[QUOTE=Tainan Mantis;1137745]A coiling or wrapping dragon can often be seen in temples around the beams and pillars. Mantis already has the custom of calling the arm a pillar as do other martial art styles.
So, for a dragon to coil about a pillar is like my hand wrapping around your hand as I deliver eye protecting strike.
Dragons on pillars and roof beams[/QUOTE]
Oh ok! Thank you for clearing that up!! 
Second Road
Since I had the day off work today I had a little time to translate the quanpu for the second road of Meihua Lu. Enjoy!
Second Road
zhun shn huĂ m bin
Turn Body, Revolve Horse Whip
yĂČu ci yĂng miĂ n qun
Right Pluck, Meet Face Circle
gĂ© zhu fĂș dĂŹ xiĂ
Separate Elbow, Conceal Underneath
xié chuà fn yng zhng
Threatening Strike, Reverse Upward Facing Palm
tu zhn d zhng tĂĄng
Steal Open, Strike Center Hall
dio ci huĂ m bin
Deceptive Pluck, Revolve Horse Whip
qĂn nĂĄ hĂč yn zhn yo
Capture & Hold, Eye Protecting, Chop Waist
chĂĄn lĂłng su ku lio yn jio
Coiling Dragon Mouth Lock, Lifting Yin Leg
p ki zhng mén y dng dng
Split Open Center Gate, Push Down on Top
shung fng bÏ mén jio
Double Seal, Close Door Leg
yĂČu ci xiĂ© chuĂ yĂng
Right Pluck, Threatening Strike
Does anyone of the Hong Kong lineage know why the name of this form was changed from - MĂ©i Hu LĂč or âPlum Flower Roadâ to - MĂ©i Hu LuĂČ or âPlum Flower Fallingâ?
I see that on Lee Kam Wingâs website he uses the Chinese characters . I also spoke with a Qixing Tanglangquan member, not of the Wong Hon Fan line, and he said they also used the Chinese characters .
So, perhaps it was Wong Hon Fan that changed the name of the form to ?
Does anyone know when the form was adopted into the Qixing Tanglangquan family, and by whom?
Translation Help
I am currently translating the quan pu for the third road of Meihua Lu from Zhang Bingdou and Li Zheng Tangâs books.
For movements twenty-eight and twenty-nine I have:
bĂĄi hĂš liĂ ng chĂŹ liang bin da
White Crane Reveals Wings to Both Sides Strike
niĂĄn shu rĂč shu qĂn shn pĂĄng
Sticky Hand, Entering Hand & Capture Body to the Side
Does anyone have a more palatable translation?
Note: Yes, I understand the applications. I just feel my translation isnât flowery enough. 
Since movement twenty-nine is ends in a hair grab and pull, is âpull body to the sideâ a more accurate rendition of the move?
Thanks in advance!
I think the word falling describes the actions of the form better.
Paul
www.moifa.co.uk
Richard, you donât have to translate so literally. Since Chinese has a different grammar to English a literal translation can sometimes sound clunky. On the flipside sometimes they come out like a fortune-cookie pearl of wisdom. It all depends on the particular phrase.
A slight tweak of your excellent translation for your consideration:
White Crane Reveals Wings to Strike Both Sides
Sticking Hand, Entering Hand, Captures the Side Body
[QUOTE=CFT;1159146]Richard, you donât have to translate so literally. Since Chinese has a different grammar to English a literal translation can sometimes sound clunky. On the flipside sometimes they come out like a fortune-cookie pearl of wisdom. It all depends on the particular phrase.
A slight tweak of your excellent translation for your consideration:
White Crane Reveals Wings to Strike Both Sides
Sticking Hand, Entering Hand, Captures the Side Body[/QUOTE]
CFT,
Thank you for your help!
White Crane Reveals Wings to Strike Both Sides definitely sounds much better.
Captures the Side Body I am not sure about.
The action is a right hook hand that sticks and deflects an oncoming punch. This is followed by a left inner seal (grab) to the opponentâs elbow area of the same arm. Finally the right hand reaches forward to grab the opponentâs hair. The stance is then lowered and the opponent is pulled to the ground at the mantidâs right side by means of the opponentâs hair.
Third Road Translation
Here is my translation of the quanpu for the third road:
g yĂ n ch qĂșn qĂč dian jng
Lone Goose Exits Flock, Leave and Dot Eye
tà x gé zhu wng xià d
Lift Knee, Separate Elbow Toward Lower Strike
q shn hĂč yn xiĂ so dng
Raise Body, Protect Eye & Lower Sweep the Crotch
tu zhn mĂł pĂĄn d zhng tĂĄng
Steal Open, Millstone Strike to Middle Hall
bĂĄi hĂš liĂ ng chĂŹ liang bin da
White Crane Reveals Wings to Strike Both Sides
niĂĄn shu rĂč shu qĂn shn pĂĄng
Sticky Hand, Entering Hand & Pull Body to the Side
chĂĄn bin guĂČ r yun yang jio
Swing Whip Through the Ear, Mandarin Duck Leg
jĂŹn bĂč shung bng
Advance Step, Double Augmented Elbow
As always, please feel free to suggest changes.
[QUOTE=mooyingmantis;1159275]CFT,
Thank you for your help!
White Crane Reveals Wings to Strike Both Sides definitely sounds much better.
Captures the Side Body I am not sure about.
