弟子序
蔡序
中華民國太極拳總會及國際太極拳聯盟總會副理事長吳榮輝老師，歷年來對鬆柔太極拳 之研究頗為獨到，聲望更受太極拳界敬重，每年受邀到世界各地講學，門生遍及全世界。早年老師猶為選手時，在太極拳推手賽事中之卓越表現，已令人讚佩不已。一九八九至二000年，十二年當中，贏得國內外各種太極拳錦標賽超過二十幾次的推手冠軍，特別是一九九九年，自願參加比自己重四個量級的比賽，並榮獲冠軍。這種毅力和勇氣著實令人讚嘆。
後來，吾幸獲老師悉心指導，始對鬆柔太極拳之概念深入探究。深覺老師所授之鬆柔推手技巧，講究鬆肩、鬆肘、鬆腕、鬆腰的過程以及接地之力，更特別講究尊重對手之意圖與方向，無絲毫之丟頂，此獨具匠心之理念深深感動吾心。在老師教誨下，吾鍥而不捨地學習，成為一位信念更堅定之鬆柔太極拳修習者。
由於工作關係，吾經常往來於國內外，發現這種推手方法世上少見，這種以客為尊之推手方法極具特色，與眾不同。美國華盛頓陳鉅太極拳基金會執行長查爾斯·沃塔（Charles Votaw）對這種推手方法倍加推崇，將老師推手概念名為“以客為尊的推手”（Push
hands–Respecting the Opponents）。此概念深受當地太極拳界喜愛，此亦為老師屢次獲邀至華盛頓講學之因。
爾後，吾蒙老師錯愛，謹拜門下，專心學習鬆柔。此乃吾一生之大幸也。在擔任國際太極拳聯盟總會秘書長之後，與國內外太極拳人士接觸更為頻仍，更深感此種推手技巧之罕遇。今老師願將此鬆柔推手之概念無私地與世界各地之拳友分享，其不拘泥入門與否、不藏私之精神，更令吾佩服得五體投地。
蒙老師囑吾將其新書“鬆柔太極拳推手”譯為英文，雖知英語未精，難擔重任，然在翻譯之際，斟酌推敲，深感老師之苦心孤詣。翻譯期間不斷請益於師，自覺受益匪淺外，更應傳諸他人。雖言如此，仍唯恐不能盡傳師意，心實愧矣。幸經前訴美國查爾斯·沃塔之仔細修改，英文翻譯今已告竣。感謝查爾斯先生鉅細靡遺之討論與修正，使老師之鬆柔理念得以更廣為人知。余為讀者之幸，誠感非常。也藉此代老師向查爾斯先生表達最高之謝意。
老師使吾以譯者身份撰序，初覺不宜，因吾拳無所成，推手不精，恐無能清言。然，吾隨老師已二十餘載矣，深知老師之功夫，非為勝人，旨在挑戰自己極限。此理，唯追隨老師二十幾年後，方能真識之。吾不代言，亦難自圓。故自曰“吾何毋意之有哉？”老師不圖名利、不圖勝技、處處禮讓、挑戰自我、栽培後學不遺餘力。是以，吾斗膽私竊老師之意，冀與眾同享，願天下有緣者盡得吾師之益也。
夫老師之拳架強調輕靈貫串也。扭腰擺臀若無骨，輕靈貫串勁連綿。師曰：輕靈者，輕、慢、勻、正、巧也。輕者鬆持也，鬆而不弛，氣血運行不止，以意導氣，以氣斂骨。慢者，“微而不絕，存而不見”，動中有靜、忽隱忽現也。勻者，身體勻整，虛領頂勻，脊背挺勻，腳步穩勻，呼吸均勻，心意貫串，動作流暢也。正者，頭正頸鬆、沉肩垂肘、含胸拔背、鬆腰落胯、虛實分清也。巧者乃原空位、原體位等自然運動八法之巧妙運用也，如“雞之孵卵、無過不及”。如此，九大環節自能節節貫串。又曰：貫串在勁整；勁整在活、巧、沉、圓、連、在內而無形，唯鬆柔始能。
再者，拳根在腳，由腳而腿、而腰、而形於手指，根必先活之，非死根也。依師所授，太極之動，無極而生，乃地心引力、反作用力、腰腿之力與趁勢前進四種力交替運作所致。如此，身軀柔軟靈活，腿部力量亦自養成。此外，膝過腳尖為他家太極所忌，易簡太極卻獨自不然，旨在鍛鍊股四頭肌。依老師數十年之研究，調整腰胯及臀部角度，則膝蓋無損也。宋志堅師爺九十又一時，膝蓋無恙。易簡諸多耆老個個健步如飛，雖練拳膝過腳指三四十載，未聞傷及膝蓋，蓋股四頭肌及膝蓋周遭之肌、筋、腱已然強化，何來傷膝之有。心肺功能反因此強化，均較常人健壯也。乃宋志堅師爺所傳“收臀鬆腰腹，以氣斂入骨”也。
老師明通易理、老莊之說。常言“易者易知，簡者易從”。易知易於了解，易從便於相從，此乃可長可久之道。故其推手招法無多，易知簡從也。其推手崇尚無為，其技之精妙，在於以「無為」之心，盡用對方之力，無所顧忌、無所執著、隨機應變、虛靈恍惚、自然而然，以最少之力致最大之效。「無為」而無所不為，看似無用，其實是大用。又言“物壯則老”。此言推手者，旨在以彼之力，練己身之平衡、敏捷、柔軟也。苟用力則身僵，失太極之柔軟靈活也。且用力易致肌、筋、腱勞傷，損長久身體之健壯也。是以，在推手之練，宜輕靈而行，鬆柔為要。強力發勁則內氣耗損，身體易老也。故，內斂含藏，蓄而不發，養精蓄銳也。
