Zhang Sanfeng
Zhang Sanfeng ( Chinese 張三豐 / 张三丰 , Pinyin Zhāng Sānfēng , W.-G. Chang San-Feng , born as Quányī 全 一 ; Zi Jūnbǎo 君 寶 / 君 宝 ; Hao Sānfēng 三豐 / 三丰 ) is a legendary hero in China . He is also known under the name Dangchu Zhenren (literally: "the true one from the cave").
There are a number of sagas and legends about the figure of Zhang Sanfeng. The year of his birth is already given in various sources as 960, 1247 or 1279.
Legend has it that he was a Daoist monk who lived in the Wudang Mountains. One day he watched the fight between a snake and a crane. The snake dodged the hard, fast bumps of the crane's beak again and again skillfully until the crane had to give up exhausted. Zhang recognized the principle of "soft fighting" with inner strength and derived the basic principles of internal martial arts ( 內 家 拳 / 内 家 拳 , Nèijiāquán , Nèijiā for short ) from it.
According to another legend, he was a master of the external martial arts ( 外家 拳 , Wàijiāquán , short Wàijiā ). At the age of 70, he retired to a Taoist monastery in the Wudang Mountains to pursue meditation and internal alchemy . The Taoist meditation techniques let him experience the qi . When asked whether it was also possible to convert these energy flows, which can be felt and steered in sitting meditation, into movement, his teacher could not give him an answer. After the fight of a crane with a snake appeared to him in a dream, Zhang Sanfeng developed the internal martial arts.
According to legend, he was 200 years old and is one of the immortals in Chinese mythology .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zhang, Sanfeng |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 张三丰 (Chinese); Zhāng Sānfēng (Pinyin); Chang San-Feng (Wade-Giles); Dangchu Zhenren |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese legend hero |
| DATE OF BIRTH | between 10th century and 13th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | between 11th century and 14th century |