Writings attributed to Chang San-feng, the possibly mythic creator of T'ai Chi as researched by Lee N. Scheele
In motion the whole body should be light and agile, with all parts of the body linked as if threaded together like a string of pearls.
The ch'i [vital life energy] should be excited, The shen [spirit of vitality] should be internally gathered.
The postures should be without defect, without hollows or projections from the proper alignment; in motion the Form should not become disconnected.
The jing [intrinsic strength] should be rooted in the feet, generated from the legs, controlled by the waist, and manifested through the fingers.
If correct timing and position are not achieved, the body will become disordered and will not move as an integrated whole; the correction for this defect must be sought in the legs and waist.
The principle of adjusting the legs and waist applies for moving in all directions; upward or downward, advancing or withdrawing, left or right.
All movements are motivated by yi [mind-intention], not external form.
If there is up, there is down; when advancing, have regard for withdrawing; when striking left, pay attention to the right.
If the yi wants to move upward, it must simultaneously have intent downward.
Alternating the force of pulling and pushing severs an opponent's root so that he can be defeated quickly and certainly.
Insubstantial [empty; yin] and substantial [solid; yang] should be clearly differentiated. At any place where there is insubstantiality, there must be substantiality; Every place has both insubstantiality and substantiality.
The whole body should be threaded together through every joint without the slightest break.
Chang Ch'uan [Long Boxing] is like a great river rolling on unceasingly.
Peng, Lu, Chi, An, Ts'ai, Lieh, Chou, and K'ao are equated to the Eight Trigrams. The first four are the cardinal directions; Ch'ien [South; Heaven], K'un [North; Earth], K'an [West; Water], and Li [East; Fire].
The second four are the four corners: Sun [Southwest; Wind], Chen [Northeast; Thunder], Tui [Southeast; Lake], and Ken [Northwest; Mountain].
Advance (Chin), Withdraw (T'ui),Look Left (Ku), Look Right (Pan), and Central Equilibrium (Chung Ting) are equated to the five elements:
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth All together these are termed the Thirteen Postures
A footnote appended to this Classic by Yang Lu-ch'an (1799-1872) reads: This treatise was left by the patriarch Chan San-feng of Wu Tang Mountain, with a desire toward helping able people everywhere achieve longevity, and not merely as a means to martial skill.