English translations of old Chinese script Nam Yang hanging banners?

[Stairs17]

I had a question for the global family: in the videos of the old Nam Yang Pugilistic Association anniversary celebrations, what do the Chinese script hanging banners say in English? I’m very curious – any insight would be humbly appreciated!

Best wishes, Alastair N.

[Emily]

Oh this is definitely interesting! Good question @stairs17.

Maybe will @masteriain, @dougal or @namyangsing know?

[NamyangSing]

Which are the videos in particular?

[MasterIain]

Andrew is the best person to answer this as he reads Chinese better than the rest of us. 🙂 How about sending pictures of the specific banners Alastair?

The Nam of our club sounds like ‘Nam Yang Gou Shu Tee Eue Huai’. Simply translated this could be ‘South Seas National Athletic Art (of China) Association’. Which effectively means ‘South East Asia Kung Fu Association’ in colloquial English. I could explain this better when we have our next zoom meeting Alastair, Iain.

[NamyangSing]

In the 35th Anniversary video, the banners have to be read both horizontally and vertically. The first word of both banners starting from the right to the left form the word “Namyang.” The second word on both banners reading from left to right means “the fist that is passed down/taught.” The next four words on the right banner read in Mandarin “Yong Chun Bei He” (Eng Chun White Crane); the next four words on the left banner read in Mandarin “Hu He Shuang Xin” (Tiger-Crane Combination). The last three words on the right banner read “emits thousand prosperity.”. The last three words on the left banner read “spread the art.” Reading the right banner vertically, it means “Southern Fist Eng Chun Bei Ho Emits Thousand Prosperity.”. For the vertical reading of the left banner, it reads “Fist also known as Tiger-Crane Combination Spread the Art.”

[NamyangSing]

In the 44th Anniversary video, the right banner has two vertical lines of words. The right line of words read “Celebrate the Club’s 44th years with England branch 5th Anniversary.” The left line of words read “Commemorate 15th Death Anniversary of Eng Chun White Crane Master Ang Lian Huat.”. The banner on the right is about honouring the Guest of Honour from the Prime Minister’s Office who graced the occasion.

[NamyangSing]

I revisited the 35th Anniversary video and realised that the last Chinese character on the right banner could carry another meaning. It depends on whether there’s a small stroke in between the word. In my earlier interpretation, I took this word to be having a small stroke in it, hence understood as “prosperity.”. If without the stroke, it is understood as “look or manner or way.”. So instead of reading it as “Southern Fist Eng Chun Bei Ho Emits Thousand Prosperity,” it can be read as “Southern Fist Eng Chun Bei Ho Emits Thousand Looks .” The latter rendering can be understood to mean that our White Crane art when one were to master it, can have endless ways of applying it. This is consistent with what Master Tan had always told us, “I teach you a thousand, you manifest it into a million.”

[MasterIain]

Thank you. This is really interesting Andrew, Iain.

[Stairs17]

Thank you very much for your comments, Emily, Andrew and Master Iain.

It’s fascinating to hear about the translations and also how the ideas expressed in the characters link in with the broader philosophy!

I once heard from a friend that it’s a tradition to hang (smaller) banners like these in family home training spaces. Are there banners available for global Nam Yang family members to hang up in their training spaces at home to gaze on when training?

If not, just an idea (and only if appropriate of course!), it’d be interesting to reproduce the relevant characters from the banners mentioned above for members’ home training spaces. Unfortunately I do not have the calligraphy skills but just an idea!

[MasterIain]

For those of us who are illiterate in Chinese the original calligraphy with a translation underneath is ideal.

Because of the cost and logistical difficulty of printing, storing, selling and shipping banners might I suggest that we try to produce PDFs which members can print? Some modern printers will print fabric. Otherwise they could be printed on paper. Framing would be down to the individual.

Just an idea. in my experience freebies go down best. 🙂

Iain.

[Stairs17]

That sounds like an excellent idea to me!

Best wishes, Alastair

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