WHF Lanjie Translation

[mooyingmantis]

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.

01. Four Level Twins Store Power
shi ping shuang xu shi
02. Ride Horse Pattern Lifting Palm
qi ma shi tiao zhang
03. Seven Star Right Split Palm
qi xing you pi zhang
04. Left Right Double Wicked Hand
zuo you shuang diao shou
05. Enter Ring Double Stamp Palm
ru huan shuang tun zhang
06. Elbow Underneath Left Watch Claw
zhou di zuo kan zhua
07. Elbow Underneath Right Watch Claw
zhou di you kan zhua
08. Seven Star Front Rear Palm
qi xing qian hou zhang
09. Elbow Underneath Left Watch Claw
zhou di zuo kan zhua
10. Elbow Underneath Right Watch Claw
zhou di you kan zhua
11. Enter Ring Right Colliding Claw
ru huan you zhuang zhua
12. Seven Star Front Rear Palm
qi xing qian hou zhang
13. Enter Ring Double Stamp Palm
ru huan shuang tun zhang
14. Ascend Mountain Single Thrust Palm
deng shan dan cha zhang
15. Ascend Mountain Right Insert Strike
deng shan you bu chui
16. Exit Flock Right Thrust Leg
chu qun you deng tui
17. Falling Force Right Fold Elbow
die shi you die zhou
18. Seven Star Double Strike Palm
qi xing shuang ji zhang
19. Advance Method Return Colliding Claw
jin shi fan chong zhua
20. Elbow Underneath Left Watch Claw
zhou di zuo kan zhua
21. Elbow Underneath Right Watch Claw
zhou di you kan zhua
22. Leave Step Left File Strike
zou bu zuo cuo chui
23. Leave Step Right File Strike
zou bu you cuo chui
24. Horse Pattern Reverse Catch Cicada
ma shi fan bu chan
25. Left Circle Right Thrust Leg
zuo quan you deng tui
26. Ascend Mountain Left Crush Step
deng shan zuo beng bu
27. Seven Star Left Wicked Hand
qi xing zuo diao shou
28. Seven Star Right Insert Strike
qi xing you bu chui
29. Vertical Jump Right Split Stop
zong tiao you pi ga
30. Vertical Jump Double Grab Hand
zong tiao shuang feng shou
31. Single Leg Right Fold Elbow
du li you die zhou
32. Coiling Palm Right Rolling Arm
rao zhang you gun pang
33. Enter Ring Left Rolling Arm
ru huan zuo gun pang
34. Enter Ring Right Rolling Arm
ru huan you gun pang
35. 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 hope someone finds this helpful!

Richard A. Tolson

[Young Mantis]

Hi Richard,

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.

02. 挑掌 - 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'.

04. 刁手 - diao shou : I see many people translate 刁手 as 'wicked hand'. This is the quitessential mantis hook technique. We would normally just translate as "mantis hook".

16. 蹬腿 - deng tui : I would simply translate as 'Thrust Kick'.

22. , 23. 走步 - 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".

25. 左圈左蹬腿 - 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.

26. 登山左崩搥(捶) - deng shan zuo beng chui : This should be a backfist. Most commonly we use 崩捶 although I have seen it as 崩搥 as well to show the action.

27. 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.

Best wishes in your continued training.

Vance Young

[mooyingmantis]

Vance,

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

[mooyingmantis]

BTW, my reference works for this translation were:

A Pocket Dictionary of Cantonese by Roy T. Cowles

Concise English - Chinese Chinese - English Dictionary by Martin H. Manser

Richard A. Tolson

[Young Mantis]

Hi Richard,

Additional comments:

29. , 30. 縱跳 - 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 蹤 which I see in some dictionaries as "footprint, trace". 縱 however is how it is listed in the quanpu and it should be translated as "vertical".

31. 獨立 - du li : This is short for 金雞獨立 (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 獨立 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

[mooyingmantis]

Hi Richard,

Additional comments:

29. , 30. 縱跳 - 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 蹤 which I see in some dictionaries as "footprint, trace". 縱 however is how it is listed in the quanpu and it should be translated as "vertical".

31. 獨立 - du li : This is short for 金雞獨立 (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 獨立 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

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!

31. 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.

Richard

[DBAC]

Richard, can you post the characters as well?

[mooyingmantis]

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.

Richard A. Tolson