instructor: monk De Yang
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- combat strategy:
the penetrating style, with a pair of small and big forms, teaches to bypass or "penetrate" opponent's guard. its main tactics are:
tactic 13 - "befriend the far, attack the neighbor (远交近攻)": if the opponent puts part of his body openly close to you, it is an easy target, attack it as heavily as possible.
tactic 14 - "borrow a way to attack the city (假道伐虢)": seek an openness or open a way in opponent's guard to attack. as the saying goes, 'hands open doors for the legs.' hands are faster and more accurate, while legs have more power and range and are usually armored with the shoes, which gives them more destructive power. hands open opponent's guard, legs break him.
tactic 15 - "prepare the way in the light, cross the city in the dark (明修栈道, 暗渡陈仓)": when you try to open opponent's guard, he opposes by shifting guard and so leaves other areas open. attack those opened areas.
tactic 16 - "besiege enemy capital to relieve your city (围魏救赵)": when the opponent's guard is engaged, for example, when he wrestles or catches you, the most vulnerable parts of his body (the groins, eyes, fingers, shins, etc.) are left open. instead of opposing his arms-which requires much force and has a low chance of success-attack these sensitive open parts.
these involve bypassing, opening and penetrating moves of the limbs.
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- history:
Tang dynasty (618-907):
in the late periods of the dynasty, the tong bi style was formed.
Five dynasties period (907-960):
Han Tong (韩通), a high-rank army general, mastered the tong bi style.
Later Zhou dynasty (951-960):
the last inheritor of the dynasty was a child, and Zhao Kuangyin (赵匡胤), commander of the palace guard, took the throne, and Han Tong was killed by Zhao Kuangyin's army. he was a great martial arts master and Zhao Kuangyin ordered a grand funeral ceremony for him.
Song dynasty (960-1279):
after 961 AD, Zhao Kuangyin, as the first emperor of the new dynasty, commissioned chief monk Fu Ju (福居) to improve and standardize Shaolin kung fu styles. the army generals, along with Zhao Kuangyin's long style (taizu chang quan), introduced Han Tong's penetrating-arm style (tong bi quan) to the temple. this is the 'small tong bi quan'.
Yuan dynasty (1279-1368):
in the late years of the dynasty, monk Jinnaluo (紧那罗) and others combined the small tong bi quan techniques into the base of small and big hong quans and a monkey style and created Shaolin 'big tong bi quan'.
Qing dynasty (1644-1912):
tong bi quan took its final shape during this dynasty.
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- note: there are various other forms and styles named 'tong bi' or 'tong bei quan' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin tong bi quan. these are just different styles with similar names.
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