''Liuhebafa quan'' ( zh, c=六合八法拳, p=liùhébāfǎ quán, l=Six-Harmonies Eight-Methods Boxing) is an

internal Internal may refer to: *Internality as a concept in behavioural economics *Neijia, internal styles of Chinese martial arts *Neigong or "internal skills", a type of exercise in meditation associated with Daoism * ''Internal'' (album) by Safia, 2016 ...

Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

. It has been called "''xinyi liuhebafa''" (心意六合八法拳) and is also referred to as "water boxing" ( zh, c= 水拳, p=shuǐquán, labels=no) due to its principles.

History

The Song dynasty

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

sage

Chen Tuan Chen Tuan 陳摶 (died August 25, 989) was a Chinese Taoist credited with creation of the kung fu system Liuhebafa ("Six Harmonies and Eight Methods"). Along with this internal art, he is also said to be associated with a method of qi (energy ...

is often credited with its origin and development. He was associated with the Taoist Monastery on

Mount Hua Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about east of Xi'an. It is the "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

Province. The ''liuhebafa'' form ''zhu ji'' ( zh, c=築基, p=zhú jī, labels=no) was taught in the late 1930s in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

Wu Yihui Wu Yihui 吳翼翬 (Cantonese Ng Yik-fai) (1887 – 1958) was a Chinese martial artist and scholar. He was the first person to open teachings and spread the art of Liuhebafa in public, and was a prominent fighter and instructor who influenced ma ...

(1887–1958). It is said he had learned the art from three teachers: Yan Guoxing, Chen Guangdi (who learned the art from a monk, Da Yuan and a Taoist, Li Chan), and Chen Helu. Many of Wu Yihui's students had martial arts backgrounds and modified the form to merge it with their own knowledge. This is one of several explanations for its similarities with other martial arts such as ''

xingyiquan 形意拳, Xingyiquan , or Xingyi, is a style of internal Chinese martial arts. The word approximately translates to "Form-Intention Fist", or "Shape-Will Fist". The style is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements, and expl ...

'', ''

baguazhang ''Baguazhang'' () is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the '' Wudang'' school, the other two being tai chi and '' xingyiquan''. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or ''neijia''). ''Baguazhang'' literally means "eigh ...

'',

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

and ''

yiquan ''Yiquan'', also known as ''dachengquan'', is a Chinese martial art founded by the ''xingyiquan'' master Wang Xiangzhai. ''Yì'' (意) means Intent (but not intention), ''quán'' (拳) means boxing. History Having studied ''xingyiquan'' w ...

''.

Six Harmonies and Eight Methods

The Six Harmonies (六合) and the Eight Methods (八法) are the guiding principles of ''liuhebafa'' that give it its name.

Six Harmonies

# Body and Mind Combine ( zh, c=體合於心, p=tǐ hé yū xīn, labels=no) # Mind and Intent Combine ( zh, c=心合於意, p=xīn hé yū yì, labels=no) # Intent and '' Qi'' Combine ( zh, c=意合於氣, p=yì hé yū qì, labels=no) # ''Qi'' and Spirit Combine ( zh, c=氣合於神, p=qì hé yū shén, labels=no) # Spirit and Movement Combine ( zh, c=神合於動, p=shén hé yū dòng, labels=no) # Movement and Emptiness Combine ( zh, c=動合於空, p=dòng hé yū kōng, labels=no)

Eight Methods

# ''Qi'' ( zh, c=氣, p=qì, labels=no) # Bone ( zh, c=骨, p=gǔ, labels=no) # Shape ( zh, c=形, p=xíng, labels=no) # Follow ( zh, c=隨, p=suí, labels=no) # Rise ( zh, c=提, p=tí, labels=no) # Return ( zh, c=還, p=huán, labels=no) # Retain ( zh, c=勒, p=lè, labels=no) # Conceal ( zh, c=伏, p=fú, labels=no) There are other translations and links possible

Forms

The system of ''liuhebafa'', called ''huayue xiyimen'', as taught by

contains several forms, including bare hand and weapons forms as well as ''

qigong Qigong ()) is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation said to be useful for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese medicine, Chin ...

'' methods.

Hand forms

* 三盤十二勢 Sān Pán Shí Èr Shì – 3 Divisions, 12 Spirits (1. Dragon, 2. Phoenix, 3. Tiger, 4. Crane, 5. Leopard, 6. Ape, 7. Bear, 8. Goose, 9. Snake, 10. Hawk, 11. Roc, 12. Kylin) * 築基 Zhú Jī – Discovering the Foundations * 呂紅八勢 Lǚ Hóng Bā Shì – 8 Essences of Lu Hong's Fist * 龍虎戰 Lóng Hǔ Zhàn – Dragon and Tiger Fighting * 螫龍遊 Zhē Lóng Yóu – Coiled Dragon Swimming * 螫龍拳 Zhē Lóng Quán – Coiled Dragon Fist

Weapon forms

* 心意棍 Xīn Yì Gùn – Heart of Intent Staff * 露花刀 Lù Huā Dāo – Dew Mist Broadsword * 玉川劍 Yù Chuān Jiàn – Jade River Straight Sword

Internal exercises

* 韋佗功 Wéi Tuó Gōng – Standing meditation * 太陽功 Tài Yáng Gōng – Solar Meditation * 一杰混元功 Yī Jié Hún Yuán Gōng – Primary Definitive Force * 先天座 Xiān Tiān Zuò – Pre-Heaven Meditation * 三盤推手 Sān Pán Tuī Shǒu – 3 Divisions Push Hands

References

External links

WaterSpirit-6x8

Information and instruction in LHBF

Information on Lok Hup Ba Fa

Xin Ying Wushu Training Centre LHBF

GM Zhou Shu Sheng LiuHe BaFa
{{Martial arts Chinese martial arts Neijia