Shao-Lin Warrior Training Manual

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the history, lineages, internal and external styles, principles, and training methods detailed in the Shao-Lin Warrior Training Manual.

Zhongguo

The Middle Kingdom; the Chinese name for their homeland, historically viewed as an enclave of civilization bounded by mountains, deserts, and oceans.

Yuanmou Man

The oldest hominid discovered in China's archeological record, who used fire and lived in present-day Yunnan more than 1.7 million years ago.

Loess

A rich yellow earth blown in from northern steppes that deposited in the Yellow River Valley and gave the Yellow River its name.

Fu Xi

An early Yangshao chieftain credited with teaching people to construct houses, domesticate animals, and devising the 8 Trigrams.

Shen Nong

An early legendary ruler who taught agriculture and the medicinal use of herbs; legendary lore states he had a transparent abdomen to observe digestion.

Huang Di

The Yellow Emperor, who took power in 2697 B.C.E. and is credited with creating formal government institutions, coining money, inventing the compass, and founding traditional Chinese medicine.

Great Yu

The founder of China's first hereditary dynasty, the Xia Dynasty, renowned for dredging rivers and establishing flood control until the hair wore off his legs.

Qin Shihuang

The 'First Emperor' and 'Tiger of Qin' (ruled 221-207 B.C.E.) who unified China, built roads, standardized writing, and erected the Great Wall under ruthless totalitarian rule.

Shaolin Si

Meaning 'Young Forest Temple'; a Buddhist monastery established in 495 C.E. by Northern Wei Emperor Hsiao Wen for the Indian monk Buddhabhadra (Pa Tuo) at Song Shan in Honan Province.

Pagoda Forest

A site west of the Shaolin Temple consisting of burial stupas that preserve the cremated remains of prominent Shaolin monks.

Bodhidharma (Ta Mo)

The 28th Patriarch of orthodox Buddhism who arrived at the Shaolin Temple in the 6th century, meditated 9 years in a cave on Song Mountain, and taught Ch'an meditation along with the I Chin Ching.

I Chin Ching

The Muscle-Tendon Change Classic; a set of 49 postures incorporating dynamic tension and isometric contraction introduced by Bodhidharma to cultivate discipline, strength, and flexibility in Shaolin monks.

White Robe Hall Frescos

Historic temple wall paintings depicting fighting monks wearing uniforms and colored belts while training in empty-hand combat, Chin Na, animal styles, and weapons.

Hall of 1,000 Buddhas

The main training hall of the Shaolin Temple that survived the 1928 fire, characterized by 48 depression marks worn into its stone floor by generations of practicing monks.

The 18 Tests

A lethal gauntlet of 18 consecutive chambers—featuring trapdoors, poisoned needles, iron spikes, a 100-pound falling rock, 36 Wooden Men, and a red-hot iron cauldron—required to graduate from the Shaolin Temple.

Kung Fu

A Chinese term translating literally to 'accomplished person' or 'mastery through time and effort.'

Grandmaster Su Kong T'ai Djin

The first Grandmaster of the lineage (1849-1928), born covered in dark hair and raised by Fukien Shaolin masters, who mastered all branches and hundreds of forms across the Shaolin art.

Grandmaster Ie Chang Ming

The second Grandmaster of the lineage (1880-1976), renowned for his mastery of the Golden Snake style and Iron Bar posture, who later relocated to Bandung, Indonesia.

Grandmaster Sin Kwang Thé

Born in 1943 in Bandung, Indonesia; attained the 10th Degree and Red Belt in 1968 to become the youngest Grandmaster in Shaolin history, and subsequently introduced the lineage to the United States.

Liu Fu Tao

The 'Way of the Sixth Sense'; an intensive training discipline taught by Grandmaster Ie to systematically sharpen sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste for combat awareness.

Wai Chia

External or 'hard' martial arts disciplines (such as Northern Fist and Southern Fist) that prioritize muscular conditioning, structural toughness, and visibly powerful attacks.

Nei Chia

Internal or 'soft' martial arts systems (such as T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Pa Kua Chang, and Hsing I Ch'uan) that focus on internal energy, relaxation, yielding, and subtle power generation.

Tan Tien

The body's central energy center, situated approximately one to two inches below the navel deep within the abdomen, used for breath focus and chi storage.

Wei Chi

The 'surface' or 'protecting' manifestation of post-natal chi that shields the exterior of the body.

Ying Chi

The deep, nourishing manifestation of post-natal chi that circulates through internal meridians and sustains bodily tissues.

Ching Chi

Sexual energy produced when chi descends to the genitals.

Shen Chi

Mental or spiritual energy generated when chi ascends to the brain, stimulating vital cranial points such as the 'Point of 100 Revelations.'

