I will openly admit, that because of language barriers within my lineage, we have had to come up with american terminologies for the chinese ones.
I’ll be the first to start asking questions and hopefully get some good responses. and this may benefit others as well who read this but are afraid to ask, so i am opening the doors for you guys as well.
ok let’s start with something simple. What do you call:
what we call the cross over horse? others may call it advance step. so description: start out in sei ping ma, and take your right leg and bring it forward. it looks similar to the twist horse but it crosses over instead?
what do you call the retreat stance? the reverse of the cross over.
what is it when you are in a cross over horse and you step backwards into a din ji ma? is the stepping backwards into din ji ma called something other than din ji ma?
Is there a name for it when you step out into a 45 degree angle din ji ma? and what are the names of the other angles in chinese using the same din ji ma?
i have a lot of questions, so maybe this thread will be a good educational one. we need to speak about something else once and a while, don’t we?
Ok, what’s confusing to me is you say the crossover is similar to the twisted horse. They both sound the same to me. I only know of a twisted horse and don’t differentiate between stepping forward or backward.
This is where it would help if pictures could be posted.
Don’t understand #5 Buy Ma, even though I turned my chopsticks around I don’t quite see it.
Maybe it’s just me but I find it a little odd to have a different name for the same stance depending on whether you’re moving forward (#5), retreating (#6) or staying in the same position (#4). Either one the feet and legs are positioned the same.
Like Kow Ma would be Toi Lao Ma - Stepping Back Twisted Stance. Or am I butchering the Chinese language?
I can see how the action is also in the name. Like the description of Kow Ma indicating the application.
I just hate having too much to remember, I’m getting old.
Just a few modifications. Hope you don’t mind Sisuk…
Buy Ma - Step foward Twist Stance, a side or foward step, I asked for a literal translation… My sifu took his chopstick and turned it around… Ha ha ha
Baai Ma= place (as in… to place something down, in this case your foot) horse
Chong Fu - Leaning stance, means hidden Tiger
Chahn Fu=Raze the Tiger (ie knock down or level the tiger). Specifically, it refers to the technique of a dropping side kick that cuts into the opponents supporting leg.
I’m not sure what a low leaning horse stance is called.
What exactly are we trying to figure out here? See if this stuff helps…
Here are some stances…
Tau Bouh - Stealing Stance/Step (Step behind) Ma Bouh/Sei Ping Ma (Horse Stance/Four Corner Horse) Nau Ma - Cross Stance (as in Stepping Forward) Gung Sik/Ma - Bow Stance Diu Ma - Empty Stance (Cat) Gwaii Ma - Can mean Kneeling but also means to “turn over” - like what the one leg does to hit the stance Duk Lop Ma - Hanging Stance (Crane) Fook Fu Sik - Tiger Subduing Stance Bun Gwaii Ma - Half Kneelin Stance Kai Lun Ma/Bouh - Unicorn/Twisted Stance Chaat Sing Bouh - 7 Star Stance Baat Jih Ma - Figure 8 Stance (Based on Chinese Character for 8)
How about minor fist seeds; blocking techniques. Here are a few;
Poon Sau - Clinging Hand Jeet Sau - Intercepting Hand Jyu Geng Sau - Mirror Hand Nahp Sau - Parrying Hand (I don’t see this in most CLF) Pak Sau - Slapping Hand Fook Sau - Supressing Hand Che Sau - Circling Hand
Or some hand techniques: Ping Choih - Level Fist (Horizontal) Bouh Choih - Front Hand (Jab) Tuhng Choih -Back Hand (Cross) Gwa Choih - Raising Fist Lahp Choih - (Standing) Vertical Fist Pek Choih - Hammer Fist Gok Choih - (Horn) Hooking Fist Jyu Geng Pao Choih - Mirror Hand Uppercut Pao Choih - Cannon Uppercut Fist Kahp Choih - Stamping Fist So Choih - Sweeping Fist Biin Choih - Whipping Fist Chaap Choih - Stabbing Fist Chuyhn Choih - Penetrating Fist Waahn Da - Forearm Strike Boi Gim - Kidney Hammer Fist Biu Choih - Thrusting Fist Jung Choih - Crashing Fist (Like waves against rocks) Bong Choih - Smashing Fist
About 20 or so more.
Approximatly 30+ Kicks as well.
18 Palms, 18 Elbows,Fingers techniques, class terminology, commands, etc.
My Sifu never spoke English, so for almost 18 years, I had to suffer learning Canontese, ug!
I have also heard chong fu referred to as “level the beach”. Not sure why maybe someone with a more in depth understanding of chinese slang might help. My wife told me chang fu has nothing to do with “beach”. Thats about all I can ever get out of her about kung fu before she yells at me.
It also seems terminolgy varies from lineage to lineage, branch to branch.
I’m pretty sure its “Level the Tiger.” At least when I did my translation of LKH’s Siu Mui Fah poster those were the characters that I saw. Although I’ve been wrong before. :o
I am not taking about our poster I think you are right on with that. I have some other book maybe the one by David Chow and it has a buk sing sifu showing the technique and the english is written as level the beach. I am guessing they say something different than chong fu but with chinese there are a variety of different names for the same technique.
Not saying your wife is wrong but as you probably know there can be a lot of confusion over words that sound alike but have a totally different meaning. Hence, the reason that Cantonese talk so **** loud!!!
I was thinking of a talk I had with my sifu and with Master Chow Keung of Tai Shing Pek Kwar Moon…
When we were comparing Pek Kwar Dahn Do to Fu May Dahn Do… We both use the term “Chong Do”, they explain as “no see” when describing the sword when pulled back behind you while your left hand extens out… They then described Chong Fu as the same thing…
My sifu was saying the name of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to me in cantonese “Aw Fu Chong Loong”
So thats where I get the hidden from, could be wrong, but it would be interesting to hear some different names for that position, we use either chong fu when the low side kick is performed, or soh gurk when its a sweep… also Fook Fu when we jus lower to the ground…
ah, see I know it as Tsang Fu or “cutting the tiger” relating to the downwards sidekick implied in the movement. Why is it downwards techniques are to do with fighting tigers in CLF? Is this a Chinese cultural thing?
Hmmm…my Sifu explained it to me as “Jong Tau” or Post Head or Head of the Post. Kind of like when you “post up” in basketball. Every style has its own “Jong Tau.” For example, SPM it is the beggar’s hand, Hung Gar it is the Finger Pointing at the moon and Choy Lay Fut it is the Buddha Palm. Its not really a technique but a way to put your opponent in your sites and possibly it had the original purpose to identify your style. Also, in the Fu Mei Dahn Do it is possibly to hide your sword from the opponent.
Maybe someone else who is more knowledgable in Chinese can educate us Gwai Los on this point.
Also, I’m pretty sure its Chaan Fu and not Chang Fu.
Not that it really matters all that much…afterall, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It just happens that I’m a language buff in addition to being a martial artist. What an annoying combination!!!
Conceal the sword=it hides the actual length of your sword. When holding it as such, only the tip is showing, the hand is pulled back to the rear. Since dahn-dao is a short range weapon, this is very dangerous to underestimate your opponent’s striking range.
-my two cents
