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子曰：「学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。」

According to Kong Zi (Confucius), when studying a subject, if we learn and practice, but don’t think, we would not get to the underlying meanings and principles; in the end all that effort is for naught, as we still do not really understand it. Or if we think, but that thinking is not accompanied with learning and practicing; that kind of thinking is dangerous, in the sense that it is not backed up by anything real. Hence in Chinese culture we say the proper way is to study is to learning diligently, practice ‘bitterly’ (eat ‘bitter’/hardship), and think carefully and clearly. This blog is meant to be that third leg of thinking in my own practice.

To write clearly is to think clearly. So even if no one reads any of our writings, it would still benefit us to clarify, summarize our thinking on the subject. Also, when we try to transmit knowledge to others, we’re often discover the inexactness and lack of detailed understanding in even the basic things. A classic example is translation: when I read a sentence written in classical Chinese, I don’t have to have precise understanding of every word to know what the whole sentence means. But when I do a literal translation, I’m force to look up the word and find the most appropriate translation.

For complex subjects, any body of of knowledge, in order to be truly useful, needs to be as complete, accurate, and systematic as possible. This blog represent my attempt to achieve just that in my own martial art development.

Wuyizidi