Compiled by Zhang Yaozhong (张耀忠) from Audio Recordings Translated by Joshua Hehr
The Wu Style 37-Form Taijiquan was adapted by this author in 1953 during the teaching period at Beijing Institute of Technology, based on the Wu Style 83-Form Taijiquan. It is not the 37-Form transmitted by Xu Xuanping of the Tang Dynasty. The Wu Style 83-Form Taijiquan was adapted by Mr. Yang Yuting based on the old Wu Style frame, containing 9 Grasp Sparrow's Tails and 9 Single Whips. Following each Grasp Sparrow's Tail are 8 forms, plus the opening and closing forms, totaling 83 forms.
The 83-form routine is quite long and requires a long time to teach. Students frequently encountered the problem of "forgetting the beginning while learning the end, and forgetting the beginning after learning the end," and it would take several years to complete the teaching. Moreover, practice time was also restricted, as it needed to be completed within the work break exercise time (15 minutes). Later, everyone suggested simplifying and modifying it. I removed the repetitive movements, leaving 37 different postures. I rearranged the sequence, placing movements with smaller intensity at the beginning, gradually increasing the intensity; balance movements and more difficult ones in the middle; then gradually decreasing the intensity until the closing form.
The prominent characteristic of the 37-Form Taijiquan is: directing intent with the heart-mind, guiding qi with intent, and moving the body with qi. That is, "using intent not force."
"Directing intent with the heart-mind, guiding qi with intent, and moving the body with qi" is the Internal Three Harmonies. "Hands harmonize with feet, elbows harmonize with knees, shoulders harmonize with hips" is the External Three Harmonies. Being able to achieve the Internal Three Harmonies and External Three Harmonies meets the requirement of "using intent not force," and conforms to the principles of Taijiquan.
Heart-mind refers to the brain. When the brain thinks, that is directing intent with the heart-mind. The brain can think but cannot move; its function is to command intent. For example, when you think about drinking tea, as soon as you think it, intent arrives and qi arrives, and the hands and feet are already moving. This process is called directing intent with the heart-mind, guiding qi with intent, and moving the body with qi. Every movement in Taijiquan is formed this way; each movement is formed by internal qi propelling it.
When practicing the forms, through conscious thought and then execution, moving the body with qi can produce taiji energy.
The boxing manual states: In every movement, the entire body must be light and nimble. That is, when lifting an arm, moving a foot, or making any gesture, one must achieve lightness and nimbleness.
Lightness means not using force; nimbleness means agility. How can one achieve lightness and nimbleness? What we pursue is taiji energy. Taiji energy is the energy of lightness and nimbleness.
Lightness is different from floating. If you use no strength at all, like grass swaying in the wind, that's also wrong; being sluggish or floating are both incorrect. Nimbleness means that when encountering an obstacle, it automatically turns. After developing this habit, if your foot hits a stone while walking, the foot will automatically turn after touching the stone. If your body bumps into a table corner, the skin and muscles automatically avoid it.
For example: in the Opening Form's third movement, both wrists rise. How can you raise your hands from a still position? In ordinary martial arts, you simply lift directly like this, but this way of lifting is not taiji energy.
The correct method is: use mental intent to imagine opening the joints, pointing the fingers forward and downward toward the ground, opening the finger joints slightly. Then imagine the fingers drawing back toward the palm (imagined, not actually moving). The fingers naturally draw back toward the palm, and the force reaches the wrists. It feels as if there's a small thread gently lifting at the wrists, with a leading energy bringing the hands up.
Continuously thinking about the fingers drawing toward the palm, the mental intent is unbroken, the energy is unbroken, and the arms naturally rise. When you stop thinking about it, the hands naturally fall. If you stop thinking but the arms remain there without descending, that's not taiji energy, nor is it light and nimble energy. When you think, it rises; when you stop thinking, it falls—this is true lightness and nimbleness. Every movement is done this way.
The 83-form has a total of 362 movements; the simplified 37-form has a total of 178 movements, with a minimum of 2 movements and a maximum of 20 movements per form; each form has an even number of movements.