Yi..how should we translate it?

Tim's Discussion Board: Concepts : Yi..how should we translate it?
   By Michael Wix on Friday, July 14, 2000 - 12:53 am: Edit Post

Hi Tim,
Im a martial artist living in Beijing, China.
Ive been practicing Yi-quan for 2 years now and wushu for more than 10.
My problem is one Im sure youve come across many times before...
How do you express 'yi' in english..

Conciousness, intent, thought, imagination, or all of the above..

Its a sticky subject I know but your input would be useful.
ps. Im in the process of translating a book on yiquan..any publishing hints?
Thanks for your time Tim,
Michael Wix
Beijing,China.


   By Tim on Friday, July 14, 2000 - 05:41 pm: Edit Post

Hi Michael,
"Yi" is a hard word to translate directly into English. I most often translate it as "intent" or "conscious intent". Personally, I don't like to translate yi as "will" or "imagination." My advice would be to give a more detailed explanation of the word and concept of yi as it is used in the martial arts, in the beginning of the text (in your introduction for example) then decide on a one word translation for the rest of the text.
As far as publishing goes, I'd look for the larger publishers of martial arts related books first (you'll get more advertising) before a small publisher. Good luck.


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