BSL Lyrics: Shaolin #4 (Strike to the heart)
The central short BSL forms should be more interesting sicne undoubtably more people know them. Here goes!
CHUM SAM: SHAOLIN #4 (Strike to the heart)
1. Immortal steps forward, flicking his clothes, double punch.
2. Spinning flower hand, seven stars, upper punch.
3. Hero's single leg stance.
4. Left jump, back coil kick.
5. Grabbing arm, straight punch.
6. Left and right punching.
7. Step backwards, arm swing.
8. Grabbing the moon's reflection in the sea, meteor punch.
9. Left down push, right straight punch.
10. Front and back heel kick, fishing pole pose.
11. Lazy dragon stretches its spine.
12. Stealing step, crescent kick, "crossed" character punch.
13. Spinning flower hand, seven stars, upper punch.
14. Hero's single leg stance.
15. Brave tiger comes out of the cave, horse stance, block and punch.
16. Closing the feet together, punching continuously.
17. Piercing the heart, spinning flower hand, "crossed" character punch.
18. Horse stance, fighting tiger pose.
19. Bell and drum sound together, land, taming the tiger.
20. Forward step, outside crescent kick.
21. Turn around, grabbing the moon's reflection in the sea, meteor punch.
22. Left down push, right straight punch.
23. Front and back heel kick, fishing pole pose.
24. Lazy dragon stretches its spine.
25. Stealing step, crescent kick, "crossed" character punch.
26. Spinning flower hand, seven stars, upper punch.
27. Hero's single leg stance.
28. Brave tiger comes out of the cave, horse stance, block and punch.
29. Closing the feet together, punching continuously.
30. Piercing the heart, spinning flower hand, "crossed" character punch.
31. Horse stance, fighting tiger pose.
32. Cat stance, strike to the groin.
33. Turn around, horse stance, block and punch.
34. Tornado kick.
35. Rolling hand, spinning flower hand, golden rooster single leg stance.
36. Brave tiger comes out of the mountain and catches the lamb.
37. Right strike, "crossed" character kick.
38. Right turn, left and right punching, horse stance.
39. Spinning flower hand, step backward.
40. Front and back sweep, slapping the ground,
41. Double kick.
42. Left turn, spinning flower hand, step backwards.
43. Step backwards, threading hand, finish form.
I'm amazed that the translations are so simliar
Your description of #20 sounds to be the same as ours. Perhaps that's a fault in out translation.
Call the birds in an interesting translation, not usre what that refers to - same goes to rub ghost with fist. I like that one a lot - it's so unusual.
The study of kung fu lyrics
I'd say that the study of lyrics is intermediate to advanced for non-Chinese speakers, but beginning for Chinese speakers. When you learn in Chinese, you often learn these poetic names of the movements as you learn the form. Some non-Chinese speakers never even engage the lyrics.
Herein lies a classic example of the cultural gap of CMA. There's actually a lot of information in the lyrics. Chinese is an immensily dense language, poetic to the core, so many of the lyrics are pregnant with information about how to deliver a move. It can be a fascinating study, since some of the lyrics are really deep. Of course, some aren't deep - some are just like 'right punch, left kick' and that's all. But occasionally, you can unlock something with a lyric.
I remember doing some lyric translation with a young student and Sifu Wing Lam once. We hit this phrase that literally said 'strike to the yin'. The young student, being somewhat brash, interpreted this to mean 'strike to the groin'. We played the move as a strike to the throat. He changed his interpretation of the form to accomodate the lyrics, so while everyone else was doing throat strikes, he did a groin strike. Sifu was amused but didn't comment. I picked at it like a scab - such is my nature. Sifu said yin could be interpreted here as shadow, or more specifically, any part of the anatomy that was in shadow under the noonday sun, ie. eyes, throat, armpits, groin. These were choice targets - the soft and tenders. The student just took one interpretation and it threw him off track. By picking at it, I uncovered some fresh new skin - a whole new way to look at targets - a kung fu way. That's just one thing I've learned from lyric translation. Here's another.