<span class="chinese-post-title">太極分文武事三成解</span> The Explanation of the Three Achievements in Scholarship and Martial Arts in Taiji from the <span class="chinese-post-title">太極拳說四十篇</span> Forty Chapters on Tàijíquán by <span class="chinese-post-title">楊班侯</span> Yáng​ Bān​hóu​

太極分文武事三成解

蓋言道者，非自修身，無由得也。然又分為三乘之修法。乘者，成也。上乘，即大成也；下乘，即小成也；中乘，即之者誠成也。

"When we talk about the path, there is no achievement without having a self-cultivation. The self-cultivation can be subdivided in three levels and three cultivation methods. The three levels are the achievements. The top level or great achievement, the low level or small achievement, and the middle level means the achievements of sincerity."

法分三修，成功一也。文修於內，武修於外。體育，內也；武事，外也。其修法，內外表裡成功，集大成，即上乘也；由體育之文，而得武事之武，或由武事之武，而得體育之文，即中乘也，然獨知體育，不入武事而成者，或專武事，不為體育而成者，即小乘也。

楊班侯

"Although, the cultivation methods are three, their achievement is one and the same. The scholarship is the internal cultivation; martial arts are the external cultivation. Education of the body is an internal cultivation while martial matters are external. The cultivation of that leads to internal and external achievement, allows to achieve the greatest achievement. If martial ability in martial arts is gained due to the study of education of the body or the education of the body is gained due to the martial capability of martial arts, then the middle level is achieved. If one is only aware of the education of the body and does not consider the achievement of the martial aspects, or conversely, those that look only into the martial aspects without looking for achieving the education of the body, those reach the low level of achievement."

Based on the translation by 楊俊敏 Yang Jwing Ming presented in the book 太極拳楊氏先哲秘要 Tai Chi Secrets of the Yang Style.