This piece features an edited and extended version of the handout that was made available during the recent ‘ZOOM-4-All’ session (June 1, 2024). As well, an edited and graphic-augmented video taken from a recording of the event is linked below. This video has been edited and is now online as the ‘The Peng & An Binary with Master Sam Masich’ and is the latest installation of the ‘Taiji is Life’ playlist in Masich Internal Arts on YouTube. Please like and subscribe.
Although the event also featured instruction on the ‘Small Power Loop’ (more to come on that) this presentation features just the Peng and An Binary material.
This presentation is Level One of a comprehensive look at the taijiquan ‘eight martial-kinetic energies’ (bajìn 八勁) and their relationship with the 'eight gates' or bagua (八卦).
My sincere thanks to all the attendees of the ZOOM-4-All session!
The Peng and An Binary
The Primary Squares: Peng and An
The word peng (掤), or ‘ward,’ is a special term used specifically in the practice of taijiquan. The Chinese character indicates the idea of ‘hands offering protection’ much in the way an awning protects from sun, rain, and snow. The peng gesture offers this protection without making any particular effort. When the hands are raised or held in a natural way, peng appears. ‘An’ or ‘press’ (an 按; often translated as ‘push’) is, rather, an effortful gesture that can proceed from peng. Whereas, peng tends to open and rise, an tends to close and sink. An pressures downward or forward with a ‘sitting wrist’ (zuo wan 坐腕)
The peng-an relationship is held together by the tendency of each to express force clearly and directly in what is called ‘square’ (zheng 正) energy. Square energy, by its nature, approaches the structural centre of a thing by resting into where and what centre is, then supporting or maintaining the connected condition. Of all taijiquan energies and gestures, peng and an are most square in their nature can therefore be referred to as the 'primary squares.'
Peng and an have a symbiotic relationship. For example, assuming we start from an: when released from the action that has created an, peng effortlessly emerges. When peng reaches its natural settled state, conditions are ideal for a direct return to an.
Peng and An in binary terms (the ‘action’ binary)
It is possible to apply a binary concept to peng and an. For example, since peng is a force that exists spontaneously when parts of the body, the arms for example, are allowed to rest in their natural skeletal position, it can be designated as ‘0’ (zero) since no action is required generate its spontaneously occurring ‘opening’ and ‘rising’ energy (kai-ti jin 開提勁). On the other hand, an requires intentional action to produce its ‘closing’ and ‘sinking’ energy (he-chen jin 合沉勁) and can therefore be designated as ‘1’ (one).
To represent the binary condition of the non-action a pair of peng-shaped arms, the formulation ‘00’ can be used. In the case of two an-shaped arms ‘11’ can be used.
Peng and An in yin-yang terms (the ‘behaviour’ binary)
It is also possible to apply the yin-yang (阴阳) binary concept to peng and an. Single line ‘unigrams’ (yao 爻) are traditionally used to represent ‘yin’ (- -) and ‘yang’ (—). It is common in traditional taijiquan to ascribe three-line combinations known as ‘trigrams’ (gua 卦) to the energies. The ‘☰’ trigram is generally known as 'heaven' or ‘sky’ (qian 乾). The ‘☷’ trigram is commonly related to 'earth' (kun 坤) in the traditional ‘eight-trigrams’ diagram (baguatu 八卦图) depicted below.
The attributes of these trigrams—‘the expansive sky is open and rising while the dense earth closes and sinks’ can be used as a metaphor for the behaviours or attributes of peng (☰) and an (☷) expressing another binary pair—this time based on yin-yang. In this formulation, we see that their expression is based not on the action or intention required to produce peng or an, but rather on their apparent behaviours and attributes.
It should be noted that several schemes have been put forth for matching the eight energies with the eight trigrams and that it is more common to match ‘roll’ (lü 履) with ☷. The sizheng correspondences are matched by the present author so that the peng (☰) and an (☷) arrangement described above have peng and an as a vertically aligned ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’ pair.
The Peng-An binaries combined
It can be seen from the bagua diagram above that peng and an, when understood in terms of both the ‘action binary’ and the ‘behaviour binary,’ can be expressed in the following manner:
Through non-action peng ‘opens’ and ‘rises’ which can be expressed as ‘0 ☰.’ Through intentional action an closes and sinks which can be expressed as ‘1 ☷.’
Another way to express the relationship between the non-action (yin) that is inside the ‘yang opening-rising’ (☰ 0) of peng and the action (yang) that is inside the ‘yin closing-sinking’ (1 ☷) of an is within the taiji diagram (taijitu 太極图) itself.
When we understand the primary-square foundation of the peng and an binaries and their relationship with the bagua concept it is like finally finding the right position for the key that can open the lock of a door to many wonders!
Click on the image below to see an in-depth explanation: