘倒撩。虎口朝下。成右弓左箭步。目光右視。左訣貼置右肩窩上。此時上身前斜朝西南。右臂挺直。反肘一撩。人藏劍下。劍高過人。勁貫劍尖。尖朝西北。形如下圗。The feet do not leave their location. The rear heel lifts and the tip of

the foot swings out to the right. The torso follows the sword, turning

to the right rear, the sword going from above toward the rear with

the elbow upside down in an overturned raising action, the tiger’s

mouth facing down. Make a stance of the right leg a bow and the left

leg an arrow. The gaze is to the right. The hexing finger stays close

and is placed at the hollow of the right shoulder. At this moment, the

upper body is inclined forward and is square to the southwest. The

right arm is straight, the elbow upside down and raised up. The body

is hidden below the sword and the sword is higher than the body.

The energy passes through to the sword tip, which points to the

northwest. See the drawing below.

第十七動作   烏龍絞珠Movement 17: BLACK DRAGON COILS AROUND THE PEARL

劍尖向下一倒。訣指引劍向左。左臂挺伸。右手將劍身貼地向左絞上。同時全身貼地。隨劍絞起。再將右足向左一旋。隨劍把絞轉。此時左足在地。獨立旋轉。劍尖由右絞起。再向左後下方絞去。俟右足落至原地。劍身仍由原處貼地。向左前方刺去左訣仍貼右手脈門。成左弓右箭步。正面朝東。目光視劍。形如下圗。The sword tip drops down, the hexing finger leads the sword to the

left, the left arm extending, and the right hand brings the sword

body close to the ground, to the left, and coiling upward. At the same

time, the whole body gets close to the ground, following the sword’s

coiling, rises up, and the right foot goes leftward into a spin,

following the sword handle’s coiling, all the way around. At this

moment, the left foot is on the ground, supporting one-legged

throughout the spin, while the sword tip goes from the right, coils

upward, then to the lower left rear, and coils outward. When the

right foot comes back down where it started and the sword body

returns to where it was first moving close to the ground, the sword

stabs to the left and forward, the hexing finger returning to the pulse

area. Make a posture of left leg a bow and right leg an arrow. The

body is square to the east. The gaze is toward the sword. See the

drawing below.

第十八動作   烏龍擺尾Movement 18: BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL [PHOENIX

LANDS ATOP THE SUNNY SLOPE]

左訣屈藏右脇之下。將劍身翻轉。劍尖朝下。向左下後方撩起。同時身腰左轉。左足提至右足處。隨即將右足提至左足處。雙方同時換步落實。身腰左蹲。右足在前。足尖內鈎此時劍由左後方撩起。向右前方劈下。劍身靠右足尖前方。離地約二寸許。訣指隨劍旋轉。向上護腦。目光隨劍注視。形如下圗The hexing finger bends away to be stored under the right armpit.

The sword body turns over so the tip goes to the lower left rear, then

lifts up. At the same time, the body turns to the left, the left foot

lifting to go where the right foot is and the right foot immediately

lifting to go where the left foot was, both feet changing places at the

same time and landing firm. The body squats on the left while the

right foot is in front with the toes hooked inward. At this moment,

the sword is lifting up from the left rear and goes to the right

forward with a chop downward, the sword body close to and in front

of the tip of the right foot, about two inches from the ground. The

hexing finger goes along with the sword’s twirling, going upward to

guard the head. The gaze attentively follows the sword’s movement.

See the drawing below.

第十九動作   金雞獨立Movement 19: GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

將右足收囘。足尖點地。身腰仍然蹲坐。同時將劍收囘。右臂曲貼小腹之下。劍鋒朝上下。左手訣指落下。貼於劍把之上。再將右腿向右伸出。同時劍向前刺。左足隨時一提。將足面屈貼右腿腿彎之後身腰坐落。訣指護腦。目光前視形如下圗。The right foot withdraws, toes touching the ground, the body still

squatting down. At the same time, the sword withdraws, the right

arm bending close by the lower abdomen, the sword edges facing up

and down, the hexing finger coming down over the sword handle.

Then the right leg extends to the right. At the same time, the sword

stabs forward and the left foot follows and lifts, the top of the foot

bent inward and nestling against the back of the right knee, and the

body sits down on it. The hexing finger guards the head. The gaze is

forward. See the drawing below.

第二十動作   拗步鈎挂Movement 20: TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG

將左足落於右足後方。身腰右轉。同時將劍身翻轉。劍尖向下。向右後倒鈎。再將右足倒退一步。此時正面朝南。成馬襠勢蹲下。將劍由右旁方向上一挂。將左訣貼落右手脈門。劍橫腦門前方。劍鋒朝上下。劍尖指東。目光視劍。形如下圗。The left foot comes down behind the right foot and the torso turns to

the right. At the same time, the sword body turns over and goes to

the lower right rear in a hooking action. Then the right foot steps

back and now the body is square to the south, squatting down in a

horse-straddling posture. The sword goes up from the right side into

a hanging action and the hexing finger goes to the pulse area. The

sword is horizontal in front of the forehead, the edges facing up and

down, the tip pointing to the east. The gaze is toward the sword. See

the drawing below.

