Liu He Ba Fa Chuan (Water Boxing)

[Green Tiger]

 

This is a Liu He Ba Fa form I've been working on.  This isn't maybe the best video demonstration of the form, but it has captions in Chinese throughout the video and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what they say. 

 

I'm assuming they are the names for the movements, but I'm not sure.  My instructor seems to be using his own made-up names for the movements.

[Taoist Texts]

http://waterspirit6x8.tripod.com/id64.html

[Green Tiger]

For refrence, the yellow captions appear at the following times:

 

0:01 - I think this is the name of the form, possibly also the name of the performer, Master Lu Gui-Yao.

 

0:25 - 停車問路 ting che wen lu, stop the cart, ask the way

 

1:05 - 臨崖勒馬 lin ya le ma, rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff

 

1:22 - 閉門推月 bi men tui yue, close the door, push the moon

 

1:36 - 撥雲見日 bo yun jian ri , brush aside the clouds to see the sun

 

2:00 - 臨崖勒馬 lin ya le ma, rein in the horse at the edge of the cliff

 

2:20 - 摘星換斗 zhai xing huan dou, pluck the stars and rearrange them

 

2:36 - 鴻雁雙飛 hong yan shuang fei, pair of wild geese fly together

 

3:07 - 閉門推月 bi men tui yue, close the door, push the moon

 

3:20 - 孤雁出群 gu yan chu qun, single goose leaves the flock

 

3:56 - 野馬追風 ye ma zhui feng, wild horse chases the wind

 

4:27 - 川流不息 chuan liu bu xi, rivers flow without end

 

4:45 - 伏虎聽風 fu hu ting feng, crouching tiger listens to the wind

 

5:06 - 聲東擊西 sheng dong ji xi, feint to the east but attack to the west

 

5:15 - 青龍探爪 qing long tan zhua, green dragon stretches its claws

 

5:23 - 丹成九轉 dan cheng jiu zhuan, miracle pill is formed after nine turns

 

5:38 - 撥雲見日 bo yun jian ri , brush aside the clouds to see the sun

 

5:51 - 順水推舟 shun shui tui zhou, push the boat with the current

 

6:03 - 怒馬回頭 nu ma hui tou, angry horse turns around

 

6:14 - 瓶花落硯 ping hua luo yan, flower falls from the vase onto the ink stone

 

6:33 - 高山流水 gao shan liu shui, water falls from high mountains

 

7:01 - 兒童送書 er tong song shu, page boy brings books

 

7:24 - 樵夫擔柴 qiao fu dan chai, woodcutter carries firewood

 

7:40 - 天官指星 tian guan zhi xing, celestial officer points at the stars

 

7:47 - 五雲捧月 wu yun peng yue, five clouds cradle the moon

 

8:00 - 托天蓋地 tuo tian gai di, support the heavens and cover the earth

 

8:12 - 燕子抄水 yan zi chao shui, swallow skims across the water

 

8:25 - 朝陽貫耳 zhao yang guan er, morning sun pierces the ears

 

8:31 - 截手雙推 jie shou shuang tui, intercept the hands and push out

 

8:39 - 薰風掃葉 xun feng sao ye, breeze sweeps away the leaves

 

9:04 - 燕子啣泥 yan zi xian ni swallow holds clay in its beak

 

9:19 - 靈猿摘菓 ling yuan zhai guo wise monkey plucks fruit

 

9:27 - 猛虎回頭 meng hu hui tou fierce tiger turns around

 

9:47 - 旋轉乾坤 xuan zhuan qian kun turn the universe around and around

 

9:54 - 風擺荷葉 feng bai he ye, lotus leaves sway in the wind

 

10:00 - 掩手衝拳 yan shou chong quan, conceal the hand and punch out

 

10:06 - 琵琶遮面 pi pa zhe mian, shield the face with a lute

 

10:10 - 流星趕月 liu xing gan yue, shooting star chases away the moon

 

10:18 - 燕子斜飛 yan zi xie fei, swallow flies obliquely

 

10:29 - 丹鳳朝陽 dan feng zhao yang, phoenix looks up at the morning sun

 

10:33 - 翻江攪海 fan jiang jiao hai, overturn the river and stir up the sea

 

10:42 - 倒騎龍背 dao qi long bei, ride backwards on the dragon's back

 

10:46 - 狸貓撲蝶 li mao pu die, sly cat pounces on the butterfly

 

10:51 - 抽梁換柱 chou liang huan zhu, pull out the beam and exchange the pillar

 

11:06 - 風卷殘雲 feng juan can yun , wind rolls up and scatters the clouds

 

11:17 - 蟄龍現身 zhi long xian shen, hibernating dragon reappears

 

11:24 - 烏龍擺尾 wu long bai wei, black dragon swings its tail

 

11:31 - 平分秋色 ping fen qiu se , split evenly the autumn colors

 

11:39 - 走馬觀花 zou ma guan hua, look at the flowers while riding on horseback

 

