Master Li Jingwu said, "Qing Lin (cleverness) Huo Po (flexibility) Qiu Dong (aim at the understanding of one's strength and the capability to comprehend), Yin Yang Ji Ji (as long as the body system maintains its balance) Wu Zhi Bing (one will be without any infection of disease), Ruo Yao (if) Si Liang Bo Qian Jin (1 Liang=30 grams, 1 Jin=300 grams. Bo, moving away or lifting up. Here, the whole sub-sentence 'Ruo Yao Si Liang Bo Qian Jin' means if one wants to break this balance of huge staility by using tiny strength), Kai He (opening and closing with the exertion of one's interior strength) Gu Dang (moving upward and downward with the the exertion of one's breathing) Zhu Zai Ding (have the dominant role in determining whether the balance could be broken)." That is to say, only when one masters the ability of Kai He Gu Dang can one be addressed as competent to comprehend, to "Yin Jin Luo Kong He Ji Chu (sense the your movement and your opponent's being nearly the same both in strength and in direction, and you could lead his force into emptiness and transform it backward against him)."When you understand that practicing martial arts needs emphasizing Kai He either for playing Tai Ji Quan (shadow boxing) or for Xing Yi Quan (forming and intending) and Ba Gua Zhang (Eight Diagrams palms) as well, though "Kai He" had been addressed differently by the old Quan masters in the past. The comprehension of Kai He is the basic requirement for Nei Jia Quan (Interior Kung-fu). The capacity in energy of Kai He is a standard to measure whether the players' Nei Gong (interior Kung-fu) is great or not. The different Quan players with various Kung-fu levels would have got quite diversed understandings of Kai He.
1. About 'Nei Kai He (the exertion of interior strength and breath)'
What is Kai He? Kai He is the exertion of Nei Jin(interior strength) being a method to train your Kung-fu. Master Wang Peisheng's explanation is, "Dan Shu Yun (the book of Dan says), 'Xu Wu Yi Qi'(to form your inner breathing and strength in one from vanity) Nai (is) Tai Di Zhi Gen (the very base of existence), Yin Yang Zhi Zong (the forefather of the balance system), Wan Wu Zhi Zu (the ancestor of every living thing), Ji Jin Dan Shi Ye (that is, Jin Dan, the auric pill). The auric pill, with vanity and stability with emptiness in nature forming a sharp as your Yuan Qi, your basic spirit, strength, power and breathing. JIn Dan golden pills is the very Nei Jin of the Quan (boxing), and its mysterious essence."
To practise Kung-fu is to train, breed, expand and fulfill your energy field as well as your info field. The prestigious Kung-fu masters in the past all started with the exertion of Kai He Gu Dang of "Tai Ji Yi Qi" to travelling and galloping around. Therefore, Kai He Gu Dang has always been a self-evident known-to-all mystery. That is why there lies a legend of 'Ning Chuan Shi Shou Bu Chuan Yi Kou (the preference to pass down Kung-fu by acts in stead of breathing or even speaking)". And thus, it is said that, Kai He is the exertion of Tai Ji, and also the way to practise the Quan.
Tai Ji is a mixation of three treasures, Jing (spirit), Qi on those three. Shen is the most dominant, Qi serves as motivation and Jing is the very base. Qi derives from Shen; once highly concentrated, it will be accumulated; ad thus Tai Ji is achieved as Qi is accumulated. Tai Ji is the Qi of nature, once hidden, be vanity; once released, be power. If the practice of martial art is not accompanied with Dan Dao (the method of accumulation), everything turns into ashes even when one practises it all life long. Hence, the movements, the practices and all the functions would be as the Qi flowing through your soul and your body. This is a Kai and a He. Kai, not attributing to the physical opening and closing movements of your body but associating Kai He of the inner Shen and Qi.
