金庸大侠论太极（中英对照）

金庸大侠论太极（中英对照）

2008年8月8日，北京奥运会开幕式上，大型团体太极操表演吸引全球的眼球。太极拳是世界第一大健身品牌，蕴含中华传统文化的精华。为了让更多人了解优秀的太极文化，我特推荐如下：

下文系金庸为吴公藻《太极拳讲义》所作的《跋言》。金庸先生不愧为武侠大家，对太极文化的深厚内涵有着自身独到的体认，相信此文会使广大读者对太极拳有更新的认识。

武侠小说大家金庸论太极 Basic Rational of Tai Chi Chuan
作者：金庸     英文版译者：Doug Woolidge

Author：Jing Yong, Translated by Doug Woolidge

太极拳的基本构想在世界任何拳术、武功、搏击方法中是独一无二的。

The basic rationale of Tai Chi Chuan is unique amongst martial arts and sparring systems. 

我相信这是老庄哲学在拳术中的体现。

I believe that it is the realization of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi’s thought in a martial arts context.  

用在政治上，那是清静无为的黄老之术，用在拳术上，便是以柔制刚的太极拳。道理是一样的，以自然、柔韧、沉着、安舒为主旨，基本要点是保持自己的重心，设法破坏对手的平衡。

Politically, it is expressed as Huang Lao’s craft of non-action. In Tai Chi Chuan the principle is the same: by focusing on being spontaneous, elastic, sinking and unfolding in a relaxed manner, the person maintains his or her own centre of gravity while generating the conditions which offset the opponent’s equilibrium.

但设法破坏对手的平衡，并不是主动的出击，而是利用对手出击时必然产生的不平衡，加上一点小小的推动助力，加强他的不平衡。

However, actively attacking the opponent does not necessarily unbalance him. Instead, take advance of the inevitable loss the balance accompanying the opponent’s attack and add a slight push to create an even greater loss of equilibrium. 

所以太极拳讲究“以静制动”、“四两拨千斤”、“后发制人”。

Therefore, Tai Chi Chuan emphasizes the sayings: “Stillness overcomes movement… Four ounces can move 1000 pounds… Defeat the opponent by counter attack. ”

太极拳不运气、不用力。

Tai Chi Chuan does not advocate brute force. 

力气的来源在于对手，我只是转移对手力气的方向。对手所以失败，是他自己失败的，他是被他自己的力气所击倒。如果对手自始至终保持他的重心和平衡，或者，他根本不来打我，他就不会失败。练太极拳的人应该不会去主动攻击别人。

The opponent is the source of energy; merely change the direction of his force. The opponent defeats himself, toppled by this own force. If the opponent can consistently maintain his own centre of gravity, perhaps by not attacking at all, then he may be spared defeat. Never initiate the attack. 

世上万事万物，永远在变动之中。太极拳的动作看来似乎缓慢，但永不停顿，没有一刻窒滞的时候。在建筑学上，弧形的线条比之直线能负担更大的重量。在太极拳中，速度并不是最重要的事。要旨是永远保持平衡和稳定。

Everything in the universe is forever changing. Tai Chi Chuan may appear slow and unhurried to an observer, but the movements flow together continuously, without pause. Architecturally speaking, a curved line can support much more weight than a straight line. Likewise, in Tai Chi Chuan, speed is not the prime objective. Balance and stability are more important. 

练习太极拳，推手的训练十分重要，那是凭敏锐的感觉来捉摸到对手力道中的错误缺失；如果他没有错误缺失，那么就设法造成他的错误缺失。

Push Hands practice is extremely important because it requires an acute ability to sense and become aware of mistakes and flaws in the opponent’s moves. If he is making no mistakes, then create an opportunity for them to occur.

重要的是，自己的每一个行动中不能有错误缺失。只要他想来打倒我、攻击我，迟早会有弱点暴露出来。保盈持泰，谦受益、满招损，那正是中国人政治哲学、人生哲学的要点。自己立于不败之地比击败对手重要得多。自己只要不败，那就好得很了，对手败不败．并没有太大关系，他如不好自为之，迟早会败的；他如好自为之，那也好得很。

It is imperative that your own moves be executed flawlessly. As long as the opponent intends to knock me over or attack me, then his weakness will be exposed. “Preserve gains and maintains stability. Modesty brings gains, haughtiness yields loss.” This is an essential aspect of the political and personal philosophy of Chinese people. It is much more important to be spared defeated than to defeat the other. As long as I myself am not defeated, it does not really matter whether my opponent loses. If he does not handle himself well, he will eventually be defeated. If he does handle himself well, that is also fine. 

Dating back to the founder, Taoist monk Chang San Feng, Tai Chi Chuan is rooted in Taoist philosophy. Lao Tzu emphasized that in order to obtain, one must first give. The truly powerful does not make a fierce, dramatic entrance; he saves his strength, letting the opponent exhaust his energy. Then, when the opportunity arises, he takes advantage of the situation, choosing the outcome.

练太极拳，练的主要不是拳脚功夫，而是头脑中、心灵中的功夫。如果说“以智胜力”恐怕还是说得浅了，最高境界的太极拳甚至不求发展头脑中的智，而是修养一种恬淡平和的人生境界：不是“以柔克刚”，而是根本不求“克”。脑中时时存着一个“克制对手”的念头，恐怕练不到太极拳的上乘境界，甚至于，存着一个“练到上乘境界”的念头去练拳，也就不能达到这境界罢。

The study of Tai Chi Chuan is not only for improving combat skills, but for developing the mind. This is more than simply “wit defeating force.” The highest lever of Tai Chi Chuan seeks even more than development of mind. It aims to cultivate a more moderate and peaceful way of being. Rather than using softness to overcome hardness, the highest lever refrains from attempting to overcome at all. As long as the mind holds the intention of “defeating the opponent”, then it is impossible to reach the higher levers of Tai Chi Chuan. In fact, as long as there exists a desire to “reach the higher levers”， then they will remain unattainable.

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1954年1月17日，吴公藻之兄吴公仪与白鹤拳陈克夫比武，由于香港禁止打擂而澳门不禁，故擂台设在澳门新花园。比武被而令澳门特首何厚铧的父亲何贤判“不胜、不和、不负”。

这场比武虽没有将中国武术打出世界，却催生了两位大侠——金庸和梁羽生。梁羽生和查良镛当年分别在《大公报》和《新晚报》任职，比武前后，香港民众对比武之事谈论不休，《新晚报》负责人罗孚决定在报上搞武侠小说连载。渠羽生酝酿了一天，第三天《龙虎斗京华》便见报。查良镛也一时兴起，以“金庸”为名，将小时候听来的历史传说，铺排成繁花茂叶，写成洋洋洒洒、《书剑恩仇录》。这场比武之后，梁羽生和金庸两人开了新武侠小说的先河。