第二十一動作   懷中抱月Movement 21: EMBRACE THE MOON

將左足一提。左訣藏於右脥腋下。身腰左扭。將劍尖向左下後方絞起。在左旁方絞成小圎花。左膀貼於胸下。此時掌心朝上。虎口朝前。左手訣指貼落於劍柄。右手三四指中節骨之上。同時左足落下。足尖向左。足跟向右。成交叉步。身腰蹲坐於右腿小腿之上。劍鋒朝左右。劍尖高過額頂。目光前視。形如下圗。The left foot lifts, the hexing finger hides below the right armpit, the

torso twists to the left, and the sword tip goes to the lower left rear

and coils upward on the left side, making a small circular flourish,

the left arm staying close below the chest. At this time, the center of

the palm is up and the tiger’s mouth faces forward. The hexing finger

comes down close to the sword handle, over the middle joints of the

right hand’s ring finger and little finger. At the same time, the left

foot comes down, toes to the left, heel to the right, to make an

overlapping stance, the torso sitting on top of the right calf. The

sword edges face to the left and right, and the tip is higher than the

head. The gaze is forward. See the drawing below.

第二十二動作   夜叉探海Movement 22: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

身腰立起。將劍平身向前扎出。將右足向前一步。身腰向左微轉。左腿屈曲蹲下。將劍向下一劈。右手握劍柄落於襠前。離地約二寸許。將劍尖向下方直刺。身隨劍起。向右前方探出。右臂抬平。右足獨立。左足抬起。左膝貼腹。左訣上舉護腦目光右視。形如下圗。The body rises up and the sword with its body flat pokes forward.

Then the right foot steps forward, the torso turning slightly to the

left, the left leg bends and squats, and the sword chops down, the

right hand lowering in front of the crotch, about two inches from the

ground. Then the sword tip goes downward [forward] with a straight

thrust. The body follows the sword and rises, reaching out to the

right and forward. The right arm lifts horizontally. Standing one-

legged on the right foot, the left foot lifts, the knee close to the belly.

The hexing finger raises up to guard the head. The gaze is to the

right. See the drawing below.

第二十三動作   玉女穿針Movement 23: MAIDEN THREADS THE NEEDLE

將左足偷向右足右後方落下。成交叉連枝步。身腰未動。面仍朝東。胸前朝北。右手腕底用勁。陡然翻轉向右方一掤。此時劍尖朝北。劍身橫胸。前鋒朝上下。左臂前伸。訣指上翹。在劍尖前下方二寸許。目光右視。形如下圗。The left foot takes a stealth step behind the right foot, making a

twisted overlapping stance. The body does not yet move. The

direction is still east, the chest facing north. Energy is applied below

the right wrist and it suddenly turns over with a flicking action to the

right [left]. The sword tip is now pointed north, the sword body

horizontal in front of the chest, the edges facing up and down. The

left arm is extended forward, the hexing finger raised up about two

inches below the sword tip. The gaze is to the right. See the drawing

below.

第二十四動作   就地生風Movement 24: STAYING IN PLACE, STIR UP THE WIND

劍訣不動。身體蹬下成盤絲腿。就勢將劍訣貼地磨轉向左後方。成一大圎圈。面仍朝東。此為就地生風。動作不停接演下勢。形如下圗。The sword and hexing finger do not change in their position. The

body presses down into a twisting-silk stance. Going along with the

momentum, the sword and hexing finger come near the ground and

sweep to the left rear, making a large circle, and returning to the

east, which makes the action of staying in place and stirring up the

wind. The movement does not stop but instead flows into the

following movement. See the drawing below.

第二十五動作   白猿偷桃Movement 25: WHITE APE STEALS A PEACH

右足向左足前半步。身腰立起。左訣提至腦門護腦。訣指指向前下方。同時右手將劍由下向上一撩。將左腿提起。劍尖朝下。膝貼胸前。此時面仍朝東。右臂向前下方挺直。目光視劍尖。形如下圗。The right foot goes a half-step in front of the left foot and the body

rises. The hexing finger lifts up to the forehead to guard the head,

but is pointed forward and downward. At the same time, the right

hand sends the sword up in a raising action, the tip pointing

downward, and the left leg lifts, the knee close to the chest. The

direction is still east. The right arm extends forward and downward.

The gaze is toward the sword tip. See the drawing below.

第二十六動作   脇下藏劍Movement 26: HIDING THE SWORD UNDER THE ARMPIT

將左足退後。足尖朝東北落實。上身微向後仰。成右足在前丁步式。左訣向左一拉。右劍向右一拉。劍橫胸前。將劍尖由左脥窩向後一刺。雙膀緊抱胸前。左膀在上。左手貼落右肩之上。手心向外。訣向後指。頭向左轉。目光後視。形如下圗。The left foot steps back, toes pointed to the northeast, and the

weight is put onto it. The upper body slightly leans back. The posture

is a T-shape stance with the right foot in front. The hexing finger

pulls to the left [right] while the sword pulls to the right [left], the

sword horizontal in front of the chest, the tip stabbing behind from

below the armpit. Both arms are embracing in front of the chest, the

left arm on top, the left hand lowering close over the right shoulder,

the center of the hand outward, the hexing finger pointing behind.

The head is turned to the left and the gaze is behind. See the

drawing below.

第二十七動作   鷂子翻身Movement 27: SPARROW-HAWK TURNS OVER

將右足退後。身體後仰。面目朝天。將劍身由面上抹後。待劍尖磨至西南一斬即停。同時左訣向左平伸。訣指東北。掌心朝上。此時面對東南。目光右視。形如下圗The right foot steps back and the body leans back to face toward the

sky. The sword body makes a smearing action upward from the front

to the rear, a slash that stops when the sword tip reaches the

southwest. At the same time, the hexing finger extends horizontally

to the left, pointing to the northeast, the center of the palm facing

up. You are now square to the southeast. The gaze is to the right.

See the drawing below.