老師之推手非以勝負旨趣，乃於攻與守之互動中處處以禮讓為本也。於此互相尊重之過程，訓練己身柔軟之極限，彰沾、黏、貼、隨、不丟不頂之真諦，亦彰人世間相互禮讓尊重對方之修為。老師認為太極推手之掤、捋、擠、按、採、挒、肘、靠，皆由禮讓對方所生。非為掤而掤，非為採而採，為靠而靠。這些動作乃在禮讓過程中所產生之自然現象。人為命名為掤、捋、擠、按、 採、挒、肘、靠。此亦呼應鄭曼青宗師之『吃虧即是佔便宜』之概念也。處處禮讓、吃虧、謙虛、放下、毋意、毋必、毋故、毋我、捨己以從人。
此等推手，從人不動手，不動手何以推之？是不主動動手，而借上述四種力而動也。非猛力發勁，乃輕柔沾黏，以氣運之，激發其潛能極限也。虛靜我心，旁觀者清。加勁於彼時，志在使其感受微動之力，令其隨曲就伸，走而化之，一羽不能加，蠅蟲不能落，引之以從力，使其潛力發揮達極限也。經由輕靈推動，使其更能深蹲、更能鬆沉，伸展更長、退而更後，所謂進之則愈長 ，退之則愈促也。再令其鬆活腰部，旋轉自如如車輪，乃風吹荷葉不倒翁也。當彼失衡時，輕以扶之免其跌出，虛靜關照對方也。
雖曰“四兩撥千斤”卻不撥之；雖能“以小勝大”，卻不勝之；雖曉“以曲制直”，卻不制之；雖達“以柔克剛”，卻不剋之；彼不知我，我獨知人也。牽動以長其根，而不拔之，提放以順其勢，而不發之，處處以寬柔為勝，勝在心中，而不外顯也。當彼加勁於我，則借彼之力動我身手，第五種力也。或右或左、或前或後、或上或下、或進或退、或快或慢、或強或弱、或仰或俯、或長或短、或深或淺、或急或緩，只管鬆身，諸方自在，聽憑對手，借彼之力鍛鍊身體諸部之靈敏、耐力及可塑性也。彼欲吾往東，吾絕不往西，即令背已向敵，勁亦能接之於地，所謂八方勁也。輕靈而貫串，接地之力，以氣運之，還諸彼身。循環往復恰似彼此按摩，活絡穴道，能量交流也。
故，老師之推手，講究意、氣，有氣方為勁。講究陰陽之變：手有動靜、腳有虛實、身有剛柔。虛實相對、剛柔相依，意在使人感知其能量之變。由聽勁而懂勁，其動作由輕靈緩慢到快速流暢。不求名、不求勝，心無罣礙。借推手之力促氣血之運行，由湧泉、尾閭、命門、夾脊、玉枕而百會，周而復始，氣血運行不止。內勁回收己身，則能量充盈於五臟六腑，激活細胞，身體自然健康自在。此等推手處處以鬆柔為念，故易簡推手又名“鬆柔太極拳推手”也。此推手之意與欲使其失衡而跌出，或自詡讓對手跌出三丈之外者大異其趣。是以，即使年七八十，猶能練此推手技巧而不傷筋敗骨也。即便視障亦或眼盲者亦能彼此互動，動靜俱宜，虛實相應，樂在其中也。無論幼長或明眼與否，假以時日皆能駕輕就熟，互動互利。今吾師願意無私地與世界各地拳友分享此鬆柔推手之概念，其樂於助人之態度可使後進受益。謹以此序，感謝老師之精心指導，並將其樂於與人分享之精神永誌心中，冀能傳衍於萬一。 **Preface**
Mr. Wu Ronghui, Vice Chairman of the Republic of China Tai Chi Association and the World Tai Chi Chuan Federation, has been renowned for his unique research on Supple Tai Chi and is highly respected in the Tai Chi community. He is invited to lecture worldwide annually, with students spread across the globe. In his early years as a competitor, his exceptional performance in Tai Chi Push Hands competitions earned widespread admiration. From 1989 to 2000, he won more than twenty Push Hands championships in various domestic and international Tai Chi tournaments. Notably, in 1999, he voluntarily competed in a category four weight classes above his own and won the championship, showcasing remarkable perseverance and courage.
