Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Principles and Sayings #1

This is the first of a series of essays which deals briefly with Chinese Martial Arts Principles and Sayings. These sayings have been developed over time and are meant to direct your daily practice. Adhering to them will help you develop a proper mindset reflective of a true martial artist. They also reveal distinctive fighting concepts, strategies, and training precepts contained within the Long Fist school. They are not meant to be merely glanced over but instead require diligent study and should be incorporated in your thinking and practice.

I will provide the Pinyin, for those of you who are interested, as well as the English translation

“Chu Si Li Xian Jian, Hui Si Huo Shao Shou,” which means “Strike like an arrow released from a bow and withdraw the hands as from a burning fire.”

This proverb emphasizes the importance of speed in fighting.

Strike out like an arrow being released from a heavy drawn bow. The tremendous energy stored in the bow is released to the arrow, which flies swiftly and immediately hits the target. The greater your speed, the greater your power, and the greater your probability of hitting your target.

Withdrawing the hands from a burning fire implies that the hands must be withdrawn swiftly to avoid being burned. If the hands linger out, you will become vulnerable to the opponent’s counterattacks. Withdrawing your hands quickly will also facilitate increasing your efforts by employing a continuous attack.