太極者﹐無極而生，陰陽之母也。
Tai Chi comes from Wu Chi (absolutlely nothing) and is the mother of Yin and Yang.

動之則分，靜之則合，無過不及，隨曲就伸。
In motion, they separate, in stillness, they integrate. Bending and stretching should not be excessive or insufficient.

人剛我柔謂之走，我順人背謂之粘。
Flexibly retreating from a firm advance is evasion. Firmly sticking on a slight withdrawal is adherence.

動急則急應。動緩則緩隨，
Respond promptly to quick action. Follow slowly toward slow motion.

雖變化萬端，而理惟一貫。
Although variations are countless, principles remain constant.

由著熟而漸悟懂勁，由懂勁而階及神明，
Through complete mastering of all postures come the stages of gradual awareness of the internal energy. Through gradually realizing the awareness of the internal energy come the stages of intuitive enlightenment.

然非用力之久，不能豁然貫通焉。
Without a long period of arduous and persistent effort one can never "suddenly" see the light.

虛領頂勁，氣沉丹田。
Always lift the spirit up to the crown, sink the qi down to the dantien (lower abdomen).

不偏不倚，忽隱忽現。
No leaning, no inclining (constantly maintaining the central equilibrium) . Sudden appearing and disappearing adjusts Yin and Yang unceasingly .

左重則左虛，右重則右杳。
When strong force is felt on the left, the left becomes vacant. When pressure is brought to the right the right becomes void.

仰之則彌高，俯之則彌深。
Countering a force above, you rise. Confronting a force below you sink.

進之則愈長，退之則愈促。
The more your opponent advances the more he feels the distance unreachable. The more your opponent retreats, the more he feels the distance desperately short.

一羽不能加，蠅蟲不能落。人不知我，我獨知人，
Your body is so sensitive that a feather cannot be added without being felt, and so pliable that a fly cannot alight without affecting balance. Your opponent cannot perceive your attention, but you can always predict his.

英雄所向無敵，蓋皆由此而及也。
Becoming a peerless hero results from mastering these principles.

斯技旁門甚多，雖勢有區別，概不外乎壯欺弱、慢讓快耳。
In the field of martial art there are many different schools. Although they differ in form, they can never go beyond reliance upon the strong overcoming the weak, the fast overtaking the slow.

有力打無力，手慢讓手快，是皆先天自然之能，非關學力而有為也。
The strong defeat the weak, the fast defeat the slow; this is due to innate physical endowment, and has nothing to do with hard study and patient practice.

察四兩撥千斤之句，顯非力勝；
Examining the old saying, "four ounces deflect a thousand pounds"; it is clear that this cannot be achieved by sheer force alone.

觀耄耋能御眾之形，快何能為。
Having seen an old man defeating a group of people, how can this be executed solely due to swiftness?

立如秤準，活如車輪。
Stand still like a balanced scale; move freely like a whirling wheel.

偏沉則隨，雙重則滯。
By sinking your weight on one side, you can move freely at will. By distributing your weight on both feet, you become double-weighted and stagnant.

每見數年純功不能運化者，率皆自為人制；
One can frequently see many who have spent years of painstaking practice; they are still unable to neutralize an attacking force, and are always controlled by others.

雙重之病未悟耳。
This is simply because the still has not fully comprehended the fault of double-weightedness.

欲避此病，須知陰陽。
To avoid this problem you must distinguish Yin from Yang.

粘即是走，走即是粘。
To adhere is to withdraw; to withdraw is to adhere.

陰不離陽，陽不離陰，陰陽相濟，方為懂勁。
Yang does not leave Yin; Yin does not leave Yang. Yin and Yang should be complementary. After you are able to complement Yin and Yang, then you are able to comprehend the effeciveness of internal strength.

懂勁後，愈練愈精，默識揣摩，漸至從心所欲。
After you completely comprehended the internal strength, the more you practice the better your skill will be. Watching and understanding quietly, practicing and experiencing in feeling, gradually you will reach a level where you may act at will.

本是舍己從人，多誤舍近求遠，
Basically you should let go of yourself and be absorbed completely in responding to your opponent. Most people misunderstand this; they give up what is within reach and seek something unreachable.

所謂差之毫厘，謬以千里，學者不可不詳辨焉。以為論。
That is what is said: The slightest deviation will take you a thousand miles away from the right way.
In the study of this art, students should not overlook distinguishing truth from falsehood. For this reason this treatise is made.