Later, I was fortunate to receive meticulous guidance from Mr. Wu, delving deeply into the concept of Relaxed Tai Chi. I found the techniques of Relaxed Push Hands he taught—emphasizing the process of relaxing the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and waist, along with grounding force—particularly impressive. His emphasis on respecting the opponent's intentions and directions without any trace of "losing balance" deeply moved me. Under his tutelage, I persistently studied and became a more dedicated practitioner of Relaxed Tai Chi.
Due to my work, I frequently travel domestically and internationally, discovering that this Push Hands method is rare worldwide. This unique method, respecting the opponent, is highly distinctive. Charles Votaw, Executive Director of the Chen Juta Tai Chi Foundation in Washington, USA, greatly admires this Push Hands method, naming it "Push Hands – Respecting the Opponents." This concept has gained much popularity in the local Tai Chi community, leading to Mr. Wu being repeatedly invited to lecture in Washington.
Subsequently, I was honored by Mr. Wu to become his student, focusing on learning Relaxed Tai Chi. This has been a great fortune in my life. After becoming the Secretary General of the International Tai Chi Union Association, I have had more frequent contact with Tai Chi practitioners worldwide, further realizing the rarity of this Push Hands technique. Now, Mr. Wu is willing to selflessly share the concept of Relaxed Push Hands with Tai Chi enthusiasts globally, disregarding whether one is a beginner or not. His unselfish spirit greatly impresses me.
Mr. Wu entrusted me with translating his new book "Relaxed Tai Chi Push Hands" into English. Although aware of my limited proficiency in English and feeling unworthy of the task, I carefully pondered and deeply appreciated Mr. Wu's dedicated efforts during the translation process. Continuously seeking guidance from Mr. Wu, I found the translation extremely beneficial and felt it should be shared with others. Despite my efforts, I still fear I may not fully convey Mr. Wu's intent, which deeply concerns me. Fortunately, Charles Votaw meticulously revised the English translation, which is now complete. I sincerely thank Mr. Votaw for his detailed discussions and corrections, making Mr. Wu's Relaxed Tai Chi concept more widely known. I am very grateful on behalf of the readers and express my utmost gratitude to Mr. Votaw on behalf of Mr. Wu.
Initially, I felt it was inappropriate for me to write the preface as a translator, fearing that my lack of expertise in Tai Chi and Push Hands would render me unable to articulate properly. However, having followed Mr. Wu for over twenty years, I deeply understand that his mastery of Tai Chi is not aimed at defeating others but at challenging his own limits. This principle can only be truly understood after following Mr. Wu for over two decades. I cannot fully represent Mr. Wu's words but strive to convey his intentions. Therefore, I ask, "How can I have any ill intentions?" Mr. Wu does not seek fame or victory; he is humble, constantly challenging himself and tirelessly nurturing the next generation. Thus, I daringly steal Mr. Wu's intentions, hoping to share them with everyone, wishing that all those with the same fate may benefit from Mr. Wu's teachings.
Mr. Wu's Tai Chi form emphasizes lightness and fluidity. Twisting the waist and swinging the hips should be as if without bones, with continuous lightness and fluidity. Mr. Wu says: Lightness means being light, slow, even, correct, and skillful. Being light is relaxed and not slack, with uninterrupted circulation of Qi and blood, guided by intention and collected by Qi. Being slow is "continuous and unbroken, present but unseen," with stillness in movement, appearing and disappearing. Being even is having an evenly balanced body, a relaxed and upright head, a straight spine, stable steps, even breathing, and smooth movements. Being correct is having a straight head and relaxed neck, shoulders down and elbows relaxed, chest in and back stretched, relaxed waist and hips, with clear distinctions between emptiness and solidity. Being skillful is the ingenious use of natural movements like the eight methods of origin and position, such as "like a hen incubating eggs, neither over nor under." Thus, the nine major joints can be connected continuously. Mr. Wu also says: The connection lies in the coordination of strength; coordination lies in flexibility, skill, heaviness, roundness, and continuity, internal and shapeless, achievable only through relaxation.