The action is a right hook hand that sticks and deflects an oncoming punch. This is followed by a left inner seal (grab) to the opponentâs elbow area of the same arm. Finally the right hand reaches forward to grab the opponentâs hair. The stance is then lowered and the opponent is pulled to the ground at the mantidâs right side by means of the opponentâs hair.[/QUOTE]Of course you must balance the literal translation (kam â> capture) with the meaning. Sometimes this is not possible. Sounds like inner seal + hair pull = capture. You must choose what is most useful to you and your students.
[QUOTE=mooyingmantis;1159350]
g yĂ n ch qĂșn qĂč dian jng
Lone Goose Exits Flock, Leave and Dot Eye[/QUOTE]Lone Goose leaves the Flock to Peck the Eye
tà x gé zhu wng xià d
Lift Knee, Separate Elbow Toward Lower Strike
Lift Knee, Separate Elbow, Strike Downward
chĂĄn bin guĂČ r yun yang jio
Swing Whip Through the Ear, Mandarin Duck Leg
Coiling Whip Passes Ear, Mandarin Duck kicks
jĂŹn bĂč shung bng
Advance Step, Double Augmented Elbow
Advancing Step, Double Assisting Elbow
CFT,
Thank you! Your translations are much more polished. I appreciate the corrections!
Youâre most welcome.
I could have been a mantid (7*). My old club taught that & Wing Chun at the same session/training space. Given my previous training I opted for the WC. We used to regularly spar the mantids end of class. Very different and a good experience for us all. They had fast footwork, in-and-out. Lots of level changes.
Final Fist Songs
Here is the last section of the quanpu:
Fourth Road
xiĂ bĂč fn ch
Lower Step, Wheeling
jĂŹn bĂč lĂč lĂč chuĂ
Advancing Step, Windlass Strike
zu yĂČu yn zhn
Left & Right Pull Needle
zu qĂn yĂČu dĂšng yng
Left Capture, Right Tread Step
shung fn shung bĂŹ
Double Seals, Double Close
shung fng duĂČ z jio
Double Seal, Small Chop Kick
cĂš shn yun yang jio
Incline Body, Mandarin Duck Kick
tĂĄng lĂĄng shung fng shu
Praying Mantis Double Seal Hands
Hair Restraining Techniques in Meihua Lu
Here are the three hair restraining techniques taught in Meihua Lu:
Movement Five
bĂ wĂĄng qĂč zhi ku
Overlord Takes Helmet
Capture the opponentâs lead right hand with your lead right hook hand grab. Now swing your left hand up and in from the outer gate and grab the back of the opponentâs head by the hair. Immdeiately twist the opponentâs head so that his face is directed upward and lift your left knee to attack his lower ribs.
Movement Six
qĂn fĂ cuĂČ zui b
Capture Hair & Break Mouth
This is a continuation of the above technique. After striking the lower ribs with the left knee, maintain the hair grab while dropping into a left kneeling stance. As the opponent is falling strike the opponentâs jaw with the right palm heel.
Movement Twenty-nine
niĂĄn shou rĂč shou qĂn shn pĂĄng
Sticky Hand, Entering Hand & Capture Body to the Side
This move is set up with the technique âWhite Crane Reveals Wings to Strike Both Sidesâ. After a right waist chop from a left Hill Climbing step, slide the right foot up behind the left foot and execute a left seal and a right yang palm strike to the left side of the opponentâs face.
Then step the right foot forward while executing a right hook hand, left seal and a right hair grab. Pull the opponent downward by the hair so that the opponentâs head impacts the ground to the right of the forward right foot.
Meihua Lu of Taiji Tanglangquan
Will (Xiaoyao) posted this video of a student of Master Zhou Zhendong performing the Taiji Tanglangquan version of Meihua Lu:
[QUOTE=Tainan Mantis;1137408]I thought you had ZHang Bingdouâs book. I donât know where it is available, maybe on some book site. I noticed it has once again been reissued last time I was in CHina. I didnât buy it though.[/QUOTE]
I think this is your book.
Alex,
Yes, that is the book. After Kevin mentioned it I was able to find the two volume set on-line and purchased them.
Here are my simple questions:
[QUOTE=YouKnowWho;1168596]Here are my simple questions:
Good questions!
[QUOTE=YouKnowWho;1168596]Why does a beginner need to learn this form?[/QUOTE]
This is a form that I believe could be taught at any level. However, if you wanted to introduce a beginner to some of the most vicious moves of tanglangquan, this form is a good choice. It has punching, eye-gouging, hair pulling, kicking, kneeing, joint-locking and throwing. It has principles like: - x shĂ, - gng rĂłu (hard-soft) and - yn yĂĄng (passive-active).
[QUOTE=YouKnowWho;1168596]What does this form offer that other forms donât?[/QUOTE]
It is not a matter of what it has that other forms do not have. Meihua Lu draws concepts and techniques from important forms like : Xiao Beng Bu, the Fanche series, Duo Gang and the Zhai Yao series. Though it is a small form (38 moves give or take depending on the family of Mantis) it has a lot of depth.
[QUOTE=YouKnowWho;1168596]Will this form make me to grow âtallâ, or it will make me to grow âfatâ?[/QUOTE]
Not really sure what this means. But if you mean, âIs it just another form to pile onto the heap?â No!
If I could only preserve one short form that I felt had the principles to teach my students to fight, it would be this form.
[QUOTE=mooyingmantis;1168599]Not really sure what this means. But if you mean, âIs it just another form to pile onto the heap?â No!
If I could only preserve one short form that I felt had the principles to teach my students to fight, it would be this form.[/QUOTE]
All mantis forms are good for combat. That was not what I mean. For example, the
Not sure which level this form should be placed. Also not sure this form is a âmust learnâ form.