第二十八動作   金龍盤玉柱Movement 28: GOLDEN DRAGON COILS AROUND THE JADE

PILLAR

將劍柄向左前方一托。再向右旁方一拉。劍尖指左。身腰立直。劍橫胸前。訣在劍尖之下。將右足一提。左足獨立。全體向左大轉身。面朝西南。訣藏右脥之下。將劍向左右挿花。挿花即是向左右倒挿絞花目光隨劍注視。形如下圗。The sword handle goes to the left to make a propping action in front,

then pulls to the right side, the sword tip pointing to the left. The

body is upright, the sword is horizontal in front of the chest, and the

hexing finger is below the sword tip. The right foot lifts, the left foot

standing one-legged, and the whole body does a large spin to the left

until square to the southwest. The hexing finger is hidden below the

right armpit. The sword does a frantic flourish on both sides.

(meaning that it collapses into a coiling flourish on both sides) The

gaze focuses on following along with what the sword is doing. See

the drawing below.

第二十九動作   蹲身挂立Movement 29: SQUAT DOWN, STANDING AS IF HANGING

將劍尖向西南前下方一點。此時右足落下。足尖點地。再將右手向下一沉。劍尖向前上方一掤。劍鋒朝內外。劍身豎胸前。同時右足跟落實。左右兩足並齊。身體向下一沉。兩腿微曲。成蹲身挂立式。左訣貼腕。目光前視。形如下圗。The sword tip taps forward and downward to the southeast. At this

moment, the right foot comes down with the toes touching the

ground. Then the right hand sinks and the sword tip flicks forward

and upward, the sword edges facing inward and outward, the sword

body vertical in front of the chest. At the same time, the right heel

comes down fully and both feet stand together. The body sinks down,

both legs slightly bent. The posture is the body squatting as though

suspended. The hexing finger stays at the wrist. The gaze is forward.

See the drawing below.

第三十動作   仙人撩雲Movement 30: IMMORTAL STIRS UP THE CLOUDS

將劍鋒磨朝左右。兩手仍在小腹前未動。上身向後微仰。將劍尖在面前上方。由左向右。磨一小圎圈。隨即左足退後一步。同時左訣向左拉出。右足再退後一大步。將劍再在面前磨一大圎圈。劍尖抹至正前方。劍柄靠近腹前。左訣收囘貼脈。目光前視。形如下圗。The sword edges twist to face left and right. Both hands remain in

front of the lower abdomen and do not yet move. The upper body

slightly leans back. The sword tip, which is forward and above, goes

from the left to the right, sweeping a small circle, the left foot

stepping back, and at the same time, the hexing finger pulls away to

the left. The right foot then takes a large step back and the sword tip

sweeps a large circle forward in a smearing action until the tip is

directly in front. The sword handle is close in front of the belly. The

hexing finger returns to the pulse. The gaze is forward. See the

drawing below.

[Although the text makes no mention of this movement repeating,

the drawing clearly shows the sword making more than one circle,

implying repetition. Doing the set reveals that to finish where you

began does indeed require this movement be done twice.]

第三十一動作   金雞獨立Movement 31: GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

左訣收囘護腰。手心朝上。同時右劍收囘護腰。劍尖朝前。鋒朝上下。左足跟提起。腰向後一折。胸向前一虚。成涵胸姿勢。此時人曲如弓。雙肘後屈。將腰隨劍向前一挺。劍即向前猛然扎出。左訣貼脈。隨將左右手收囘。仍然護腰。劍尖上翹。左膝上提貼腹。足尖向下。目光前視。形如下圗The hexing finger pulls back to guard the waist, the center of the

hand facing up. At the same time, the sword pulls back to guard the

waist, the tip pointing forward, the edges facing up and down. The

left heel lifts, the waist folds to the rear, and the chest empties in

front, making a posture of hollowing the chest. The body is now bent

like a bow and both elbows are bent to the rear. The waist follows

the sword to bulge forward as the sword fiercely pokes forward, the

hexing finger returning to the pulse. Then both hands pull back to

again guard the waist, the sword tip raised. The left knee rises to the

belly, the toes downward. The gaze is forward. See the drawing

below.

第三十二動作   野馬奔槽Movement 32: UNTAMED HORSE FLEES THE STABLES

將左足前落。右足隨向前一步。左足再向前一勢。右足再向前一踟。身腰左轉。成馬襠勢。正面朝東南蹲下。將劍向右平方猛然刺出。劍尖指西南。左臂向左平伸。訣指朝東北。目光右視劍尖。形如下圗。The left foot comes down forward, the right foot steps forward, the

left foot shuffles forward, then the right foot again steps forward and

stops. The body is turned to the left in a horse-straddling posture,

squatting down square to the southeast. The sword fiercely stabs to

the right, parallel with the ground, the sword tip pointing to the

southwest. The left arm extends to the left, parallel with the ground,

the hexing finger pointing to the northeast. The gaze is toward the

sword tip. See the drawing below.

第三十三動作   金雞上樹Movement 33: GOLDEN ROOSTER HOPS ON THE TREE STUMP

將劍向下一點。撩劍向後一挂。右臂挺伸。抬與肩平。同時全體整箇向上一跳。雙足仍在原地落下。此係兩足齊跳齊落。身法不變。惟將劍尖挂於右臂外後方。劍尖在背後朝東北。劍柄指西南。左臂微曲。訣指朝上。目光右視。形如下圗。The sword does a tapping action downward and raises to do a

hanging action to the rear, the right arm extended, lifted to shoulder

level. At the same time, the whole body jumps up, then the feet land

where they took off from, jumping together and landing together.

The technique does not change the previous posture, except that the

sword tip hangs to the outside and rear of the right arm, the tip

pointing behind to the northeast, the sword handle pointing to the

southwest, and the left arm is slightly bent, the hexing finger

pointing up. The gaze is to the right. See the drawing below.

