Level One: Begin with Simplicity
Start by stripping away complexity – no circles yet, just the basics. Learn the core frames: upright, direct, and easy to practice. The founder’s wisdom lights the path, easing the way for beginners. Zhaobao’s method climbs gently, from simple to hard; progress builds naturally. Raise your tower from the ground; only a strong foundation reaches the clouds.
Level Two: Introduce the Circle
Circles begin to connect each movement, weaving simplicity into complexity. Straight lines curve, loops interlock, and every technique becomes rounded. Vertical, horizontal, and twisting circles spin, roll, and swirl. Without Taiji’s circular art, the path bends and skill loses its way. Circles fuse flesh and bone; with every layer of practice, understanding deepens.
Level Three: Let the Body Turn
The body moves in wide circles, led by the flow of the limbs. Hands turn, yes, but the waist and hips are the true drivers; avoid shallow trembling. Stretch the tendons, loosen the joints: expand, contract, and extend. Move slowly and evenly, stance low, steps broad and firmly grounded. When shape guides intent, energy surges, unified, resonant, and whole.
Level Four: Refine with Precision
Every movement finds its measure; each part settles into its proper place. Hands guard the centre, never wandering; inner and outer begin to align. Circles tighten, form refines, and mind and intent become the fuel of energy. Softness reveals pace; within a single circle, urgency and calm coexist. Seek understanding through gentle speed; the dedicated will find their reward.
Level Five: Power Emerges
Joints unlock, energy flows freely, and power is finally released. From softness comes hardness, coiling, shaking, bursting like thunder. Rise suddenly and drop swiftly; steps shift, and feet adapt with practiced skill. Like lightning before thunder, Hulei earns its renowned name. Reach this level and small mastery is yours, but greater heights still beckon.
Level Six: Square Meets Circle
Circles give way to squares, training power through contrast and change. Square lines harden section by section; sharp corners emerge in the turning. Outer squareness, inner force, and hidden strength yield countless transformations. Break through the barrier of power; diligent practice hastens the way forward. Taiji’s combat wisdom: to attack, defend, and shift fluidly between square and round.
Level Seven: Return to Softness
Rising from softness, hardness now yields, and yang gracefully gives way to yin. Hard edges dissolve, squares become circles again; swift force learns to pause. Circles shrink, movements grow calm, and serenity becomes visible in every gesture. Light, agile, and natural, the inner self leads the outer, the spirit stands ready. Energy follows form; form follows energy. The two are seamless and indivisible.
Level Eight: Sensitivity Awakens
Softness reaches its peak; hardness retreats into hiding, refining yin and yang. Hands alive, steps alive, changes grow clever, form grows small, energy crisp. Actions flow, roll, and flash, defying convention, transcending the expected. Each movement carries a spark of Hulei power: a rare and extraordinary frame in this world.
Level Nine: Mastery of Self
Yin and yang are unified; hardness and softness move as one. Form is set aside; change flows freely, formless. I stand at the centre. Skill permeates the body; every part responds with spirit and awareness. Stand or sit, move or rest – I respond naturally, combat woven into being. Wherever I am touched, I answer; a boundless and luminous realm opens.
Level Ten: The Marvel of Skill
The great path returns to simplicity; all methods converge into one. Circles shrink until there are none; intent replaces form, yet the circular essence remains. Motion stills; outer calm, inner movement, the spirit, at last, rings true. Energy surges yet empties; a strike leaves no trace, marvellously so. Stillness becomes movement, and movement returns to stillness, formless; this is the supreme Taiji.
On Philosophy True skill begins with the cultivation of the mind. Learn to strike, then choose not to; halt violence, honour peace. Nurture life, embrace defence, and unite the fist and the way until depth is achieved. Martial arts lead to philosophy, philosophy leads to virtue, and both are made complete. Refine your character, hold benevolence close, awaken to the cosmos, and become, at last, a sage.
