Glossary of Wing Chun terms


These are terms used in the Chinese martial art, Wing Chun. They are originally colloquial Cantonese. Thus, their meanings might be difficult to trace. Some of those terms are used in Jeet Kune Do, sometimes with a different meaning.

Forms

  • Siu Nim Tau A small form holding the main ideas of the system. It emphasizes proper structure, occupying the centerline, and deflecting away from the centerline. It is purely handwork with no footwork. Other than basic training, at the advanced level it is often used as a qigong form to develop "nim ging" or idea power.
  • Chum Kiu. This form fleshes out the static Siu Nim Tau form and makes it alive and realistic by adding turns, elbows, stepping, and kicks.
  • Biu Ji. A form that emphasizes emergency hands, techniques that are used to regain the centerline when one is put in a bad position. Reminiscent of the Chinese compass, aka the 'south pointing needle' 指南針. This form has no kicks.
  • Muk Yan Jong. A form more like traditional Chinese martial arts. It combines elements of Siu Nim Tao hand play with side stepping and kicks to facilitate throws and sweeps, as well as attacking from the side gate.
  • Butterfly swords: Bat Cham Do. The butterfly swords are the natural extension arms and of the Wing Chun system as a whole, using most of the same hand play and structures as the empty hand forms. The extra danger of handling dual blades is overcome by the long practice of the hand techniques. One could say everything in the Wing Chun system leads up to their usage.
  • Staff: Luk Dim Bun Gwan. A simple staff form for handling a long pole or spear. Due to the nature of the long weapon, the 6.5 Point Staff form is very different from typical Wing Chun body structures thus far, expanding the system into more traditionally Chinese deeply squatted structures and using the side body stance.

    Family Lineage Titles or Terms

Limb names

Hand technique names

Basic Hands
As normally
seen in English
Simp.
char.		Trad.
char.		Cantonese
Mandarin
Meaning
Form Function
pak sao拍手paak3 sau2pāi shǒuslapping Hand/\ rising diagonal arm, palm forwardpalm shooting forward to intercept and collapse bridge
lap sao拉手laap6là shǒupulling hand| vertical arm with grabbing handpulls down opponent's bridge arm to open up their centerline
tan sao摊手攤手taan1 sau2tān shǒuspreading hand/\ rising vertical arm, palm uproller arm that spreads outside pressure away from centerline
bong sao膀手bong2 sau2bǎng shǒuwinging hand\/ falling diagonal arm, palm hangs loosely facing away from centerlinedeflecting force across centerline; rolling down on wrist pressure to cover center
fook sao伏手fuk6 sau2fú shǒutaming hand/\ rising diagonal arm, palm down or hand hangs loosely to the sidecovering bridge from above, preventing forward and upward movement, and deflecting inside pressure across centerline
wu sao护手護手wu6 sau2hù shǒuprotecting hand/\ rising diagonal arm, palm facing centerline, fingers uphand held in rear behind a lead hand. Intercepts forward when centerline is breached
hyun sao圈手hyun1 sau2quán shǒucircle handO a wrist circle, with the hand dipping down and coming up or coming down on the opposite sidesmall circling around arm to change inside gate to outside gate or back

Additional Techniques

Drills

Simp.
char.		Trad.
char.		Cantonese
Mandarin
Meaning
Daan Chi Sau单黐手單黐手daan1 chi1 sau2dān chī shǒusingle sticky hands
Seung Chi Sau双黐手雙黐手seung1 chi1 sau2shuāng chī shǒudouble sticky hands
Luk Sau碌手luk1 sau2lù shǒurolling arms
Chi Geuk黐脚黐腳chi1 geuk3chī jiǎosticky feet

Other techniques:
  1. Lin wan kuen - chain punch
  2. One-inch punch
  3. Double punch
  4. Zao gek - hacking elbow strike
  5. Pai jarn - horizontal
  6. Kwan sau - rotating hand
  7. Yee jee kim yueng ma – horse stance, small adduction goat stance, or figure 2 stance
  8. Centerline training
  9. Iron palm training