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.

- J -

• Jan means shaking.
• Jeen sau kuen is a Sil lum empty hand routine meaning arrow hand form.
• Jeet means to stop and hit. It is a Black Tiger style term used to mean a way of avoiding an opponent's attack by grabbing and striking simultaneously.
• Jeet Kune means quick fist form. It is a form taught in the Eagle Claw style.
• Jeet kune do is Cantonese meaning way of the intercepting fist. It was created by Bruce Lee (Lee Jun Fan), in the United States.
• Jeung, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning the palm.
• Jhun ma is a Shaolin Fut gar term meaning shuffle forward horse. (1)
• Ji means to press or strike.
• Ji means a rooster.
• Ji means a halberd. It is a combination of a dagger axe on a spear. It has a spear head with side blades.
• Jia means to block up or upper block. It is also one of the basic straight sword techniques in Taiji quan.
• Jia bi means arm lock.
• Jia da means to parry and strike.
• Jia jian means to raise the sword.
• Jian means a mace. It is basicly a relatively short stick or staff made of metal without joints or a pointed tip. It was used singlely and in pairs.
• Jian means a straight sword. A straight sword has two blade edges.
• Jian means to clip. It is also one of the basic straight sword techniques in Taiji quan.
• Jian bing means the handle of a sword.
• Jian jian means the tip of a weapon.
• Jian jue is a hand position held by the hand no holding a sword. The index and middle fingers are straight and the ring and little fingers are held curled to the palm by the thumb. This hand position is known as the secret sword.
• Jian ke is an ancient term for a master swordman.
• Jian qiao is a sheath for a straight sword.
• Jian quan means sword boxing.
• Jian shen is the sword blade.
• Jian shuai means shoulder throw.
• Jian sui is the tassel attached to the end of a straight sword to distract the opponent.
• Jian tui means leg scissors.
• Jian zhi means sword fingers
• Jiao means to shout.
• Jiao means foot or feet.
• Jiao means to entwine, entangle, or trap. It is also one of the basic straight sword techniques in Taiji quan.
• Jiaodi was an ancient military drill in which two individuals charged at each other with bull horns on their heads. This dates back to the pre-historical times of the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huang Di (2690-2590 B.C.E.).
• Jia tui means leg lock.
• Jia wan means wrist lock.
• Jia zi means a stance or posture in the martial arts.
• Ji bu means hit step.
• Ji da means to strike or to beat.
• Ji da gan bu de quan means liver punch.
• Ji dao means to knock down.
• Jie means to borrow, as in borrowing the opponent's strength or momentum. It is a Taiji quan term.
• Jie means to intercept. It is also one of the basic straight sword techniques in Taiji quan.
• Jie means to rise. It is one of the basic straight sword techniques in Taiji quan.
• Jie means poking. It is one of the thirteen Taiji broadsword techniques.
• Jie zou means rhythm.
• Jin is a Chinese term for the Mongols.
• Jin means to advance or move forward.
• Jin bu means to advance or to enter.
• Jing means energy.
• Jin Gang Quan means Diamond Fist Form. It is a Shaolin style routine teaching stretching and slow movements to circulate internal energy, qi or chi, through the body.
• Jin gung means Buddha's warrior attendent. It is a term for the statues guarding the front of Buddhist temples.
• Jin gung dao dui means Buddha's warrior attendent pounds a mortar. It is a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called old frame first set, Lao jia yi lu.
• Jin ji du li means the golden rooster stands on one leg stance. It is a common Chinese martial arts posture. It is a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called old frame first set, Lao jia yi lu. It is the name of a technique in the Chen family style Taiji quan routine called Chen village broadsword.
• Jin ju li means a short distance.
• Jing means claminess.
• Jin gong means attack.
• Jing li means power or strength.
• Jing Quan Dao means the Way of the Alert Fist. It is a style of fighting devised for the Chinese police by combining techniques from several traditional styles including Shaolin and Wudang. The current headmaster is Alexander Tao.
• Jing shen means spirit.
• Jing shen biao xian means spiritual expression.
• Jing shen ji zhong means concentration.
• Jing shen qi li gong means vital energy, strength, will power, or spirit.
• Ji quao means technique.
• Ji shu means technique.
• Ji ti jian means group sword play.
• Ji ti jing shen means the group spirit, the esprite de corps.
• Ji tui means repulsion.
• Jiu huan dao is the term for a nine ring broad sword.
• Jiu jie bian means a nine section whip chain.
• Ji yao bu yi xia de quan means a low blow.
• Joi Baat Seen Kuen means the Eight Drunken Immortals Form. It is a Choy Lay Fut routine. It is done in imitation of a drunk individual to deceive the opponent into under estimating the practioner's real skills. Characteristics include dragging the feet when walking and making false steps to confuse the opponent while swaying the body and swinging the arms.
• Jong, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning dummy or stake.
• Jor ma, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning left stance.
• Jor si, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning the founder of a style.
• Jou mah means the sitting horse. It is one of the Northern Shaolin empty hand routines that form the Ten Hand Sets.
• Ju means to hold up, normally, palms up.
• Juan means wrapping.
• Ju cheung, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for side palm strike.
• Ju chi jian means a saw toothed straight sword. It is a straight sword with the cutting edges forged in a serrated pattern to cut and tear the opponent more viciously. Some versions of this sword style have two holes in the blade near the tip that cause it to make a distracting sound when it is swung.
• Ju gum sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for side pinning hand.
• Jum sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term meaning sinking block.
• Ju sun kuen, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for turning punch.
• Ju sun ma, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for the turning of the stance.
• Ju tek, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for a side kick.
• Jut sau, (Cantonese), is a Wing Chun term for jerking hand.
• Jut sow is a branch of Praying Mantis style meaning wrestling hands.

Sources of information

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