Nei Jing
Encyclopedia
The term Neijing is a salient concept in traditional Chinese kung fu (martial arts
). It purports to be the key to unlock the secrets of advanced kung fu in many classic Chinese martial arts
training scripts according to Wu Tunan, the expert practitioner of Taijiquan. Nèijìng is developed by using "Neigong
" (Traditional Chinese: 內功; pinyin
: nèigōng) (內功), or "internal exercises," as opposed to "wàigōng" (外功), "external exercises."
is not determined by the level of difficulty or complexity of forms or styles, but instead depends on the nature of the force employed.
The degree of Li force one can employ in kung fu depends on several variables such as resilience of muscles, strength of bones, speed and timing of attack and so on. An effective way to enhance the Li force is to exercise one’s muscles and bones by applying increasing pressure on them (weight training, gym exercises, etc.). The stronger one’s muscles and bones become, the more powerful and skilful the level of kung fu is.
On the other hand, the level of the Neijing force depends on the extent one can exercise one’s will power to release an inner energy called qi
. Within the framework of Chinese martial arts, every person is believed to possess the inborn energy of qi
. Martial artists can harness the force of qi
so that it is strong enough to be applied in combat. When qi
is being directed by one’s will, it is called Neijing.
The Li force is observable when it is employed. At the point of attack, one must tighten up one’s muscles to unite one’s strength and create an explosive power. In this process, the state of one’s muscles changes from soft and loose to tight and tense. The effectiveness of Li follows the principle of lever
age. In combat, the point of contact is the point of attack. The combatant who can make better use of this pivot point has a greater chance to defeat his or her opponent.
Unlike the Li force, Neijing is invisible and hence unobservable when employed. The pivot point is not necessary in the combat. At the point of attack, one must ‘song’ (loosen) himself to generate all Neijing energy one possesses and direct this energy stream through one’s contact point with an opponent. The contact point only represents the gateway to conduct Neijing energy at the point of attack.
The kung fu component of Li force is limited by one’s physical condition. When a person passes his/her prime age, one’s kung fu ability will pass the optimum level, too. The degree of kung fu will decline when muscles and bones are not as strong as they used to be. On the other hand, the kung fu aspect of Neijing continues to grow as long as one lives. Neijing energy becomes stronger despite the aging process.
Practising ‘song’ is part of kung fu training process. It occurs when one keeps reminding oneself to ‘song’ thoroughly and refrain from the Li force because the energy of Neijing will be locked and blocked whenever the force Li is applied. So, Neijing and Li are said to be mutually exclusive.
Therefore, the Taijiquan master Yang Chengfu
used the concept of ‘song’ as a benchmark in his daily teaching. It was his daily routine to keep reminding his disciples to ‘song’ thoroughly more than 10 times when he inspected them.
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
). It purports to be the key to unlock the secrets of advanced kung fu in many classic Chinese martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
training scripts according to Wu Tunan, the expert practitioner of Taijiquan. Nèijìng is developed by using "Neigong
Neigong
Neigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts...
" (Traditional Chinese: 內功; pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: nèigōng) (內功), or "internal exercises," as opposed to "wàigōng" (外功), "external exercises."
The Forces of Li and Neijing
The central difference between your fighting technique and the elemental and advanced level of kung fu does not lie in its form per se, but rather on the nature of the force employed. There are two fundamentally different kinds of forces in traditional Chinese kung fu. The external mechanical force is called Li (Traditional Chinese: 力) which is commonly observed at an elementary level of kung fu. This is what a typical person would view as strength. In contrast, the internal force is called Neijing (Traditional Chinese:內勁) or Neigong (Traditional Chinese: 內功) , which is the source of power in advanced kung fu. Thus, proficiency in martial artsMartial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
is not determined by the level of difficulty or complexity of forms or styles, but instead depends on the nature of the force employed.
The degree of Li force one can employ in kung fu depends on several variables such as resilience of muscles, strength of bones, speed and timing of attack and so on. An effective way to enhance the Li force is to exercise one’s muscles and bones by applying increasing pressure on them (weight training, gym exercises, etc.). The stronger one’s muscles and bones become, the more powerful and skilful the level of kung fu is.
On the other hand, the level of the Neijing force depends on the extent one can exercise one’s will power to release an inner energy called qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
. Within the framework of Chinese martial arts, every person is believed to possess the inborn energy of qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
. Martial artists can harness the force of qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
so that it is strong enough to be applied in combat. When qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
is being directed by one’s will, it is called Neijing.
The Li force is observable when it is employed. At the point of attack, one must tighten up one’s muscles to unite one’s strength and create an explosive power. In this process, the state of one’s muscles changes from soft and loose to tight and tense. The effectiveness of Li follows the principle of lever
Lever
In physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to either multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object or resistance force , or multiply the distance and speed at which the opposite end of the rigid object travels.This leverage...
age. In combat, the point of contact is the point of attack. The combatant who can make better use of this pivot point has a greater chance to defeat his or her opponent.
Unlike the Li force, Neijing is invisible and hence unobservable when employed. The pivot point is not necessary in the combat. At the point of attack, one must ‘song’ (loosen) himself to generate all Neijing energy one possesses and direct this energy stream through one’s contact point with an opponent. The contact point only represents the gateway to conduct Neijing energy at the point of attack.
The kung fu component of Li force is limited by one’s physical condition. When a person passes his/her prime age, one’s kung fu ability will pass the optimum level, too. The degree of kung fu will decline when muscles and bones are not as strong as they used to be. On the other hand, the kung fu aspect of Neijing continues to grow as long as one lives. Neijing energy becomes stronger despite the aging process.
The way to nurture the force of Neijing
Within martial arts, the key to unlock and nurture stronger inner energy of Neijing is through practising ‘song’ (Traditional Chinese: 鬆 ). The term ‘song’ can function as a verb which means to keep one’s mind and body loose resilient and expanding like the consistency of cotton or clouds or relaxed yet concentrated like the sharp alertness of cats immediately before attack. The term can also be used as an adjective which has the same meaning as described above. The greater the extent one can achieve ‘song’ and minimize the use of Li, the greater the release of Neijing force.Practising ‘song’ is part of kung fu training process. It occurs when one keeps reminding oneself to ‘song’ thoroughly and refrain from the Li force because the energy of Neijing will be locked and blocked whenever the force Li is applied. So, Neijing and Li are said to be mutually exclusive.
Therefore, the Taijiquan master Yang Chengfu
Yang Chengfu
Yang Chengfu or Yang Ch'eng-fu is historically considered the best known teacher of the soft style martial art of Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan .-Biography:...
used the concept of ‘song’ as a benchmark in his daily teaching. It was his daily routine to keep reminding his disciples to ‘song’ thoroughly more than 10 times when he inspected them.