The David Brent Wolfe Dictionary of

Chinese Martial Art Terms

When possible, terms are given in Mandarin (Hanyu) pinyin spelling. The older spelling of the Wade Giles method is used when it is the more commonly known version. For some terms the most common version is given in Cantonese.

- B -

• Ba are cymbals. A musical instrument used as a weapon.
• Ba is a term for the handle of a short weapon. It is also used as a term for the butt end of a long weapon.
• Ba means to pull or draw back. It is also used as a term for one of the basic straight sword techniques.
• Ba means white.
• Ba means eight.
• Baat, (Cantonese), means the number 8.
• Baat jam dao, (Cantonese), means eight cutting knives. This is the name of a Wing Chun double butterfly knives routine.
• Babu tang lang quan means eight step praying mantis fist. It is a Chinese martial art style.
• Baduanjin means eight section brocade. It is a Shaolin style form teaching qigong exercises.
• Ba fa means eight positions. This is usually taken to mean the eyes, the hands, the body, the feet, one's spirit, one's breathing, one's strength, and one's works.
• Ba fang quan means eight direction fist. This is the name of a striking drill and the name of a Chinese martial art style.
• Ba gua dao is a two handed broadsword that was sometimes associated with the Ba gua zhang style of martial arts. It is also known as a shuang shou dao.
• Ba Gua Qi Shi Er An Tui means Ba Gua's Seventy Two Hidden Legs. This is the title of a book written by Zhao Zhen Zhong. It describes seventy-two ba gua techniques that involve leg attacks, including kicks, knees, leg hooking techniques, stomps, trips, and bumping with the hip. These are all done in conjunction with hand techniques.
• Ba gua zhang means eight trigram palm. It is credited to being founded by Tung Hai Chuan. Ba gua zhang is one of the three major internal kung-fu styles originating in China. The style is based on circular movements and the twisting and untwisting of the body.
• Ba gua zhang xing means eight trigrams palm form.
• Ba he liang chi means white crane spreading its wings. It is the 2nd technique of the 6th section of the Yin style Baqua zhang sixty-four changes. It is associated with Trigram 42 of the Book of Changes, Yi Jing.
• Bai is a term for a hook out step. The angle of the forward foot turns out towards the side of the body.
• Bai bei means arm swing.
• Bai bei means to bow.
• Bai dong tul means leg swing.
• Bai he jin gang quan means white crane thunderbolt fist. It is a Chinese martial art style.
• Bai he liang chi means white crane spreads its wings.
• Bai lei tai means to give an open challenge.
• Bai quan means swinging fist.
• Bai quan liang zhang means swinging fist and flashing palm.
• Bai tuo means to escape a hold.
• Bai means white.
• Bai bu kou wan shuang zhang da means swing step, capture wrist, and strike with both palms. It is the 7th technique of the 5th section of the Yin style Baqua zhang sixty-four changes. It is associated with Trigram 39 of the Book of Changes, Yi Jing.
• Bai he means white crane. It is the name of a group of Southern Chinese martial art systems.
• Bai he liang chi means white crane spreads its wings. It is a technique from a Chen family style Taiji quan routine called old frame first set, Lao jia yi lu.
• Bai hui is the name of the accupressure point (Governing vessel 20) located on the crown of the head.
• Bai she tu xin means white snake spits its tongue. It is a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called Chen village broadsword.
• Bai yuan means white ape. It is Chinese martial art style.
• Bai yun gai ding means white clouds cover the head. It is a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called Chen village broadsword.
• Baji quan is a boxing style called the Eight Extremes Fist or Eight Diagrams Fist. It was taught to the Qing Dynasty imperial guards. Baji quan is currently taught to the Taiwan military police as a part of their training.
• Bak means northern.
• Bak Sing Choy Li Fut is a combination of Choy Li Fut and northern Shaolin. It was founded during the Ch'ing Dynasty by Tam Sam. Tam Sam had been a student of Hung Sing. He learned northern Shaolin from the famous iron palm master, Ku Yu Cheon. The Bak Sing Choy Li Funt style emphasizes long arm movements and kicking. The training involves heavy sparring. A wide low horse stance is used to transmit force through the waist and shoulders. The training develops the ability to do simultaneous striking and blocking or blocking and kicking.
• Ba ling chui is the eight corner hammer. It is a metal octagon using the corners and edges for clubing the opponent.
• Ba mai means the eight vessels. These are considered to be energy, qi, reservoirs that regulate the flow of energy through the 12 channels known as meridians.
• Bamen means the eight gates or doors in Taiji quan. They are: peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, and guo. These are eight basic body movement patterns.
• Ban deng is a bench. It was common in tea houses instead of chairs. There are routines teaching the used of the bench as a weapon in Choy Lay Fut and some other Chinese martial art styles.
• Bang means to assist.
• Ban ma bu means half horse stance posture.
• Bao means embracing, holding, or to lock something. It is used in the Piqua zhang style to mean an inward attack performed by bringing the arms in toward your own body to strike the opponent. It is also the name of one of the basic straight sword techniques.
• Bao chi hou chai sam means to break.
• Bao da tui shuai means to do a single leg pick-up.
• Bao jhong is the Chow gar term for closing hand.
• Bao lu means opening.
• Bao qi means to pick-up. It is a generic term for lifting holds.
• Bao qu gan means body lock.
• Bao shuai means body slam.
• Bao shu dui fang shou bei means a clinch.
• Bao tou tui shan means holding the head and pushing the mountain. It is a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called old frame first set, Lao jia yi lu.
• Bao tui means crotch hold.
• Ba qua shuang dao means eight trigrams double broadsword.
• Bart cham do, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun phrase meaning eight cutting broadswords.
