Smoky Mountain YSB Study Group Information

Introduction to the Lion System

Dr. Xie Peiqi’s comments on the YSB Qian/Lion System

Transcribed by Rand Cardwell

Note: This article is provided to YSB students in an effort to promote a greater understanding of the YSB Qian/Lion System. This is a transcription of the YSB Qian/Lion System DVD series available through the Association of Traditional Studies. Any errors are my own.                       

Dr. Xie Peiqi: In this section of the video I would like to introduce the Qian trigram Lion System of Yin Style Bagua. The art the Qian Trigram Lion System uses the Lion as the representative animal, adopting the lion’s special skills. It is the style of Yin Style Bagua that each trigram has its own animal.

Qian Trigram = Lion System

Kan Trigram = Snake System

Gen Trigram = Bear System

Zhen Trigram = Dragon System

Xun Trigram = Phoenix System

Li Trigram = Rooster System

Kun Trigram = Unicorn System

Dui Trigram = Monkey System

This set of videos will describe the Lion System. It is important to understand the “must knows” of the Qian Trigram Lion System. In the trigrams, the Qian trigram represents heaven. Fu She is the one that drew out eight trigrams using three solid line to represent the Qian, which represents heaven. We use the lion to encompass that spirit. Everyone knows the lion is a beast of prey and that the lion is the king of all meat-eating animals, more powerful than tigers and panthers. The lion is also the most majestic, bold, and powerful. As can be seem many countries use the lion motif and have statutes of lions in their castles and palaces to demonstrate their majesty. This is reflected in the Qian Trigram Lion System.

The special qualities of the lion are that it is a bold, powerful animal. In the trigram it is represented by the Lion Opens Its Mouth stance. Aside from bold and powerful, its force is firm, strong, tough, hard, long, and fast. Again, one should note that the lion’s force is firm, strong, tough, hard, long, and fast. Thus, one can achieve health, fighting, and defending skills and self-protection. These special qualities should be remembered in learning.

The lion’s playful side is its love of balls. In the Lion System there is also ball practices. The first is Holding the Ball. Second is Rolling the Ball. The third is Playing with the Ball. The fourth is Floating the Ball. The fifth is Pushing the Ball and there are many other ball skill practices.

In the Qian Trigram Lion System there are eight attacking methods.

• Sweeping
• Cutting
• Chopping
• Hooking
• Shocking
• Blocking
• Seizing
• Grasping

Each attacking method has seven forms each.

• Moving With the Force
• Turning the Back
• Lifting and Holding
• Windmill
• Lying Step
• Reversing the Body
• Squatting

It uses seven as the defining number, not eight. This is because you are occupying one trigram, which can’t be counted, leaving seven. Thus, you have the seven trigram forms with Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui and the eight attacking methods; making a total of 56 forms. There are then three levels of practice; high, low, and middle – making 168 forms in the Lion system.

The Lion Opens Its Mouth posture, regardless of moving left or right, represents the middle level. It is the posture that you begin and end the forms with. You sweep strike; sweep strike, then into that posture. [demo] You cut, cut or block, but still end with that posture, [demo] as it is the posture of the middle level.

The high level is represented by the Lifting the Urn posture. [demo] These levels are not as some people say that the hand is held higher and that is the high posture. [demo] High level has its own posture. This as before, you could hook, strike, sweep strike, and return. Or if chopping, hook strike, chop strike, and after chopping, return to the posture of the high level.

The lower level however is Hate Heaven Not Having a Bar and Hate Earth Not Having a Ring. This is the outside hand. [demo] and this is the inside hand, the hand inside the circle. The inside hand should have the idea of reaching down towards the earth to pluck. The outside hand should have the idea of reaching up into heaven towards a bar it could pull down. If I was doing a sweeping form I could sweep up; I could sweep in; sweep out and then sweep in; sweep ou [demo] and then switch directions. That is the basic idea of the three levels; high, middle, and low, of the Qian Trigram Lion System.

Here I would like to talk about its stepping techniques. The Lion System stepping technique is wheel stepping. It is like a big, rolling wheel. While called a big, rolling wheel, it is also like a scythe, sweeping in, and is most often used to control both opponents’ legs. In terms of kicking, the lion’s kick is a stomping kick. Both the kicking and stepping are unique when fighting. Kicking is called Stomp Upon Meeting, which is to stomp kick immediately upon confrontation. An upper stomp is to the head or chest. A middle stomp is to the heart or abdomen. A low stomp is to the crouch or legs. There are three types of stomp at the high level. Three at the middle level and three at the lower level, which is why we say it has nine kicks. Thus, the lion has nine kicks. The snake has nine kicks. The bear has nine kicks. The dragon has nine kicks. The phoenix has nine kicks. The rooster has nine kicks. The unicorn has nine kicks. The monkey has nine kicks. This eight trigrams and nine kicks each makes seventy-two kicks. Thus, seventy-two kicks could be seen as a separate and complete system within Yin Style Bagua.

In terms of developing and maintaining health, this trigram first develops the head. Secondly, one knows from the postures that it develops the ribs and intercostals regions. The ribcage contains the heart and lungs. Thus the heart and lungs derive great benefit from the practice. When the lungs are well developed the qi is full. When the qi is full, then the qi, strength, and force can be in harmony. When the head is well developed, there is a place for the essences, qi, and spirit. This combination between health and fighting is a special quality of Yin Style bagua.

Today, I have given a general overview of the personality and special qualities of the Qian Trigram Lion System. I hope that everyone studies well and I wish you all long life and happiness.

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