11:46 - 魁星獻斗 kui xing xian dou, Kui-Xing presents the constellation

 

12:04 - 燕子穿雲 yan zi chuan yun, swallow flies through the clouds

 

12:11 - 提手七星 ti shou qi xing, lift the hands in the form of the seven stars

 

12:19 - 雁子橫斜 yan zi heng xie, line of wild geese fly obliquely

 

12:28 - 龍轉身黃 huang long zhuan shen, yellow dragon turns around

 

12:37 - 五聖朝天 wu sheng zhao tian, five saints salute the heavens

 

12:47 - 葉底藏蓮 ye di cang lian, lotus flower is concealed underneath leaves

 

12:50 - 鳳凰展翅 feng huang zhan chi, phoenix stretches its wings

 

12:53 - 白鸛啄食 bai guan zhuo shi, white stork pecks at its food

 

12:57 - 月掛松梢 yue gua song shao, moon hangs at the end of the pine

 

13:00 - 倒揭牛尾 dao jie niu wei, topple the ox by its tail

 

13:08 - 童子抱琴 tong zi bao qin , boy embraces a zither

 

13:14 - 犀牛望月 xi niu wang yue, rhinoceros looks at the moon

 

13:25 - 鷂子穿林 yao zi chuan lin, hawk darts into the woods

 

13:38 - 赤龍攪水 chi long jiao shui , red dragon stirs the water

 

13:45 - 風動浮萍 feng dong fu ping, drifting duckweed is blown by the wind

 

13:53 - 氣升崑崙 qi sheng kun lun, Qi rises to the Kun-Lun mountains

 

14:04 - 存氣開關 cun qi kai guan, keep the Qi ready

 

14:10 - Matches up almost perfectly. I think this one is "closing" added in the video.

 

14:25 - There are a few lines at the end. I assume they are credits of some sort.

 

Thanks!

Edited April 21, 2015 by Green Tiger

[Green Tiger]

http://waterspirit6x8.tripod.com/id64.html

 

Hey, thanks for the link!  So this must be the 66 posture form?

[Taoist Texts]

For refrence, the yellow captions appear at the following times:

 

0:01 - I think this is the name of the form, possibly also the name of the performer, Master Lu Gui-Yao.

 

 

These captions from left to right:  Lu's standard performance, someone named Pan Hai-rong, 'starting posture 起式， name of a participating student, full name of the style 華嶽心意六合八法 huá yuè xīn yì liù hé bā fǎ

[Taoist Texts]

Hey, thanks for the link!  So this must be the 66 posture form?

yes it is, your welcome anytime.

[Green Tiger]

yes it is, your welcome anytime.

 

Many thanks!  I really impressed one of my classmates with this info. 

[GreytoWhite]

It's really hard to find legitimate liuhebafa and Wu Yihui may well have changed it throughout his life and the "history" may be largely hagiographical similar to the Zhang Sanfeng debate in taiji. So far my favorites have been from those who learned from Chan Yik Yan. Choi Wai Lun and Mok Kei Fei are the two I like most mainly because they have students that are willing to demonstrate and have the ability to speak about their art without referring back to other neijia arts like xingyi, bagua, or taiji.

 

Student of Choi Wai Lun in Chicago as there don't seem to be any full form demos of Choi himself
 

 

 

 

Mok Kei Fai

 

 

 

 

For a slightly different flavor here is Cliff Lok teaching some people.

 

 

 

[GreytoWhite]

EDIT: Double post.

Edited April 30, 2015 by GreytoWhite

[Astral Monk]

A timely thread. Im thinking about learning the style from our local IMA legend family the Liangs (Shouyu Liang's school). I seem to be drawn to IMA fusion styles.

 

But...turning away from the OP request for translations, should we consider liuhebafa a unique form, a unique style of internal arts, or a blend of the three classic (taiji, bagua, xingyi)..?

 

Does it build a unique form from traditional material, applying the principles in another format? Or is it a unique insight and form that while paralleling other IMA arises independent of them?

 

Thoughts?

 

8)

[opendao]

A timely thread. Im thinking about learning the style from our local IMA legend family the Liangs (Shouyu Liang's school). I seem to be drawn to IMA fusion styles.

 

But...turning away from the OP request for translations, should we consider liuhebafa a unique form, a unique style of internal arts, or a blend of the three classic (taiji, bagua, xingyi)..?

 

Does it build a unique form from traditional material, applying the principles in another format? Or is it a unique insight and form that while paralleling other IMA arises independent of them?

 

Thoughts?

 

Try to find Nelson Ma in Van, he will answer all your questions, and he is a good teacher to learn LHBF as LHBF and not as a blend or modern remix as in many other places.

[GreytoWhite]

I second the recommendation of Nelson Ma. Also liuhebafa is most likely a fusion of styles just not the wider known internal arts.

http://rumsoakedfist.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13902

[LaoZiDao]

edit: double post

Edited May 8, 2015 by LaoZiDao

[LaoZiDao]

Can anyone help?