• Ba shih means eight postures. The eight postures are: the horse stance, the cat stance, the bow and arrow stance, the back stance, the crane stance, the twisted stance, the hook stance, and the sixty/forty stance. These postures are common among Northern Chinese martial art systems.
• Batuo is the Chinese transliteration of the name of an Indian missionary Buddhist monk. He came to China in 495 B.C., 30 years before the Indian missionary monk Bodhidarma. Batuo is created with stimulating the Emperor Xiao Wen into building a monastery in the Songshan Mountains on the shady, wooded side of the Shaoshi range, Shaolin, ie. Shao forest.
• Ba ying chao ch'uan means white eagle fist. It is the name of a striking technique.
• Ba ying jow kuen means white eagle fist. It is the name of a striking technique.
• Ba ying zhao quan means white eagle fist. It is the name of a striking technique.
• Bazi quan means rake fist. It is an older name for the Chinese martial art style now known as baji quan.
• Bei means northern.
• Bei means the upper back. It is also used to mean the back edge of a bladed weapon.
• Bei bu means back cross step. It is the same walking movement as cha bu.
• Bei kao is a technique using any part of the back to bump an opponent off balance.
• Bei shaolin quan means northern young forest fist. It is a Chinese martial art style.
• Bei tang lang quan means northern praying mantis fist. It is a Chinese martial art style.
• Beng means to recede, sink, or collapse. It is one of the basic straight sword techniques.
• Beng means to punch.
• Beng bu means crushing step. It is the foundation routine commonly taught in the northern styles of praying mantis. It contains the twelve character principles that the founder used to create the original praying mantis system.
• Beng jian means burst sword.
• Beng quan means burst fist.
• Bi means to close.
• Bi means a pen used as a weapon.
• Bian means a whip. There are hard and soft whips. Whips can be used alone or in pairs. Two common versions of the 'soft' whips are the nine section and the seven section whips. This type of whip has a sharp pointed double bladed knife ending one section and a handle as the other ending section. Some hard whips have side prongs similar to the Okinawan karate weapon known as a 'sai'. The distinguishing feature of the bian is the pattern of ridges found around the tail of the whip. Some of the various whip routines include: Guanlong bian, tumbling dragon whip; Hehu bian, black tiger whip; Sisan lianhua bian, 13 lotus whip; Weichi bian, General Wei's whip; Zishu bian, scholar Zishu's whip. The pattern of ridges have unique names describing their style including Zhujie bian, bamboo pattern whip, and Huwei bian, tiger tail stripe pattern. A 13 ridged version is called Shuimo gan bian, water grind steel whip.
• Bian huan zhi cheng jiao means a weight shift.
• Bian jun is the term used for the handle of a whip.
• Bian wei means whip tail. This is the thinner end of the whip.
• Bie chi means a wing lock.
• Bijue mean the secret formulas explaining the useages of the forms and techniques.
• Bi kai means to dodge out of the way of an attack.
• Bi kai da ji means to parry or deflect an attack.
• Bik sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning pressing arm.
• Bi li means arm power.
• Bil jee is the Chow gar term for exploding fingers.
• Bil juen is a Shaolin Fut gar term meaning thrusting fist. (1)
• Bimen tang lang quan means secret door praying mantis fist. It is a Chinese martial art style.
• Bing bu means to stand in an upright posture with the feet together. An attention stance.
• Bing qi means weapon.
• Bin Gwai Guen means flat crutch staff form. It is a double ended Choy Li Fut style staff routine. Double ended means that the hands are held in the middle third of the pole with the thumbs towards each other. Both ends of the staff are used for thrusting and hitting.
• Bi shou means a dagger.
• Biu jee, (Cantonese), means thrusting fingers. It is the name of Wing Chun's third empty handed routine.
• Biu ma, (Cantonese), means thrusting steps. This is a Wing Chun term.
• Bizu means founder.
• Bo means to block by deflecting an attack to the side or to check the attack.
• Bo dao means to poke with a broadsword.
• Bo jian means to poke with a straight sword.
• Bok jeung, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning shoulder butt. While doing this, the palm pushes down.
• Bong chor sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning wrong bong, i.e., the inside gate.
• Bong gerk, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning wing leg block.
• Bong sau, (Cantonese), means wing hand. This is a Wing Chun term for a block using the forearm. The open hand is extended forward along the center line inverted so that the palm is facing away from the center line. The elbow is held higher than the wrist. The shoulders are kept relaxed.
• Bo qiang means to poke with a spear.
• Bo sim is a Chow gar weapon routine meaning catching insects pole form.
• Bot bo means the shuffling step. It is one of the Northern Shaolin empty hand routines that form the Ten Hand Sets.
• Bot jaam do is a Wing chun weapon routine meaning 8 slash sword form.
• Bo yun wang ri means scatter the clouds to see the sun. It is a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called Chen village broadsword.
• Bu means step or steps. It is frequently used to mean a martial art stance or posture.
• Bue jee is a Wing chun routine meaning shooting fingers form.
• Bu fa means foot work or stepping position.
• Bui do, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning thrusting knives.
• Bui ma, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning thrusting stance.
• Bui sao means cup hand. It is a Choy Lay Fut empty hand technique where the hand is held as if it was holding a tea cup.
• Bui sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for thrusting arm.
• Bui tze sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for thrusting fingers.
• Bung bo kuen is Cantonese meaning stomping foot boxing/fist. It is a beginning Praying Mantis form.

Sources of information

1. Suggested by Mrs. Jay Acdan in an email dated 13 March 2004.