Yiquan, or Intention boxing, is an internal Chinese martial art that aims to develop the human being as a unified whole. Instead of teaching techniques or sequences of movements, its training methods focus on developing such abilities as power, speed, and change. The body and the mind, or the physical and mental aspects of the human being, are seen as interdependent and are therefore trained as one: The mind feeds the body with intentions in form of mental imagery that influence the whole human being.

The external form expresses the mind rather than any pre-learned postures or movements, resulting in a formless art of motion. Like the water taking its shape from its environment, the Yiquan practitioner
allows their form and expression to flow according to the situation: Spirit moves, intention moves, power moves.

While Yiquan is often trained as a health-enhancing art, in this book Master Zhang Changwang focuses on the martial side of the art. With over sixty years of experience in Chinese martial arts, including over forty years in Yiquan, as well as competition and street fighting experience, he speaks from a position of knowledge and experience when analyzing the training methods and philosophy of Yiquan.

However, this book is not only for those who are interested in Yiquan as a martial art. The principles of formless freedom that Yiquan espouses are not only appliable to other martial and health arts but also fine arts—Master Zhang is himself an avid calligrapher—and life in general.