Zhai Yao Yi Lu

[mooyingmantis]

Looking back over the past year, I noticed that the first section of Zhai Yao (Summary/Essentials) was never discussed. I thought this might be a good topic for the start of the new year.

Below is an introduction to the Zhao Yao series that I wrote for my students:

The Background of the Zhai Yao Series

"Historical research has shown that by the end of the Qing dynasty period (1644-1911), many of the Plum Blossom Praying Mantis lineage techniques were systemized into prearranged sets. By 1900 the core sets: Ba Zhou, Luanjie and Laiyang Beng Bu had been firmly established. According to tradition, it was during this time that Liang Xue Xiang (1810-1890), the fifth generation Master of the Plum Blossom Praying Mantis lineage, created the Zhai Yao series of sets.

The term zhāi yào (摘 要) is typically translated as "summary". A summary is the process of highlighting the main points of a topic or field of endeavor. Liang's Summary sets consist of seven sections (段 - duàn) of 360 - 375 total movements that were created to be the epitome of Mantis techniques and theory.

As time went on the first section, Zhai Yao Yi Lu (First Road Summary), was viewed as important enough to be adopted by the Seven Star Praying Mantis and Eight Step Praying Mantis kung fu systems."

As a side note: The fighting techniques that I teach my students in their first six months of training are all taken from Zhai Yao Yi Lu.

[Paul T England]

Interesting, I hold much value in the Summary Boxing sets and in my family they are highly regarded.

Paul

[iunojupiter]

As it goes, when my Shifu first started his Instructor training program, Zhai Yao was a part of it. We spent a good deal of each training session doing circuit training and learning Zhai Yao in depth. He instilled that if you wanted to learn to fight, first Zhai Yao was all you really needed. I think I spent 3 years straight going over just first Zhai Yao. It holds a special place in my heart

Cheers,
Josh

[MightyB]

the Zhai Yao-s aren't really my favorite. Granted being "summary" forms of course they'll have a lot of repetition from other forms, but I don't know - to me the best real summary form for 7*PM is Mantis Exits the Cave.

Just thinking out loud.

[mooyingmantis]

Great feedback guys!

Here is the fist song used in Taiji Meihua Tanglangquan (Zhang Bingdou) for the first road:

First Road

Movement One
预 备 势
yù bèi shì
Preparation Stance

Movement Two
框 手 打
kuàng shǒu dǎ
Frame Hand Strike

Movement Three
叶 裡 藏 桃
yè lǐ cáng táo
Hide Peach within Leaves

Movement Four
左 封 右 崩 捶
zuǒ fēng yòu bēng chuí
Left Seal, Right Collapsing Strike

Movement Five
鴛 鴦 腳
yuān yang jiǎo
Mandarin Duck Legs

Movement Six
闭 手 挺 身
bì shǒu tǐng shēn
Close Hands, Straighten Body

Movement Seven
左 搓 捶 右 砘 肘
zuǒ cuō chuí yòu dun zhǒu
Left Rubbing Strike, Right Dun Elbow

Movement Eight
进 步 乘
jìn bù chéng
Advance Step

Movement Nine
拗 步 入
niù bù rù
Bent Step

Movement Ten
缠 鞭 过 耳
chán biān guò ěr
Wrap Around & Whip the Ear

Movement Eleven
鴛 鴦 腳
yuān yang jiǎo
Mandarin Duck Legs

Movement Twelve
探 捶
tàn chuí
Searching Strike

Movement Thirteen
闭 手 挺 身
bì shǒu tǐng shēn
Close Hands, Straighten Body

Movement Fourteen
爬 山 手
pá shān shǒu
Climb Mountain Hand

Movement Fifteen
偷 展 底 漏 圈
tōu zhǎn dǐ lòu quān
Steal Open, Bottom Leak & Circle

Movement Sixteen
右 隔 肘
yòu gé zhǒu
Right Divide Elbow

Movement Seventeen
双 齐 捶
shuāng qí chuí
Double Even Strike

Movement Eighteen
白 猿 偷 桃
bái yuán tōu táo
White Ape Steals Peach

Movement Nineteen
反 尖 脚
fǎn jiān jiǎo
Reverse Point Leg

Movement Twenty
燕 子 掠 水
yān zi lüè shuǐ
Sparrow Skims the Water

Movement Twenty-One
双 封 锁 口 捶
shuāng fēng suǒ kǒu chuí
Double Seal, Lock Mouth Strike

[Mantis9700]

Some versions of Zhai Yao Yi Lu have a kick in the beginning...not sure if that is in the quan pu or not?

[mooyingmantis]

Some versions of Zhai Yao Yi Lu have a kick in the beginning...not sure if that is in the quan pu or not?

Correct!
The HK Seven Star branch of Wong Hon Fan opens the form with a front kick. I have seen one Plum Flower instructor also open it with a kick. The Grand Ultimate Plum Flower instructors that I know do not use a kick at the beginning.

There are also blocking maneuvers coupled with the strikes that are not mentioned in the quanpu.

