A question of Ming era Red Fist

[Tainan Mantis]

At this point, just following where the facts are leading me, hong refers to flowers of spring or falling leaves of autumn.
The point being that this punch knocks you into unconsciousness.
General Qi has several sentences which hint at this such as.

Overtake him with a palm and he'll see a sky full of stars,
趕上一掌滿天星

When struck he is surely in danger of losing consciousness.
他受打必定昏危。

There is nothing in General Qi's writings to hint that red means the flowers of spring or falling leaves of autumn, but within the oldest books of mantis, from before the time of Liang Xuexiang, it is repeatedly emphasized that the described strikes will knock the opponent into unconsciousness and when they wake up it will be a new season- the idea being that they were out for a long while.

Here is one example:

I immediately pull back my hand and return to snatch the yue point attacking that which is unprepared. Injuring the opponent’s yue point he bends his waist, I attack with the head immediately charging my head into his face and knocking him into the ‘red peaches of next spring.’

[mickey]

Greetings,

Tainan Mantis,

This is a long shot because I do not have the book, but I suspect the posture may be in it. Do you have Two Road Long Fist by Kao Tao Sheng (Gao Daosheng)?

Also, the meaning "sweep" is a little unclear. I strongly suspect it refers to the wind as in a sweeping gust of wind; so, essentially, it is a parry-- a sweeping parry followed by a punch.


mickey

[Tainan Mantis]

Greetings,

Tainan Mantis,

This is a long shot because I do not have the book, but I suspect the posture may be in it. Do you have Two Road Long Fist by Kao Tao Sheng (Gao Daosheng)?

Also, the meaning "sweep" is a little unclear. I strongly suspect it refers to the wind as in a sweeping gust of wind; so, essentially, it is a parry-- a sweeping parry followed by a punch.


mickey

Mickey,
I do have that book by Gao.

To better define sweep.
Sweep appears three times in the form.
*掃

16. ....The cu ghost foot forces itself in first, Add a turning front sweep and
apply red fist,
鬼蹴腳搶人先著，補前掃轉上紅拳，

20. ....
See his stance is unsteady,
Knock him down with a rear sweep.
看他立站不穩，後掃一跌分明。

The 28th definition is especially clear that we are talking about a sweep kick.

28. The tiger riding maneuver shifts and sends out the foot, While he is
unaware of your leg, Left and right sweep in rapid succession, Drop the
hands and cut with the shears is the way to change.
二十八 跨虎勢
跨虎勢挪移發腳，要腿去不使他知，左右跟掃一連施，失手剪
刀分易。

[mickey]

Hi Tainan Mantis,

Thank you for taking the time to go into more details about the move. So, it is not a parry and strike.

In the book by Gao, I think there is a posture where he is holding a bow and arrow stance and he is holding his hand up, palm open and facing his face. If this is the form that I saw printed elsewhere, it would be in the first 15 photos. This is the position where the chi is brought into the hands. In one of the issues of 'Martial Arts of China", it was referred to as the Crimson Palm (going from memory here).

mickey

[Tainan Mantis]

Also, the meaning "sweep" is a little unclear.


mickey

Here is a picture of the Ghost Cu foot. You can see that he is in a good position for a sweep kick

16...Add a front sweep and turn up with red fist,

[mickey]

Yes, I see,

The Gao posture was only to give reference to what may create the red fist. While i see an internal component, I think we are all in agreement in its application.

Thank you,

mickey