第三十四動作   仙人伸腰Movement 34: IMMORTAL STRETCHES HIS BACK

由上勢馬襠挂劍式。身腰立起。左足偷向右足後方一步。成拗步連枝勢。同時上身後仰。右手將劍順勢由後向右旁一斬。右臂伸直。此時劍尖朝西北。左手屈揚頂上。訣指朝北。目光右視。形如下圗。From the previous posture of straddling a horse and hanging the

sword, the body rises to stand up and the left foot takes a stealth

step behind the right foot, making a twisted overlapping stance. At

the same time, the upper body leans back and the right hand goes

along with the momentum, sending the sword from the rear to the

right side in a slashing action, the arm extending and the sword tip

now pointing to the northwest. The left hand bends and raises above

the headtop, the hexing finger pointing to the north. The gaze is to

the right. See the drawing below.

第三十五動作   烏龍擺尾Movement 35: BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL

左足收囘。向左旁方一大步。身腰偏左。上身向前微斜。左訣護腦。同時將劍由上向左旁方畫弧。向右外方反撩向上。此時身腰偏右。右臂扭直。虎口朝下。掌心朝後。正面朝西南。目光視劍。劍尖指西北。訣指貼肩。形如下圗。The left foot withdraws, taking a large step to the left. The body

leans to the left, the upper body slightly slanted forward. The hexing

finger guards the head. At the same time, the sword draws an arc

from above toward the left side, then outward to the upper right to

do a reverse raising action. The body is now leaning to the right, the

right arm twisted and straightened, the tiger’s mouth facing

downward, the center of the palm facing to the rear, and the body is

square to the northwest. The gaze is toward the sword. The sword

tip points to the northwest. The hexing finger is close to the

shoulder. See the drawing below.

第三十六動作   朝天一柱香Movement 36: HOLD UP A STICK OF INCENSE

將右足向左足後方偷進一步。成拗步連枝。全身坐落右小腿之上。右腕將劍轉成正面。抱囘懷中。左訣貼落右手三四指上。劍鋒朝左右。劍尖朝前上方。劍柄緊貼小腹。目光視劍。正面朝南。形如下圗。The right foots takes a stealth step behind the left foot, making a

twisted overlapping stance, the whole body sitting on the right calf.

The right wrist twists the sword to face squarely and hugs it toward

the chest. The hexing finger is over the ring finger and little finger of

the right hand. The sword edges face left and right, the tip pointing

upward in front, the handle close to the belly. The gaze is toward the

sword, the body square to the south. See the drawing below.

第三十七動作   丹鳳朝陽Movement 37: PHOENIX LANDS ATOP THE SUNNY SLOPE

左足向左旁方伸出一步。右足原地不動。身腰在右。上身前俯。同時右腕翻轉朝後。將劍向右後方反撩。左手訣指緊貼右肩骱。頭向右轉。目光右視劍尖。如擺尾式。此時劍尖朝西北。正身朝西南。兩足左東右西。再將劍尖向下一倒。由右前下方絞上成圎花。再向右一斬。斬落右足前方。劍尖離地二寸許。同時將身腰左移。左腿蹬下。左訣護腦右臂下垂。形如下圗。The left foot extends a step to the left, but the right foot does not

leave its location. The body is to the right, upper body leaning

forward. At the same time, the right wrist turns over to face to the

rear and sends the sword toward the right rear in a reverse raising

action, the hexing finger coming to the shoulder joint. The head is

turned to the right and the gaze is to the right, looking to the sword

tip. This is the same as the “swinging tail” posture. The sword tip is

now pointing to the northwest, the body is square to the southwest,

and the feet are now positioned with the left in the east and right in

the west. Then the sword tip drops down, and from the right forward

coils upward in a circular flourish that chops to the right and down in

front of the right foot, the tip about two inches from the ground. At

the same time, the body shifts to the left and presses down on the

left leg. The hexing finger guards the head while the right arm drops

down. See the drawing below.

第三十八動作   烏龍吐霧Movement 38: BLACK DRAGON SPITS FOG

右足一收。上身後仰。將劍尖由右旁向上。抹至面前。兩臂在胸前交叉。左下右上。成貼抱式。再向兩旁一拉。同左足再向後一退。雙肘貼脇護腰。劍尖朝前。隨將右足向後一退。上身後仰。劍向前平刺。左訣由胸前向上一指。直豎頂上。成左前右後丁字步。左足足尖點地。正面朝西形如下圗。The right foot pulls back, the upper body leaning back, and the

sword tip goes up from the right side with a smearing action to the

left until the tip is directly in front. Both arms are crossed in front of

the chest, the left underneath and the right on top, making a posture

of tightly embracing. Then both arms pull to the sides, and at the

same time, the left foot takes a step back. Both elbows are close to

the ribs to guard the waist and the sword tip is pointing forward.

Then the right foot steps back, the upper body leaning back, and the

sword stabs forward, parallel with the ground. The hexing finger

rises up from in front of the chest to be vertical above the head.

Make a T-shape stance with the left foot in front and the right foot

behind, the left toes touching the ground. The body is square to the

west. See the drawing below.

第三十九動作   金雞獨立Movement 39: GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG

由上勢身體立直。將劍收囘護腰。劍尖朝前。劍鋒朝上下。同時將訣一起收囘護腰。雙肘曲屈在後。虎口均是朝前。將左膝提起貼腹。足尖向下。此動作劍訣腿均要一起收囘。始成合法。目光前視。正面仍然朝西。形如下圗。From the previous posture, the body straightens up and the sword

pulls back to guard the waist, the tip pointing forward, the edges

facing up and down. At the same time, the hexing finger pulls back to

guard the waist. Both elbows are bent to the rear and the tiger’s

mouths are facing forward together. The left knee lifts up to the

belly, the toes downward. In this movement, the sword, hexing

finger, and leg must all pull back together, and from start to finish

the technique is connected. The gaze is forward and the body is still

square to the west. See the drawing below.