[YouKnowWho]

The 7 star Zhai Yao that I have learned was only 1 form. There is no Yi Lu or Er Lu, ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.plumpub.com/sales/chinese...s_trad12PM.htm

Zhang Xiang San was one of Taiwan's best in the art of Praying Mantis. He was particularly known for his Liu He Mantis. Here is an important set rendered in the art of Seven Star Mantis. In his teachings Zhai Yao (Summary Set) was an introduction to many of the important basics and concepts of the Mantis. His style shows Seven Star but with a distinct Liu He flavor. This book has only one or two photos per page with a hand written text.
Learn more about this author/teacher.

[mooyingmantis]

The 7 star Zhai Yao that I have learned was only 1 form. There is no Yi Lu or Er Lu, ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.plumpub.com/sales/chinese...s_trad12PM.htm

Zhang Xiang San was one of Taiwan's best in the art of Praying Mantis. He was particularly known for his Liu He Mantis. Here is an important set rendered in the art of Seven Star Mantis. In his teachings Zhai Yao (Summary Set) was an introduction to many of the important basics and concepts of the Mantis. His style shows Seven Star but with a distinct Liu He flavor. This book has only one or two photos per page with a hand written text.
Learn more about this author/teacher.

John,
Thanks for that link! I will have to pick up that book.

[mooyingmantis]

Here is a clip of my son and a classmate practicing two combinations from the first road of Zhao Yao Yi Lu on B.O.B.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjlYKmGscO4

The first combination are the moves:

框 手 打 - kuàng shǒu dǎ - Frame Hand Strike

叶 裡 藏 桃 - yè lǐ cáng táo - Hide Peach within Leaves

左 封 右 崩 捶 - zuǒ fēng yòu bēng chuí - Left Seal, Right Collapsing Strike

Together these three moves are known as 鳳 凰 三 點 頭 - fèng huáng sān dian tóu - Phoenix Thrice Nods It's Head and are also found in the form Mei Hua Lu.

The second combination moves are:

进 步 乘 - jìn bù chéng - Advance Step

拗 步 入 - niù bù rù - Bent Step

缠 鞭 过 耳 - chán biān guò ěr - Wrap Around & Whip the Ear

鴛 鴦 腳 - yuān yang jiǎo - Mandarin Duck Legs

[YouKnowWho]

Now I understand. When you talk about Zhai Yao Yi Lu, you are talking about the first 13 moves of the Zhai Yao form.

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2918/zhaoyao.jpg

[mooyingmantis]

Now I understand. When you talk about Zhai Yao Yi Lu, you are talking about the first 13 moves of the Zhai Yao form.

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2918/zhaoyao.jpg

Ok, let's try this again.

Zhai Yao, as I have it, has seven sections. Each section could actually be considered its own form. The current discussion involves the first section/form. The first section has 45 movements.

The drills I linked to on YouTube deal with two separate combinations based on movements 2-11 of the first road.

I understand that your 7* teacher taught one section/form of Zhai Yao. Other families have more than one section. Wong Hon Fan taught 3 sections and documented them through his books. While several of Luo Guang Yu's other students, such as; Lin Bo Yan, Huang Jin Hong (Wong Kam Hong) and Zhao Zhi Min (Chiu Chi Man) were taught six sections (though the names of sections 4-6 under went a change).

[mooyingmantis]

Zhai Yao Yi Lu, Zhao Yao San Lu and Zhao Yao Si Lu each contain various methods of restraining, controlling and subduing an enemy through the use of hair restraining techniques.

Here are two hair restraining techniques found in Zhao Yao Yi Lu:

Movement Eighteen

白 猿 偷 桃 - bái yuán tōu táo - White Ape Steals the Peach

Hook the opponent's lead right hand with your lead right hook hand. Immediately place your left hand on the bend of the opponent's right elbow to control the arm. Then grasp the back of the opponent's head via the hair and pull him forward to off-balance him as you raise your right knee into his lower ribs or head.

Movement Forty-four

仙 人 取 发 - xiān rén qǔ fà - Immortal Takes the Hair

Execute a right sideward palm strike toward the side of the opponent's head. This baits the opponent to block with his right arm. When the opponent blocks, place your left hand on the bend of the opponent's right elbow and force his arm downward. Follow with a right grab to the hair at the top of the opponent's head. Pull downward with both hands to slam the opponent's head to the ground.

Pictures of the form and applications demonstrated by my son and one of his classmates can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...0549480&type=1

These techniques would have worked well against a countryman wearing a queue or a Japanese invader wearing a traditional chonmage.

Students train these in sparring by grabbing each other's headgear and throwing the opponent. They get a big kick out of that!

Enjoy!

[RAF]

In the late 1980s Tony Yang taught us a form, very long, with two parts called qi qing zhai yao. It really is only one form but we called it Part I and Part II because of its length and really does look like two forms. I competed with it in one of the early Great Lake Tournaments and missed first place by .5 of a point--although I learned a lot of mantis, in general, at that time, I didn't care for it much however, I loved this form because it had a great softness to it because it had Liuhe mantis in it--now I am wondering if this didn't come from the Zhang Xiang San line--I sort of learned the 2nd part but gave up on all of this once the baji and bagua came into.

I think I saw someone play parts of the qi qing zhao yao on a very old tape of praying mantis is Taiwan--James Sun voices it?

[RAF]

I think it was a part of this tape and a small portion of the entire form, I believe, is found at the 8.33 mark or so:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FWnd...eature=related