Rooting

The ability to establish unshakeable stability and equilibrium in any stance, as if roots extend from the soles of the feet deep into the earth.

Snap

The acceleration component of striking ($\text{Force} = \text{Mass} \times \text{Acceleration}$), delivering and immediately whipping back a blow like the strike of a snake or the talons of an eagle.

Wai Dan Chi Kung

External chi kung that concentrates chi within the muscular system through dynamic muscle tension, strengthening muscles, sinews, and tendons while enhancing structural durability.

San He Ch’ien

Meaning 'Three Measures Fist' (also called Iron Shirt Chi Kung or T'ie Pu Chi Kung); a Wai Dan Chi Kung discipline utilizing full-body dynamic tension and a rooted stance to withstand heavy blows.

Hou T’ien Chi

The 'Breath After Birth'; the primary Nei Tan Chi Kung praxis of Shaolin, practiced in standing, seated, headstand, supine, and iron bar postures to calm the mind and control breathing.

Hua Tuo (Hua To)

A revered physician and surgeon of the Three Kingdoms Period (141-208 A.D.) who performed bone and brain surgeries and developed the Wu Qin Xi health exercise system.

Wu Qin Xi

The 'Five Animal Play'; an internal exercise system developed by Hua Tuo based on the movements of the bear, tiger, deer, crane, and monkey, divided into Dead and Live training.

Dead Training (Wu Qin Xi)

The strenuous portion of Hua Tuo's Five Animal Play that employs dynamic isometric muscle tension to stimulate dormant or 'dead' chi.

Live Training (Wu Qin Xi)

The agile and light portion of Hua Tuo's Five Animal Play practiced to circulate chi freely throughout the meridians without rigid breath restrictions.

Hsien T’ien Chi

The 'Breath Before Birth'; the advanced Nei Tan Chi Kung system focusing on activating and circulating prenatal 'yuan chi' through energetic circular orbits.

Hsiao Chou T’ien

The 'Small Circle of Heaven' or Microcosmic Orbit; an internal circulation pathway routing chi from the Tan Tien through the perineum, spine, crown (Pai Hui), third eye (Yin Tang), palate, and chest back to the Tan Tien.

Ta Chou T’ien

The 'Large Circle of Heaven' or Macrocosmic Orbit; the extended meridian pathway circulating chi through the extremities, including the Tu Mei, Ren Mei, Tai Mei, and limb channels.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan

Meaning 'Grand Ultimate Fist' or 'Supreme Ultimate Fist'; an internal martial art originated by Zhang Sanfeng that incorporates circular yielding, 8 Gates, 5 Steps, and the discharge of chin.

Yang Lu-ch’an

A 19th-century martial artist known as 'Yang Wudi' (Yang the Invincible) who learned the internal art in Chen Village and popularized Yang Family T'ai Chi Ch'uan throughout the Qing empire.

Chin

The focused, explosive 'shaking' energy of the internal martial arts, generated through sinking, rooting, and releasing internal force into an opponent.

Pa Kua Chang

Meaning 'Eight Changes of the Palm' (Baguazhang); an internal martial art attributed to Dong Haichuan that combines circular footwork ('Walking the Circle') with coiling animal movements.

Dong Haichuan

The 19th-century founder of Pa Kua Chang who synthesized village martial arts with Taoist circle walking and became instructor to the imperial palace guards in Beijing.

Hsing I Ch’uan

Meaning 'Form-Will Fist' or 'Mind-Form Fist' (Xingyiquan); an aggressive, linear internal martial art characterized by explosive, simultaneous attacking and defending techniques.

General Yueh Fei

A legendary Sung Dynasty military commander and patriot tattooed with 'serving the nation with utmost loyalty,' traditionally credited with creating Hsing I Ch'uan, Eagle Claw, and the 18 Continuous Postures.

Wu Lu (Hsing I)

The Five Roads of Hsing I Ch'uan, representing the Five Elements: P'i Chuan (Metal/Splitting), P'eng Chuan (Wood/Crushing), Chan Chuan (Water/Drilling), P'ao Chuan (Fire/Pounding), and Heng Chuan (Earth/Crossing).

Six Harmonies

The six essential unifications of Hsing I Ch'uan: Hand with Foot, Elbow with Knee, Shoulder with Hip, Heart with Mind, Mind with Chi, and Chi with Power (Chin).

Yueh Fei Shur Pa Kwan

Yueh Fei's 18 Continuous Postures; a dynamic tension exercise performed in deep horse stances on the balls of the feet, simulating a mounted archer drawing a bow against opponents.

Kwoon

A traditional Chinese martial arts training school or hall where protocol demands removing shoes, demonstrating mutual respect, and maintaining clean hygiene.