Difference between Jin and Li

[Xue Sheng]

I have been reading the book "On Xingyi" by Di Guoyong and I came across this and I thought others in CMA may it useful.

Both teacher and player need to understand the difference between power and force. The power (jin) spoken of in martial arts is far removed from the strength (li) spoken of in daily life. Strength (li) referrers to the amount of strength a person has…..

Power (jin) in martial arts refers to a combination of repeatedly trained skills added to muscular force trained in these skills….

Power (jin) is developed gradually with repeated practice and proper technique.

All from; On Xingyi by Di Guoyong

 

[Steel Tiger]

Yang Jwing-Ming and his co-authors in Emei Baguazhang define Jin as a combination of Li and Qi.

A quote from "Emei Baguazhang - Theories and Applications" by Liang Shou-Yu, Yang Jwing-Ming and Wu Wen-Ching

"Many current martial artists do not understand what Jin is, or they think that it is trained only in a few particular styles. In fact, almost all Oriental martial styles train Jin. The differences lie only in the depth to which Jin is understood, the different kinds of Jin trained and the range and characteristics of the Jins emphasized. For example, Tiger Claw style emphasizes hard and strong Jin, imitating the tiger's muscular strength; muscles predominate in most of the techniques. White Crane, Xingyi, and Bagua are softer styles, and the muscles are used relatively less. In Taijiquan, the softest style, soft Jin is especially emphasized and muscle usage is cut down to a minimum."

 

[HG1]

Great stuff. My SiGung & Sifu wrote an article on this topic. Here's the link for those who are interested.

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=651