第四十動作   鳳凰穿梭Movement 40: PHOENIX SHUTTLES THROUGH

左足落實。足尖朝西南。將右足一提。在左足前方落下。足尖點地。劍抱腰間。仍然未動。向左大轉身。隨將左足向左前方一步。成弓箭步。將劍向前平刺。左訣貼脈目光前視。正面朝西。形如下圗。The left foot comes down full, toes pointing to the southwest. Then

the right foot lifts and comes down in front of the left foot, toes

touching the ground. The sword is held at the waist, not yet moving.

The body turns all the way around to the left, then the left foot steps

forward to the left, making a bow and arrow stance. The sword stabs

forward, parallel with the ground, the hexing finger going to the

pulse. The gaze is forward and the body is square to the west. See

the drawing below.

第四十一動作   太公鈎魚Movement 41: GRAND DUKE JIANG FISHES

將劍尖翻轉。向左後下方絞花向上。再反撩向右下後方。絞起成左右挿花。再將右足向前半步。左膝屈提貼腹。足尖向下。將劍由右上方向前下方一劈。上身隨勢以助其勁。此時涵胸拔背。右足獨立。左訣貼脈。劍尖下垂。目光視前下方。正面朝西。形如下圗。The sword tip turns over, goes to the lower left rear and coils a

flourish upward, again turning over to the lower right rear to coil a

flourish upward, making a frantic flourish on both sides. Then the

right foot takes a half step forward, and the left knee bends and lifts

up to the belly, toes downward. The sword chops down forward from

the upper right, the upper body going along with the momentum to

add power, hollowing the chest and bulging the back. The right foot

stands one-legged, the hexing finger is near the pulse, the sword tip

hangs down, the gaze is forward and downward, and the body is

square to the west. See the drawing below.

第四十二動作   拗步鈎挂Movement 42: TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG

將左足落向右足後方。隨將劍尖反轉向下。掌心朝上。虎口朝下。劍尖由右下方向後一鈎。右足隨劍向右後方一步。身體右轉。正面朝北。成馬襠蹬下。劍向上一挂。左訣舉貼右腕脈門。目光上視。形如下圗。The left foot comes down behind the right foot. Then the sword tip

turns over and goes downward, the center of the palm facing up, the

tiger’s mouth facing down, and the tip hooks from the lower right to

the rear. The right foot follows the sword and steps to the right rear.

The body turns to the right to be square to the north, squatting down

in a horse-straddling posture. The sword goes upward to do a

hanging action, the hexing finger lifting to be near the pulse area.

The gaze is upward. See the drawing below.

第四十三動作   青龍探爪Movement 43: BLUE DRAGON EXTENDS A CLAW

將左膝向右一提。足尖向下。左訣藏於右脥下。將劍尖向下一倒。向左下後方絞起。劍柄緊抱腹前。同時身腰左紐。左足磨轉朝南。拗步落下。全身蹲坐。劍鋒朝左右。左訣貼右手三四指中節。將劍向前方扎出。身隨劍起。正面朝西。再將右腿向前伸出。左轉身。正面朝西南。上身蹲坐左腿之上。將劍向右前下方一劈。離右足尖約二寸許。右臂垂直襠下。左訣仍貼脈門。目光視劍。形如下圗。The left knee lifts to the right, toes downward. The hexing finger

hides below the right armpit. The sword tip drops down to the lower

left rear and coils upward, the handle closely hugged in front of the

belly. At the same time, the body twists to the left, the left foot turns

to point south, comes down in a twisted stance, and the whole body

squats down. The sword edges face left and right and the hexing

finger is close to the middle joints of the right hand’s ring finger and

little finger. Then the sword pokes forward, the body going along

with the sword and rising, square to the west. Then the right leg

extends forward, the body turning to the left to be square to the

southwest and squatting down on the left leg. The sword chops down

to the right forward, the tip about two inches from the right toes.

The right arm hangs straight down below the crotch and the hexing

finger has returned to the pulse area. The gaze is toward the sword.

See the drawing below.

第四十四動作   夜叉探海Movement 44: NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA

上身就勢右移。左訣護腦。右劍就地向前刺出。同時身轉劍起。左腿屈提貼腹。足尖上翹。身向右探。目光視劍正面朝西南。形如下圗。The upper body makes use of the momentum and shifts to the right,

the hexing finger guards the head, and the sword stabs forward from

the ground. At the same time, the body twists while the sword rises,

the left leg bends and lifts to be close to the belly, toes raised, and

the body reaches to right. The gaze is toward the sword. The body is

square to the southeast. See the drawing below.

第四十五動作   玉女穿梭Movement 45: MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE

將左足向右後方偷進一步落實。成拗步連枝勢。將劍尖向懷內一掤。成劍柄在北。劍尖朝南。劍橫胸前。左訣指劍尖前下方。就勢不動。身腰向左後下紐轉。至正面朝西。將劍向前平刺。左訣貼脈。步法成左弓右箭勢。目光視劍。形如下圗。The left foot takes a stealth step behind the right foot, making a

twisted overlapping stance. The sword tip flicks inward so the handle

points north, the tip points south, and the sword is horizontal in front

of the chest, the hexing finger below the sword tip. Without changing

this posture, the body turns around to the lower left rear until it is

square to the west. The sword stabs forward, parallel with the

ground, the hexing finger going to the pulse. Step into a stance of

left leg a bow and right leg an arrow. The gaze is toward the sword.