How to tell someone has genuine LHBF? There is a teacher near me, I want to check his linage etc.

 

I don't know much about LHBF.

.

Any tips?

[Taoist Texts]

Can anyone help?

 

How to tell someone has genuine LHBF? There is a teacher near me, I want to check his linage etc.

 

I don't know much about LHBF.

.

Any tips?

Certainly.

 

 

Ask him: "Do you know dantian rotation and if so, will you teach it to me please?'

 

If he goes 'Huh?' - then he is fake.

If he goes 'Sure!' - then he is fake.

If he goes 'Yes... but no, sorry' - then he is genuine.

[Taoist Texts]

.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Taoist Texts

[opendao]

Can anyone help?

 

How to tell someone has genuine LHBF? There is a teacher near me, I want to check his linage etc.

 

I don't know much about LHBF.

.

Any tips?

 

Lineage is easy to check, the world of LHBF is small comparing to Taijiquan, for example. Never heard about anybody serious in Australia though... 

 

LHBF is VERY specific and, in my humble opinion, has little in common with other internal arts. Wu Yi Hui has published a book. Chen Yi Ren too. To decide genuine or not, you need to learn the forms (not just the main one), and compare, compare, compare... Tedious process, and very confusing. At least for me. I see very little in common of what very respected teachers do now and Wu Yi Hui's postures in the book... I know the history of the book, but still, I see a different type of skills. Same about Chen Yi Ren: I've been very fortunate to see his rare video, so I'm sure it's different from what we can find on youtube. 

 

Shortly speaking: if a person looks like he cannot fight, but in reality he wins, then probably this person knows genuine Liuhebafa and can apply it 

[GreytoWhite]

Certainly.

 

 

Ask him: "Do you know dantian rotation and if so, will you teach it to me please?'

 

If he goes 'Huh?' - then he is fake.

If he goes 'Sure!' - then he is fake.

If he goes 'Yes... but no, sorry' - then he is genuine.

 

 

The Six Harmonies and Eight Methods are not taiji. The dantien is not usually focused on even if it is created. From the little I've exchanged with liuhebafa practitioners there is more focus on the five hearts and nine joints than dantien. It's a different shenfa, a different art, and a different focus.

[Green Tiger]

It's really hard to find legitimate liuhebafa and Wu Yihui may well have changed it throughout his life and the "history" may be largely hagiographical similar to the Zhang Sanfeng debate in taiji. So far my favorites have been from those who learned from Chan Yik Yan. Choi Wai Lun and Mok Kei Fei are the two I like most mainly because they have students that are willing to demonstrate and have the ability to speak about their art without referring back to other neijia arts like xingyi, bagua, or taiji.

 

Student of Choi Wai Lun in Chicago as there don't seem to be any full form demos of Choi himself.

 

Hey!  Thanks for posting the videos.  I study with a student of Master Choi, but I have never had the pleasure to meet him or see him demonstrate the form.  It's frustrating that you can't find a full demonstration video either, but he does demonstrate the second half of the form in this video: 

 

 

Lineage is easy to check, the world of LHBF is small comparing to Taijiquan, for example. Never heard about anybody serious in Australia though... 

 

LHBF is VERY specific and, in my humble opinion, has little in common with other internal arts. Wu Yi Hui has published a book. Chen Yi Ren too. To decide genuine or not, you need to learn the forms (not just the main one), and compare, compare, compare... Tedious process, and very confusing. At least for me. I see very little in common of what very respected teachers do now and Wu Yi Hui's postures in the book... I know the history of the book, but still, I see a different type of skills. Same about Chen Yi Ren: I've been very fortunate to see his rare video, so I'm sure it's different from what we can find on youtube. 

 

Shortly speaking: if a person looks like he cannot fight, but in reality he wins, then probably this person knows genuine Liuhebafa and can apply it 

Are the Wu Yi Hui and Chen Yi Ren books only available in Chinese or are there English translations, do you know?

 

Thanks!

[Green Tiger]

 

double post

Edited June 8, 2015 by Green Tiger

[Earl Grey]

3 hours ago, Draco said:

Interestingly, while primarily associated with water, liu he ba fa will enable a cultivator to harmonise and unify the other elements aswell. With time not only can one traverse through the cycle of wuxing, but one can can also reverse it, leading to the solidification of the lower dan tien. 

 

2 hours ago, Draco said:

 

In addition, while not specifically related to the steps of yu, progressive practice will lead the cultivator through the re-formation of what the Flood destroys. However potentially, alchemically speaking, the cultivator can traverse through an alternate path (timeline) whereby there was no flood to begin with

Do you have sufficient experience in the practice of Liuhebafa to make these authoritative statements? None of what you’re saying here applies to three different lineages I know, including my own.

[Earl Grey]

4 hours ago, Draco said:

 

Interestingly, the form is by itself a mystery in itself. The source it would appear is not even from Gaia, but something beyond. A Hidden Personage of far unknown Space

Nope.