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Glossary

Commonly used terms

ambil/ambilan:
to take; a throw, takedown
badan:
body
bangau:
crane
besar:
big, large, great
beset/besetan:
lit. scrape off or flay; a sweeping throw
besi:
(“beh-SEE”) iron
buka:
open, start (e.g., open the latihan)
bulan:
moon, month
cabang:
branch group of PGB
cukup:
enough, sufficient, adequate
dasar:
basic
ganti:
change, substitute, replace (i.e., change sides right to left; change partners)
gerak/gerakan:
to move; a movement
gerak pendek/gerak panjang:
short move, long move
gerak teknik:
movement techniques or applications
guru/Guru Besar:
teacher; Great Teacher or Grandmaster
ilmu/keilmuan:
science, knowledge; The Science (of WCS)
jalan:
path or way
jalan panjang, jalan pendek:
long way, short way
jatuh/jatuhan:
to fall or drop; a falling technique
kaki:
foot/leg
kanan:
right
keterampilan:
tumbling or acrobatics (lit. “skills”)
kiri:
left
lagi:
again!, repeat
latih/latihan:
exercise, practice, train; training session
lingkaran:
a circle
Malam:
Bulan Purnama Full Moon Night (see Peh Gwe Cap Go below)
masuk:
enter
muda:
young, light or pale, unripe
orang:
person
pelatih:
trainer
pencak:
silat system of self-defense (usually refers to indigenous Malay or Indonesian martial arts)
pukul/pukulan:
memukul hit/punch; a punch; to hit
pusat:
center, headquarters (the PGB Pusat is located in Bogor, Indonesia)
sabuk:
belt, sash (martial art belts indicate training level by color)
sehat/kesehatan:
healthy; health
silat/pesilat:
self-defense; silat practitioner, martial artist
stagen:
long sash or cummerbund (wrapped tightly around hip area to stabilize lower back and organs)
sumpah:
oath
tahun:
year
tangan:
hand
tangkis:
parry
TC:
(“tay-say”) Training Center
tendangan:
a kick
terus:
continue, go on
tiga:
per empat ¾ stance
tua:
old, dark, ripe
tutup:
close, end (e.g., close the latihan)

Numbers

1.
Satu
2.
Dua
3.
Tiga
4.
Empat
5.
Lima
6.
Enam
7.
Tuju
8.
Delapan
9.
Sembilan
10.
Sepuluh

Chinese Terms & Names for Movements (mostly Hokkien dialect)

bhesi or beesi (“BAY-see”):
basic front stance
bhesi tai ma:
horse stance
kwan "gate":
a portion of a long movement practiced on its own, essence of a long move
Kwan Yin:
Goddess of Compassion (also refers to a system of movement)
liong bun:
lit. “dragon gate”: choreographed fighting combinations, special self-defense techniques
Lohan / luohan:
refers to movements in the Arhat/Bodhisattva system
pa hong:
punching
Peh Gwe Cap Go:
name of the Chinese Harvest or Full Moon ceremony, conducted at the full moon of the 8th lunar month to honor the school, the science, and the lineage of PGB
soja:
gesture with palms pressed together at chest height
Suhu:
honorific term applied only to grandmasters of self-defense and healing
su kong:
forearm bashing exercise (to train nerves to withstand impact)
tek giok:
cross-legged or twisting stance
Tao Kung:
the way of subtle energy, PGB’s health movement system
tie ka ciu:
a grasp and pull technique
tui cu (“twee choo”):
“exchanging sweat,” sparring
yang:
often denotes ‘same’ side; can also refer to ‘hard’ style movements or methods of training focused on developing external energy
yin:
often denotes ‘opposite’ side; can also refer to ‘soft’ style movements or methods of training focused on developing internal energy

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