天地間未有一往而不返者，亦未常有直而無曲者矣；蓋物有對待，勢有迴還，古今不易之理也。常有世之論捶者，而兼論氣者矣。夫主於一何分為二；所謂二者卽呼吸也，呼吸卽陰陽也，捶不能無動靜。氣不能無呼吸，呼則為陽，吸則為陰，上升為陽下降為陰，陽氣上昇而為陽，陽氣下行而為陰，陰氣上昇卽為陽，陰氣下行仍為陰，此陰陽之所以分也。何為淸濁；昇而上者為淸，降而下為濁。淸者為陽，濁者為陰，然分而言之為陰陽，渾而言之統為氣；氣不能無陰陽，即所謂人不能無動靜，鼻不能無呼吸，口不能無出入，而所以為對待迴還之理也。然則氣分為二，而貫於一，有志於是途者，其勿以是為拘拘焉耳。
There has never been anything in the world that will maintain its state forever without reversing its condition, nothing that stays perfectly consistent without its course becoming corrupted. Because a thing has opposite states built into it, it will at some point reverse its condition. This is an eternal principle.
It is usually the case that a discussion of boxing is simultaneously a discussion of energy. Energy is a single thing, but it can be divided into two parts, such as the two parts of breathing. Breathing breaks down into passive and active aspects. As punching cannot happen without its states of movement [punching] and stillness [not yet punching / having already punched], so too breathing cannot be without its exhaling and inhaling: exhaling is active and inhaling is passive.
Rising is active and lowering is passive. Active energy rising is active, but active energy lowering is passive. Passive energy lowering is passive, but passive energy rising is active. These are distinctions between passive and active. What about “clear” and “murky”? What rises is clear and what lowers is murky. The clear is active and the murky is passive.
When separated, they are described as the passive and active aspects. When mixed together, they are described as a single energy. Energy cannot be without its passive and active aspects. Along the same lines, the body cannot be without its movement and stillness, the nose cannot be without its inhalations and exhalations, and the mouth cannot be without what comes out from it [as in talking] and what goes into it [as in eating].
This is the concept of the eternal cycling of opposites. Although energy divides into two, the two are actually one, and so if you are intent upon this path of study, be careful not to get too obsessed over either of the two [at the expense of the one].
It is usually the case that a discussion of boxing is simultaneously a discussion of energy. Energy is a single thing, but it can be divided into two parts, such as the two parts of breathing. Breathing breaks down into passive and active aspects. As punching cannot happen without its states of movement [punching] and stillness [not yet punching / having already punched], so too breathing cannot be without its exhaling and inhaling: exhaling is active and inhaling is passive.
Rising is active and lowering is passive. Active energy rising is active, but active energy lowering is passive. Passive energy lowering is passive, but passive energy rising is active. These are distinctions between passive and active. What about “clear” and “murky”? What rises is clear and what lowers is murky. The clear is active and the murky is passive.
When separated, they are described as the passive and active aspects. When mixed together, they are described as a single energy. Energy cannot be without its passive and active aspects. Along the same lines, the body cannot be without its movement and stillness, the nose cannot be without its inhalations and exhalations, and the mouth cannot be without what comes out from it [as in talking] and what goes into it [as in eating].
This is the concept of the eternal cycling of opposites. Although energy divides into two, the two are actually one, and so if you are intent upon this path of study, be careful not to get too obsessed over either of the two [at the expense of the one].
Excerpt from the translation by Paul Brennan, to be found in the Brennan Translation blog.
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