See the drawing below.

第四十六動作   猛虎歸山Movement 46: FIERCE TIGER RETURNS TO THE MOUNTAIN

右足向前半步。足尖朝南。將劍向懷內一掤。掌心朝外。虎口朝左。劍橫胸前。左足提起。向左旁方橫進一步。身腰左轉。正面朝東南。將劍向左旁方倒刺。左訣貼落右手腕背之上。目光前視。形如下圗。The right foot takes a half-step forward, toes pointing south. The

sword flicks inward so the center of the palm is facing outward, the

tiger’s mouth facing to the left, and the sword is horizontal in front of

the chest. The left foot lifts and advances a step sideways to the left.

The body turns to the left until it is square to the southeast. The

sword does an overturned stab to the left, the hexing finger coming

to the back of the right wrist. The gaze is forward. See the drawing

below.

第四十七動作   龍王三潮水Movement 47: DRAGON KING SURGES THE WATER THREE TIMES

身步未動。將劍在左旁方右旁方連絞三花。左訣隨劍柄開合。待絞至劍尖反仰向前。劍把直對口鼻。左訣貼抵劍柄。大指四指五指分握劍柄兩旁。形如下圗。The body position and stance do not change. The sword goes to the

left side and the right, coiling three continuous flourishes [left side,

right side, left side]. The hexing finger goes along with the opening

and closing motion of the hilt. When the coiling has turned over the

sword tip and it is pointing forward, the handle directly in line with

the space between mouth and nose, the hexing finger goes under the

hilt, and the thumb, ring finger, and little finger open to grasp

around both sides of the hilt. See the drawing below.

第四十八動作   太子站江邊Movement 48: PRINCE STANDS BY THE RIVER

右足向後一退。左足收囘。雙足並齊。右手揑訣護腦。左手垂直。劍握腕下。劍身貼肘。劍尖朝上。鋒向兩旁。正面朝東南。目光平視。形如下圗。The right foot steps back, the left foot withdraws, and the feet are

standing next to each other. The right hand pinches into a hexing

finger and guards the head. The left hand hangs straight, grasping

the sword below the wrist. The sword body is close to the elbow, the

tip pointing up, the edges to the sides. The body is square to

southeast and the gaze is level. See the drawing below.

-

龍形劍各箇姿勢用法說明APPLICATION EXPLANATIONS FOR EACH POSTURE IN THE

DRAGON SHAPE SWORD

起首第一着。立正提劍。是為預備姿勢。第二着仙人擔衣。係認定敵人來處。第三着獅子望球。敵人平胸一劍刺來。我將劍向上一橫。身腰右閃。第四着仙人指路。我將敵人來劍閃過。順勢將劍向其袖底刺去。第五着西牛望月。譬如敵人由右進步斬來。我即將劍向右一掤。第六着烏龍入洞。我順勢將劍向前一扎。第七着立馬聼風。敵人用劍提我手腕。我即將劍右抹。第八着古樹盤根。大轉身。用劍下斬敵人之腿。第九着敵人在後用劍來劈我頭。我即將劍一提。翻身格過。隨即刺其足面。第十着鳳凰點頭。敵人仍然用劍找我手腕。我即退步用劍一掤。還找敵人手腕。第十一着夜叉探海。敵人後退。我即進步撩陰。第十二着。拗步鈎挂。敵人由右旁方一劍。向小腹刺來。我即將劍向右下後方一鈎。格過來劍。隨將劍上扎敵人之頂。第十三着青龍探爪。敵人左讓。用劍刺腹。我即將劍向下一提。撩出以抹敵人之咽喉。敵人底來。我再將身一底。用劍下劈。以擊其手臂。第十四着夜叉探海。敵人後退。我即上步撩陰。第十五着囘頭劈華山。前面敵人敗走。後面又來一敵人。奔來就刺。我即囘頭。翻身猛劈。第十六着烏龍擺尾。前敵復來。一劍由上下劈。我即偏身用劍反撩敵腕。第十七着烏龍絞珠。前後兩敵齊來。我即絞劍大轉身。以格其械。第十八着烏龍擺尾。前敵一劍攔腰斬來。我即提劍左鈎絞上。以劈敵人手腕。第十九着金雞獨立。又一敵人用劍斬我之腿。我即將腿收囘。隨即進步撩陰。第二十着拗步鈎挂。前敵又一劍向腰間斬