Furthermore, the root of Tai Chi lies in the feet, extending from the feet to the legs, waist, and hands. The root must be alive, not rigid. According to Mr. Wu's teaching, Tai Chi movement arises from Wuji, involving the forces of gravity, reaction force, waist and leg strength, and momentum. This way, the body remains flexible and agile, and leg strength is cultivated. Additionally, while other Tai Chi styles prohibit the knee from extending beyond the toes, Yi Jian Tai Chi uniquely uses this to train the quadriceps. Based on Mr. Wu's decades of research, adjusting the angle of the waist, hips, and pelvis prevents knee damage. Master Song Zhijian practiced until the age of ninety-one without knee issues. Many Yi Jian seniors are still agile despite practicing Tai Chi with knees beyond toes for thirty to forty years, having no knee injuries as their quadriceps and surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments have been strengthened. Their cardiopulmonary function is enhanced, making them healthier than ordinary people. This is Master Song Zhijian's teaching of "tucking the pelvis, relaxing the waist and abdomen, and collecting Qi into the bones."
Mr. Wu is well-versed in the principles of Yi and Laozi. He often says, "Yi means easy to understand, and Jian means easy to follow." Easy to understand is easy to comprehend, and easy to follow is convenient to practice, making it a long-lasting path. Thus, his Push Hands techniques are simple and easy to follow. His Push Hands advocate Wu Wei (non-action), with the skill's essence lying in using the opponent's force without hindrance, adapting naturally and effortlessly, achieving the greatest effect with the least force. Wu Wei accomplishes everything, seemingly useless yet highly useful. He also says, "What is strong will eventually decay." In Push Hands, the goal is to use the opponent's force to train one's balance, agility, and flexibility. Using force makes the body rigid, losing Tai Chi's flexibility and agility. Forceful exertion can strain muscles, tendons, and ligaments, harming long-term health. Therefore, Push Hands practice should be light and flexible, focusing on relaxation. Excessive force depletes internal energy, accelerating aging. Thus, internal energy should be reserved and cultivated, conserving and nourishing vitality.
Mr. Wu's Push Hands is not about winning or losing but about mutual respect in offense and defense. In this process of mutual respect, one trains the ultimate flexibility of one's body, embodying the essence of sticking, adhering, connecting, and following without losing balance or overextending. This also reflects the cultivation of mutual respect and humility in human interactions. Mr. Wu believes that the Tai Chi techniques of Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou, Kao all arise from respecting the opponent. They are not performed for their own sake but occur naturally during the process of respect. They are named Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou, Kao as human constructs. This echoes the principle of "suffering losses is beneficial" from Grandmaster Zheng Manqing. Everywhere respect, humility, and selflessness.
In such Push Hands, one follows the opponent without initiating movement. Movement is induced by the four forces mentioned above, not by forceful exertion. Using light and flexible adherence, driven by Qi, one maximizes the potential of the opponent. With a calm and observant mind, one subtly applies force to make the opponent feel minimal movement, guiding them to adapt and neutralize the force. Through light and flexible pushing, one helps the opponent deepen their stance, relax further, stretch longer, and retreat further. This approach enhances balance and flexibility, likened to the rotating of a wheel, as the saying goes: "Enter with greater length, retreat with more compactness." When the opponent loses balance, a light touch prevents them from falling, maintaining awareness and care for the opponent.
Although one can use "four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds," they do not deflect; though one can "use small to defeat large," they do not defeat; though one can "use softness to overcome hardness," they do not overcome. The opponent is unaware of me, but I know the opponent. Guiding the opponent's force, not uprooting, adjusting to their movement without striking, winning internally without external display. When the opponent applies force, I use their force to move my body, the fifth force. Regardless of direction, intensity, or speed, the key is to relax the body, adapting freely and borrowing the opponent's force to train sensitivity, endurance, and flexibility. One follows the opponent's direction, grounding the force through the body, connecting with the ground and returning the force to the opponent,
balancing light and heavy, soft and firm. This reflects the Tai Chi saying: "Know yourself and the opponent, and a hundred battles will result in no defeat." This method, respecting the opponent, promotes health and well-being while cultivating peace and harmony. It aligns with the principle of Tai Chi, which emphasizes balance, flexibility, and the unity of mind and body.
By sharing these insights, I hope to convey Mr. Wu's teachings and encourage all Tai Chi practitioners to deepen their understanding and practice of Relaxed Tai Chi. May this knowledge bring greater benefits and health to everyone.