Recently I translated the quanpu for the Lanjie form found in the back of the WHF Cha Chui/Chop Choy book.
The English translation is followed by the Mandarin transliteration.
Corrections or alternate translations are welcome.
Four Level Twins Store Power shi ping shuang xu shi
Ride Horse Pattern Lifting Palm qi ma shi tiao zhang
Seven Star Right Split Palm qi xing you pi zhang
Left Right Double Wicked Hand zuo you shuang diao shou
Enter Ring Double Stamp Palm ru huan shuang tun zhang
Elbow Underneath Left Watch Claw zhou di zuo kan zhua
Elbow Underneath Right Watch Claw zhou di you kan zhua
Seven Star Front Rear Palm qi xing qian hou zhang
Elbow Underneath Left Watch Claw zhou di zuo kan zhua
Elbow Underneath Right Watch Claw zhou di you kan zhua
Enter Ring Right Colliding Claw ru huan you zhuang zhua
Seven Star Front Rear Palm qi xing qian hou zhang
Enter Ring Double Stamp Palm ru huan shuang tun zhang
Ascend Mountain Single Thrust Palm deng shan dan cha zhang
Ascend Mountain Right Insert Strike deng shan you bu chui
Exit Flock Right Thrust Leg chu qun you deng tui
Falling Force Right Fold Elbow die shi you die zhou
Seven Star Double Strike Palm qi xing shuang ji zhang
Advance Method Return Colliding Claw jin shi fan chong zhua
Elbow Underneath Left Watch Claw zhou di zuo kan zhua
Elbow Underneath Right Watch Claw zhou di you kan zhua
Leave Step Left File Strike zou bu zuo cuo chui
Leave Step Right File Strike zou bu you cuo chui
Horse Pattern Reverse Catch Cicada ma shi fan bu chan
Left Circle Right Thrust Leg zuo quan you deng tui
Ascend Mountain Left Crush Step deng shan zuo beng bu
Seven Star Left Wicked Hand qi xing zuo diao shou
Seven Star Right Insert Strike qi xing you bu chui
Vertical Jump Right Split Stop zong tiao you pi ga
Vertical Jump Double Grab Hand zong tiao shuang feng shou
Single Leg Right Fold Elbow du li you die zhou
Coiling Palm Right Rolling Arm rao zhang you gun pang
Enter Ring Left Rolling Arm ru huan zuo gun pang
Enter Ring Right Rolling Arm ru huan you gun pang
Ride Horse Pattern Carry Palm qi ma shi tiao zhang
I believe number 27 in the book is incorrect and should read: Seven Star Left Wicked Hand qi xing zuo diao shou.
I think it’s great you have undertaken this task of translating the WHF quanpu. Here are some suggestions for alternate translations of some of the terminology.
tiao zhang : ‘Tiao’ in this case has more of a lifting or flicking upward movement. ‘Carry’ has a passive or less dynamic connotation. We usually say ‘lifting palm’.
diao shou : I see many people translate as ‘wicked hand’. This is the quitessential mantis hook technique. We would normally just translate as “mantis hook”.
deng tui : I would simply translate as ‘Thrust Kick’.
, 23. - zou bu : While ‘zou’ is often used to mean ‘leave’ as in ‘to go’, it is because the word literally means ‘to walk’. So while in company and someone says, “zou le” - it means ‘let’s walk’ or in other sense ‘let’s go’ as in leave. Anyway, in Cantonese in particular, ‘zou’ means to run which in the case of this move explains it directly. “Running Step”.
zuo quan zuo deng tui : This should be a left thrust kick, not right. If your book says ‘you deng tui’, then that is a misprint.
() - deng shan zuo beng chui : This should be a backfist. Most commonly we use although I have seen it as as well to show the action.
You are correct in assuming the book is misprinted. It is a left diao shou.
Have you had a chance to learn this form from a qualified teacher? It would help you when translating the quanpu to know the form. There are a few misprints in the published WHF material as you have discovered.
Thanks for your alternate, and I believe better, translations!
Yes, I do know the form. I just went for a very literal translation. For example diao shou as “wicked hand” rather than the implied “mantis hand”.
Number 2: I was told that the reason this was translated “carry palm” is because it looks like one is carrying a long square beam on the shoulder with the hand steadying the end. Though I can certainly see the application in the term “lifting palm”.
Number 25 is incorrect in the book, which I should have caught. Thanks for your keen eye!
Number 26: I never translate beng chui as “backfist”, since I don’t want the reader to confuse the move with a karate style backfist done on a horizontal plane. Though technically in Qixing Tanglang, unlike the Tai Ji Tanglang and Tai JI Mei Hua Tanglang I have seen, beng chui can be used as a flicking type of strike on a vertical plane. My instructor emphasized that type of motion.
Number 29, 30: “trace jump” seems awkward for zong tiao. Any better ideas?
Number 31: What did you think of “independent” for du li? I know it can also mean “stand alone”. Do you have a better interpretation of the phrase du li?
Thanks again for your refinements!
I am always open to honest and constructive criticism.
Richard A. Tolson
, 30. - zong tiao : I wasn’t sure what to make of your translation of this at first. But I think I understand what happened. I believe you translated which I see in some dictionaries as “footprint, trace”. however is how it is listed in the quanpu and it should be translated as “vertical”.
du li : This is short for (Golden Rooster Standing on One Leg). This is an almost universal name for the single leg stance used by almost every Chinese style. WHF abbreviates it to to keep with his naming convention of the quanpu.
I understand the difficulty of going full literal translation or implied meaning. Depending on the technique, situation, and/or student, one can be better than the other. Good effort though.
, 30. - zong tiao : I wasn’t sure what to make of your translation of this at first. But I think I understand what happened. I believe you translated which I see in some dictionaries as “footprint, trace”. however is how it is listed in the quanpu and it should be translated as “vertical”.
du li : This is short for (Golden Rooster Standing on One Leg). This is an almost universal name for the single leg stance used by almost every Chinese style. WHF abbreviates it to to keep with his naming convention of the quanpu.
I understand the difficulty of going full literal translation or implied meaning. Depending on the technique, situation, and/or student, one can be better than the other. Good effort though.
Vance[/QUOTE]
Vance,
29, 30 Yep, I totally confused the two when I looked up “zong” in the dictionary. That should teach me to do this too late at night. LOL!
That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification! Looking back at the thirteen translations of the WHF quanpu that I have done in the past, I only found du li used one other time. It is used in the Five Elements Single Saber form (movement eleven). Your explanation makes sense in both instances.
I have changed the above translation to add your corrections.
I could, but it would take some time to do (lots of copying from the dictionary and pasting - 175 Chinese characters in all). I suggest purchasing the book from Plum Publications (Ted Mancuso’s company). It is only about $10 and has a multitude of forms in it that I have translated.
