Hsing-I Chuan

Hsing-I by Sifu MoHsing-I Chuan was developed nearly one thousand years ago during the Northern Sung Dynasty in China and is one of the most famous of the original internal martial arts. Hsing-I Chuan translates to "form and intention hand" or "body-mind hand". The figure to the right, taken a few years ago, shows Sifu Mo practicing Hsing-I.

A distinguishing characteristic of Hsing-I is the application of small circular movements of the wrists, which develops great power.

The basic forms of Hsing-I are based on the five elements, their properties, and their acupuncture meridians:

Element Property Meridian
Metal Splitting Lungs
Water Drilling Kidneys
Wood Crushing Liver
Fire Pounding Heart
Earth Crossing Spleen
The elements and the properties they stand for change into each other according to the figure to the right. transformation of the elements image

In a sense, Hsing-I is like a waltz. A waltz has three simple moves, and Hsing-I has five. However, like the waltz, the simple moves of Hsing-I can be combined into thousands of variations, and their applications are countless. There are Linking Forms which explore these variations further.

The picture to the left shows Sifu Mo beginning a Linking Form. The picture was taken in November 2002.

One way of characterising Hsing-I is to contrast it with T'ai Chi. In T'ai Chi, applying the moves of the form involves the giving and receiving of energy with a partner, almost a conversation. Senior student Chris Schiller contrasts this with Hsing-I by saying that in Hsing-I "there is no discussion."


This document is Copyright © 1999, 2000 Philip Mo. This page was last updated (m/d/y) 12/26/02.