輔助功
Trademark Skill Gong
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不怕你一万个功炼一遍，
就怕你一个功炼一万遍。
Do not be afraid of someone refining Ten Thousand skills one time,
but be afraid of a person perfecting one skill Ten Thousand times.
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Trademark Gong is also called Private or Selfish Gong [si gong 私功], because it is your own only, for selfish reasons and no one else knows that you possess this skill. Because if your strength was divulged, it could potentially cost you your life in the olden days. It could be compared to a secret weapon in war; once the other country realizes the magnitude of this weapon, it is already too late to take countermeasures.
Trademark Skill Gong is not complex, consisting of 1-5 moves maximum, including drawing the aid from training objects such as sand bags and ropes. Over the course of time one’s physical power becomes abundant and becomes a comprehensive result in the form of a special field and the change of the body and muscles.
In order to successfully subdue an enemy with one move of Skill Gong, you must practice every day for countless repetitions. In one year you can achieve a foundation, in two years a small accomplishments [xiao cheng小成] and in 3-5 years a great accomplishment [da cheng大成]. Everyone knows when 
building a house you need a foundation. Practising Gong Fu is the same since a basis is necessary. Straight punches and kicks require power, jumps and straight kicks must be high, therefore, you must stretch the tendons. The physical body must be agile, nimble and fast. The hand, eyes, body, methods and stepping must be coordinated and unified. Strength must be long lasting, and the moves and techniques must be changeable and variable. Only this way you have a foundation of Gong Fu practice. It is just like two people fighting and grappling: One must be equipped with both attack and defence skills as well as having extremely-long and durable stamina and physical strength. This type of stamina may be called Source Power [ben li 本力], which can be obtained through long-time running and tempering of the muscles. Skills and moves can be accomplished through the practice of forms [tao lu 套路]. However, in this regard there is the misconception of believing that studying martial arts forms, and training strength, power and stamina is precisely practicing Gong Fu.
The Masters frequently said:
打拳不练功到老一场空。
[If one engages in ]Shadow-Boxing without practicing Gong,
[when in] old age [it] only [leaves] an empty space.
Some people spend five or ten years of time to study ninety martial arts forms; in the end they have nothing at all. In the Gong Fu world there is one sentence:
不怕你一千个动作一天练一遍，
就怕你一个动作一天练一千遍。
Do not fear that someone practices one thousand movements – each movement once a day. However, fear someone who practices one move one thousand times a day.
It is said that spending a very long time to study fifty martial arts forms is not as good as spending the same time to practice just one, two or three moves with Gong-Methods. With diligent practice in Trademark Skill Gong will be accomplished. Once you are able to smash five stones with one palm-strike, and to split apart a tree pillar with one kick of the foot, whose human physical body, a structure of blood and flesh, could possibly withstand your attack?
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Post-Scriptum:
The full article will appear in the appendix of Purple Cloud Press’ forthcoming publication of 《The 49 Barriers of the Cultivation of the Dao》 by Xing De, a manual for refining one’s Inner Nature based on Liu Yiming’s 50 Barriers.
