A Brief Introduction to the
Philosophy of Wing Chun

Chu Shong Tin

After one is familiar with all the movements in the Wing Chun Forms, he should study and understand more in-depth the theory and contents of the Forms to establish the concept in training to reach the revelation of “Lup Lim”, i.e., the determination to use the thinking process to achieve the basic principles of Wing Chun, as told by the late Grandmaster Ip Man. Practising in this way, one can gain an ideal result and obtain enrichment.

Now I will give a brief description of the philosophy of Wing Chun. Wing Chun kung fu always emphasises not using any muscular force but conjugating with the mind and working it out as the source of power. This reinforces the importance of “Lup Lim” during training. I hope that the followers of Wing Chun can assimilate the logic of modern scientific theories in analysing Wing Chun movements so one can learn more about the Wing Chun system and make it easier to understand why Wing Chun is so profound in its learning.

During the Ching Dynasty of China, Wing Chun was created from the life martial art experience of the Abbess Ng Mui during her latter years. Now a few hundred years later, if one uses the modern scientific knowledge to analyse Wing Chun, no matter which movements, [Siu Nim Tau], [Chum Kiu] or [Bill Gee], are backed up by the logic of physics, dynamics and the theory of body structure. That is why I believe Wing Chun is an invented martial art that transcends time.

Generally, when beginners study the movements of the Wing Chun forms, most of them will find it very difficult to comprehend. Therefore, they will concentrate on the practical application of the techniques and neglect the importance of the logic of the theories of force and structure. Those that analyse Wing Chun with the theory of leverage believes that this is the highest skill of Wing Chun but overlooks the advanced effects which could be obtained from the energy developed from mind force, the reasons why it can save strength and the theories of force and structure etc. which can help one to progress to a higher level.

When I try to explain the profound theory of Wing Chun kung fu, I found it very difficult to describe and put in writing. Even if I demonstrated the movements on people as I did in my previous seminars, I was still thought to be acting. Therefore, it shows that the practical effects of Wing Chun have reached a point of view that the force it can be generated is hard for anyone to believe.

In practising Wing Chun, besides studying the application of the movements, one should not neglect the theory of each form. For example, in Siu Nim Tau, of course, its movements can be used for defence and attack, but in practising, one should direct all the movements in the form with the use of the mind. In establishing this mind force theory by not using any muscular strength, one can derive the skill of generating force with his mind, and a good example of this is the bong sau. Bong sau can easily fling the downward pressing force of the opponent by not using any muscular strength. It is said that the bong sau was created by the late Abbess Ng Mui when she sighted the fight between a crane and a raccoon. The crane just used its thin wing to rotate the raccoon away, and it could continue to stand on one leg throughout the fight. She then suddenly understood the principle of why a lighter object could fight against a heavier object by not using any strength. It is difficult to prove whether Wing Chun was created from those incidents but it does not need to use any strength is an affirmative fact.

To achieve the mind force of Wing Chun, practitioners should first practise according to the functions of the Forms and try to merge your mind and the movements together. When one starts to feel the existence of the mind force, Wing Chun will become one of the enjoyments of life.

Wing Chun is comprised of three forms, i.e. Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu and Bill Gee, and each form has a theory of its own. In application, if one can combine the three forms, Wing Chun will become a practical system capable of deriving a highly destructive force.

Practising, Discussing and Questioning are the best ways to succeed!