By Aaron Vyvial | August 23, 2014
Kuen Kuit Proverb Seal
The Kuen Kuit are proverbs which encapsulate the wisdom accumulated through generations of martial arts experience in the Ving Tsun family. Over hundreds of years the Grand Masters came across the same experiences and principles which they formulated into maxims to pass to their disciples when they came into a similar situation. The Grand Masters generally passed down the proverbs by word of mouth to their students on an informal basis. To preserve the knowledge and history of Ving Tsun, Grand Master Moy Yat carved the Kuen Kuit into a set of stone seals in 1967. In addition to the main proverbs, they also cover the main training stages and techniques of the martial art.
The following Kuen Kuit have been passed down by Moy Yat
When you should hit - hit When you shouldn’t hit - don’t Don’t when you can’t and don’t when you mustn’t.
Others walk the bow - I walk the string.
The hand that hits - also blocks.
The punch comes from the heart.
Face your opponent with your centerline.
Hand against hand, foot against foot, there is no unstoppable technique.
When facing your opponent with your side, your shoulder becomes the centerline.
Whenever kicking, the heels face each other.
Beginners must not use strength.
Pak Sao (slap block), avoid the inner gate.
If you don’t train hard when you’re young, you will have nothing when you’re old.
When using the fist, don’t stand on ceremony.
When using the quan (pole), don’t expect two sounds