Knowledge Chuma

“Ting Yiu” (straightening the lower back and tucking the tailbone) connects and aligns the spine through the ankles into the ground. Although it is part of a whole along with other elements of good form, this “rootedness” allows us to develop the ability to use the ground for momentary solidity against pressure (instead of pushing back against their pressure). Once this is understood, sensitivity can develop because you can allow yourself to relax muscles that were once fighting against the other person’s pressure.
Before you can stop fighting the other person pressure, you will not be able to be sensitive to the direction of their pressure and therefore not be able to use their energy against them.

Wingchunlessons.com

WINNING BY GIVING SPACE

Liuchi Alley (Liuchixiang; "Six-Foot Alley"), located in Tongcheng, Anhui Province, is a two-meter-wide walkway that has come to symbolize the virtues of courtesy, humility, and harmony. During the Kangxi reign (1644–1911), the Zhang family disputed a boundary with the Wu family. Zhang Ying, a high-ranking official, wrote a poem urging his family to yield space, leading both families to step back one meter, and create the alley.

Liuchi Alley is situated on Xihou Street in Tongcheng, Anhui Province. The site features stone archways, relief sculptures of the story, and a cultural exhibition hall. President Xi Jinping visited in October 2024 to highlight these traditional values.

1. The families sought advice.
2. They made space for one another.
3. Compromise led to harmony.
4. Each family could still maintain its honor and home, and yet make space for one another.
5. The two families set a positive example for generations after.

"Withdrawal is heaven's Dao" (Daodejing, chapter 9) and “I dare not be the host, but I’ll be the guest. I dare not advance by inches, but I’ll retreat by feet.” (Daodejing, chapter 69) In this world of aggression, arrogance, disdain, dishonesty, and assertiveness, Liuchi Alley represents qualities we should maintain.

The Daodejing, chapter 80, states:

“Let neighboring countries face each other and hear each other’s chickens and dogs. For all their lives, let their citizens never have to go elsewhere.”

Nowadays, we would call this a win-win situation. The next time you're in a serious dispute with a neighbor, make space and find a solution that benefits everyone.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202112/21/WS61c1226ca310cdd39bc7c871.html