Hi all. This might be a little ...unusual.

I'm looking for a Chinese catchword that would describe or put a name to the tradition or concept of mimicking animal movements to increase combat aptitude in Chinese martial arts. As far as I gather, one of the original ideas that lead to the popularity of animal styles was that certain animals are naturally adept in controlling/manipulating their inner qi (their nei jìn, 內勁) and by studying/mimicking their behavior, one can increase one's own abilities.

Therefore I was thinking of "dòng wù jìn" (動物勁)? Or possibly "dòng wù lì" (動物力)?

As I said, I'm not looking for a collective phrase for animal style kung fu, but rather for the tradition or mentality or concept behind it. I should point out that I don't speak a word of Chinese and my suggestions are really just wild guesses, I have no idea if they make any sort of sense. I'd be grateful for any help.

Thanks.

That type of Martial Arts, which mimics the movements of animals was called 道引法, dao yin fa. It was first founded by Hua Tuo, 華佗, a Chinese physician of the 3rd century. His birth year wasn't known. He was active in the Three Kingdom's Period, which is in the 3rd century. He was also the first doctor to use anaesthetics.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2011 12:35AM by Trien.