來。我即身腰右紐。將劍向後方一鈎。後敵又一劍向左頸項刺來。我即順勢將劍由上向左一挂。第二十一着懷中抱月。敵劍向下斬腿。我即將劍尖向左下方一鈎。絞起。敵劍翻上。我即抱懷右掤。順勢前扎。第二十二着夜叉探海。敵人後退。我即上步撩陰。第二十三着玉女穿針。敵人從左一劍扎肋。我即身腰右讓。將劍一掤。以截敵人右腕。第二十四着就地生風。左右敵人。兩劍均從左右抹來。我即全身蹲伏。將劍橫磨。就地轉身。以找敵人之腿。第二十五着白猿偷桃。前面敵人來劍刺胸。我將上胸一呑。用劍點擊敵人心胸。第二十六着脇下藏劍。後敵用雙手來抱我腰。我即用劍由左脇向後一刺。第二十七着鷂子翻身。前敵一劍。向頂劈來。我即將劍向上一托。順勢磨斬敵人之頸。第二十八着金龍盤玉柱。敵又一劍向咽喉刺來。我即將劍向左一格。後敵又來擊我右臂。我即將劍向右一拉。第二十九着蹲身挂立。敵人用劍由上劈來。我即蹲身用劍向上一掤。以挂敵人腕底。第三十着仙人撩雲。敵劍上來。我即將劍尖由上向右外抹。順勢以斬敵人頸項。第三十一着金雞獨立。敵人後退。我將劍訣收囘護腰。左足提起。似欲向前追趕。第三十二着野馬奔槽。我即箭步向前追去。隨用劍尖前刺敵人後腰。第三十三着金雞上樹。敵人猛然向右轉身。用劍來抹我頸。我即將劍向右外後方一掤。第三十四着仙人伸腰。敵人左閃。我即拗步順勢用劍以斬敵人頸項。第三十五着烏龍擺尾。敵人用劍找我手腕。我即左足左退。反劍以撩敵人手腕。第三十六着朝天一柱香。左敵迎面一劍當胸刺來。我即抱劍左格。第三十七着丹鳳朝陽。順勢將劍尖下翻。反撩敵人手腕。敵人將劍上撩。我即將劍翻上。正找敵人手腕。第三十八着烏龍吐霧。左敵左來。我即將劍左磨。敵人右來。我即將劍右磨。一敵迎面一劍來刺我喉。我即頭面後仰。用劍轉刺來敵心胸。第三十九着金雞獨立。敵人後退。我即抱劍收囘。以觀其變。第四十着鳳凰穿梭。欲趕前敵。因防後敵。故而抱劍轉身。仍追前敵。用劍以刺其脊背。第四十一着太公釣魚。敵劍刺左。我劍左格。敵劍刺右。我劍右格。敵劍稍遲。我即隨時用劍下點敵人手腕。第四十二着拗步鈎挂。敵劍由右下來。我即將劍向下後鈎。左敵左來。我即挂劍以扎其腦。第四十三着青龍探爪。敵劍下刺我肋。我即將劍下格。敵劍一縮。我劍隨即順勢絞花。由上下劈。第四十四着夜叉探海。敵人後退。我即上步撩陰。第四十五着玉女穿梭。左敵一劍。向肋刺來。我即右閃用劍以掤敵人手腕。右敵從後又來。我即轉身用劍以刺其胸。第四十六着猛虎歸山。左敵又來。我即翻身用劍以扎其腦。第四十七着龍王三潮水。兩敵左右同時刺來。我即將劍左右絞花。第四十八着太子站江邊。雙敵齊退。我即收劍站立。[Throughout this scenario, there are two sword-wielding opponents

attacking you. Instead of calling them merely “opponent”, “opponent

to my left”, “opponent to my right”, “opponent in front of me”,

“opponent behind me”, or “previous opponent”, as they are written

in the text, I could to increase clarity deem them opponents 1 and 2,

or opponents A and B. I will go further than adding clarity and also

add color by calling them Zhifen and Yaozong, as they were indeed

Tong Wenhua’s colleagues or “opponents” in the making of the

book.]

Technique 1 (STAND AT ATTENTION HOLDING THE SWORD): This

is a preparation posture.

Technique 2 (IMMORTAL CARRIES HIS ROBE): I focus on Zhifen to

recognize exactly where his attack is going to be.

Technique 3 (LION WATCHES THE BALL): He attacks with a

straight sword thrust to my chest. I bring my sword up horizontally

and dodge my body to the right [underneath].

Technique 4 (IMMORTAL POINTS THE WAY): As his sword darts

past me, I seize the opportunity and send a stab under his sleeve.

Technique 5 (RHINOCEROS LOOKS AT THE MOON): Yaozong from

my right advances to slash at me, so I send my sword to the right in a

flicking action.

Technique 6 (BLACK DRAGON ENTERS THE CAVE): I seize the

opportunity and send my sword forward in a poking action.

Technique 7 (HALT THE HORSE TO LISTEN TO THE WIND):

Yaozong uses his sword to do a lifting action toward my wrist, so I

send my sword to the right in a smearing action.

Technique 8 (OLD TREE TWISTS ITS ROOTS): Fully twisting my

body around, I use my sword to do a low slash toward his leg.

Technique 9 [BLUE DRAGON TURNS ITS BODY]: He uses his sword

to deliver a chop to my head, so I send my sword up in a carrying

action, spin my body around throughout the block, then stab to the

top of his foot.

Technique 10 (PHOENIX NODS ITS HEAD): He uses his sword to

seek my wrist, so I retreat using my sword in flicking actions to also

seek his wrist.

Technique 11 (NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA): He retreats,

so I immediately advance and do a raising cut to his groin.

Technique 12 (TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG): From my right side,

he uses his sword to stab to my lower abdomen, so I send my sword

to the lower right rear in a hooking action. After blocking his attack,

I then send my sword up to poke to his head.

Technique 13 (BLUE DRAGON EXTENDS A CLAW): He yields away

to my left and uses his sword to stab to my belly, so I bring my sword

down with a carrying action, then raise up to do a smearing action to

his throat. He drops underneath this attack. I again lower my body,

using my sword in a downward chop to attack his arm.

Technique 14 (NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA): He retreats,

so I step forward and do a raising cut to his groin.

Technique 15 (TURN AROUND TO CHOP MT. HUA): As Yaozong

flees, Zhifen behind me again attacks, running at me with a stab, so I

turn my head, then turn my body and fiercely chop at him.

Technique 16 (BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL): Yaozong now

behind me again attacks. His sword comes down from above in a

chopping action, so I lean my body and use my sword in a reverse

raising cut to his wrist.

Technique 17 (BLACK DRAGON COILS AROUND THE PEARL): From

in front and behind, both opponents attack in unison, so I coil in my

sword and do a full spin with my body to block their weapons.

Technique 18 (BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL) [PHOENIX

LANDS ATOP THE SUNNY SLOPE]: Zhifen now in front of me uses

his sword to slash at my waist, so I carry with my sword into a left

hooking action and coil it upward to do a chop down to his wrist.

