Siu Lim Tao is the first hand pattern of the Wing Chun system. In Cantonese, Siu means small, young, or just born. Lim (sometimes Nim) means idea, thought or reason. The word Tao means “way” or path. The first form Siu Lim Tao is often translated as “little idea form” or “the way of the little idea”.
Siu Lim Tao is sometimes said to encompass the entire of the Wing Chun system, at least in theory. The form is completely static from the waist down and there’s no turns or steps. Turning and stepping are introduced in the second form (Chum Kiu).
The actual moves within the form of Siu Lim Tao can be learned fairly quickly, within a few weeks even. However, the deeper meaning of the form takes much longer to understand. Here’s a video of Chu Shong Tin demonstrating two different versions of the form:
Siu Lim Tao – Nim Tao
In this video, Chu Shong Tin explains the different stages of learning the form. Initially, your mind will be focused on learning the moves in the right order, and remembering them. But as you become familiar with the practice this can free up space to focus on developing “Nim Tao” or mind power. As he explains, it’s important not to strain when doing the form. Putting yourself under stress, either physically or mentally will have the opposite effect of learning Nim Tao. Rather, you should dispel all tension in the body, allowing the energy to flow.
In a seminar I attended in the 90’s with Ip Chun, I asked him a question: “What’s the best way to learn good chi sau?”. His answer was to “relax mentally“. As with chi sau, where mental relaxation allows you to move more freely and spontaneously, (and react more quickly), the same is true when learning Siu Lim Tao. If you are straining, either in body or in mind, you won’t be able to access the correct state of mind/being to access “Nim Tao”.
As a beginner of the pattern, you will likely be straining to remember the moves and perhaps to hold yourself still in the stance. Both of these will inhibit your ability to completely relax your mind and develop “Nim tao”. But as you get more comfortable holding your stance in place, and once you’ve learned the moves, you are more able to tap into this state of being.
Siu Lim Tao – Nim Lik – Mind Power
Nim Lik, or “mind power” is the internal aspect of the Wing Chun system. Chu Shong Tin believed that ‘Nim Lik‘ is within every human being and that the body (and mind) just needs to be unimpeded internally to gain access to it.
In another Ip Chun seminar in the 90’s which I attended, Ip Chun demonstrated his ability to “flow” energy into his arm. Students who experienced it said they could feel a strong “current” flowing in his arm which wasn’t muscular. However, none of my instructors at the time could replicate this.
I was always intrigued by this “hidden” power of Wing Chun but it didn’t appear in my training for some time. Only when I joined a Wing Chun school in Sheffield (Sung Wing Chun) did this internal aspect of the system appear to me. This was through their Shu Shong Tin connection.
Shu Shong Tin changed the way he taught in his later years. He began concentrating on teaching the internal aspect of the system. He would make students stand for hours without moving to help them understand.
Nim Lik is the power of a highly focused mind. Chu Shong Tin explained Nim Lik (force of idea/intent) like this, “it stabilizes all Wing Chun movements to form a springy and dynamic combination of body structures. It makes the Wing Chun body structure able to sustain great pressure and produce rebound energy. Nim lik is the power of a highly focused mind. It helps one bring forth chi flow into every part of the body”.
Can Anyone Attain “Nim Tao”?
So, can anyone attain Nim Tao? As someone who has practiced the Siu Lim Tao form for many years, although sometimes more often than others, I struggled to understand this concept until more recently. The concept of Nim Tao is hard to understand. As practitioners of a martial art, we want to see evidence that something works immediately. Not seeing something “work” is often cited as evidence that it doesn’t work. And also most people are impatient! I was too, and as a beginner in Wing Chun in the 90’s I simply brushed over the Siu LIm Tao form. To me it was uninteresting! I wanted more chi sau! It was combative. What you see is what you get with chi sau, once you’ve understood the concept.
But first form is subtle and evidence of its power doesn’t arrive immediately. It takes a dedication of daily practice to even glimpse the subtle shift in energy. To get in the right state of mind you must relax. If you’re too desperate to “get it”, you push it away! Your mind tenses instead and you lose the relaxed and gentle state you need to cultivate it. Such was my experience in my earlier years of studying the Siu Lim Tao form.
Focus, But relax
The more I focused, the more I tensed my mind.
Not everyone can attain “Nim Tao” because of the dedication and patience required to attain even just the mental state required to cultivate it. I’m forever grateful for the instructors at Sung Wing Chun for having the patience to share their knowledge and to keep turning up to teach this fascinating martial art, and, in particular the internal aspects which eluded me for so long previously.
I would say to anyone who wants to understand Siu Lim Tao, just keep practicing daily. Relax your mind and let go of any tension as you find it. Make it a daily practice to keep doing that. Before long, you’ll understand it if you keep it up! Oh and yes, find a good teacher who understands it!