Technique 19 (GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG): He

again attacks, slashing to my leg, so I withdraw my leg and then

advance to do a raising cut to his groin.

Technique 20 (TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG): Yaozong attacks

again, slashing to my waist, so I twist my torso to the right and send

my sword to the rear in a hooking action. Zhifen attacks again,

stabbing to the left side of my neck, so I continue my momentum and

send my sword from above to the left in a hanging action.

Technique 21 (EMBRACE THE MOON): Zhifen slashes downward to

my leg, so I hook my sword downward to the left, coil it up to turn

his sword upward, then I embrace my sword to flick to the right, and

I follow through by doing a poking action forward.

Technique 22 (NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA): As he

retreats, I step forward and do a raising cut to his groin.

Technique 23 (MAIDEN THREADS THE NEEDLE): He then comes

from my left to poke to my ribs, so I yield my body to the right and

flick my sword to the left to cut his wrist.

Technique 24 (STAYING IN PLACE, STIR UP THE WIND): Both

opponents attack me from both sides with smearing cuts, so I crouch

down with my whole body, and sweep sideways with my sword,

spinning around in place, to seek their legs.

Technique 25 (WHITE APE STEALS A PEACH): Zhifen stabs to my

chest, so I deflect it upward and then tap my sword to his solar

plexus.

Technique 26 (HIDING THE SWORD UNDER THE ARMPIT):

Yaozong grabs around my waist with both arms, so I put my sword

under my left armpit to stab at him behind me.

Technique 27 (SPARROW-HAWK TURNS OVER): Zhifen chops to my

head, so I send my sword up to prop up his sword, following through

by turning it into a slash to his neck.

Technique 28 (GOLDEN DRAGON COILS AROUND THE JADE

PILLAR): He then stabs to my own throat, so I send my sword to the

left to block it. Yaozong now attacks my right arm, so I draw my

sword to the right.

Technique 29 (SQUAT DOWN, STANDING AS IF HANGING): [After I

spin and flourish at him,] he tries to chop me from above, so I squat

down and flick my sword up to cut under his wrist.

Technique 30 (IMMORTAL STIRS UP THE CLOUDS): His sword

comes forward toward me, so I smear outward to the right, then

slash to his neck.

Technique 31 (GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG): He

retreats, so I pull back my sword and hexing finger to guard my

waist, and I lift my left foot to appear as if I am going to chase him.

Technique 32 (UNTAMED HORSE FLEES THE STABLES): I then

stride forward to chase him away, then stab to his back.

Technique 33 (GOLDEN ROOSTER HOPS ON THE TREE STUMP):

He suddenly veers to the right and turns around with a smearing cut

to my neck, so I flick my sword outward to my right rear.

Technique 34 (IMMORTAL STRETCHES HIS BACK): He evades to

his left, so I twist a step to follow him and slash to his neck.

Technique 35 (BLACK DRAGON SWINGS ITS TAIL): He tries to

attack my wrist, so I retreat my left foot to the left and turn my

sword over to do a reverse raising cut to his wrist.

Technique 36 (HOLD UP A STICK OF INCENSE): Zhifen to my left

stabs to my chest, so I embrace my sword to block to my left.

Technique 37 (PHOENIX LANDS ATOP THE SUNNY SLOPE):

Following through, I turn my sword over and do a reverse raising cut

to his wrist. He then does an orthodox raising cut, so I turn my sword

over to attack the top of his wrist.

Technique 38 (BLACK DRAGON SPITS FOG): He attacks me from my

left, so I sweep my sword to the left. He then attacks me on my right,

so I sweep my sword to the right. He then attacks me directly in

front, stabbing to my throat, so I lean my head back and turn my

sword to stab to his solar plexus.

Technique 39 (GOLDEN ROOSTER STANDS ON ONE LEG): He

retreats, so I pull back my sword to watch for what he will do next.

Technique 40 (PHOENIX SHUTTLES THROUGH): I move to dive at

him, but Yaozong crashes me out of the way, so I hold my sword in

and spin around to again attack Zhifen, stabbing to his spine.

Technique 41 (GRAND DUKE JIANG FISHES): Zhifen stabs to my

left, so I block to the left. He stabs to my right, so I block to the right.

This slightly delays him, so I send my sword in a downward tap to his

wrist.

Technique 42 (TWIST STEP, HOOK & HANG): He attacks me from

my lower right, so I send my sword down to hook to the rear.

Yaozong on my left attacks my left, so I hang my sword to poke to his

head.

Technique 43 (BLUE DRAGON EXTENDS A CLAW): Yaozong does a

low stab to my ribs, so I send my sword down to block it. As he

retracts his sword, I follow through, coil a flourish, [poke forward,]

then chop down from above.

Technique 44 (NIGHT DEMON SEARCHES THE SEA): He retreats,

so I promptly step forward with a raising cut to his groin.

Technique 45 (MAIDEN WORKS THE SHUTTLE): From my left, he

stabs toward my ribs, so I evade to the right, flicking my sword to the

left to attack his wrist. Zhifen to my right comes to attacks me from

behind, so I spin around and stab to his chest.

Technique 46 (FIERCE TIGER RETURNS TO THE MOUNTAIN):

Yaozong behind me comes to attack me again, so I turn around and

use my sword to poke to his head.

Technique 47 (DRAGON KING SURGES THE WATER THREE

TIMES): Both opponents, on my left and right, stab at me at the

same time, so I do a coiling flourish on both sides.

Technique 48 (PRINCE STANDS BY THE RIVER): Both opponents

retreat together, so I gather my sword in and stand up.

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