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February 4

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Chinese to English translation of Water Margin Poem

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The 120 chapter version of the Water Margin contains a poem describing unarmed combat between two characters. It is similar to one appearing in Journey to the West. I was hoping someone better versed in Chinese could provide a proper translation for the martial arts moves.

拽開大四平,踢起雙飛腳。
仙人指路,老子騎鶴。
拗鸞肘出近前心,當頭砲勢侵額角。
翹跟淬地龍,扭腕擎天橐。
這邊女子,使個蓋頂撒花;
這裏男兒,耍個遶腰貫索。
兩個似迎風貼扇兒,無移時急雨催花落。

I know the first four names are "Opening wide the 'Four Levels Posture", "the double-kicking feet fly up","The Immortal pointing the Way", and "Lao Zi Riding the Crane" because this is how Anthony Yu translates them in his revised 2012 edition of Journey to the West. --Ghostexorcist (talk) 13:32, 4 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I am not versed in it. I just try to search in Chinese Internet and I find a comparison. Not only the first four names are the same as in Journey to the West:

Water Margin:

拽開大四平,踢起雙飛腳。
仙人指路,老子騎鶴。
拗鸞肘出近前心,當頭砲勢侵額角。
翹跟淬地龍,扭腕擎天橐。
這邊女子,使個蓋頂撒花
這裏男兒,耍個遶腰貫索
兩個似迎風貼扇兒,無移時急雨催花落

Journey to the West:

拽開大四平,踢起雙飛腳。
韜脅劈胸墩,剜心摘膽著。
仙人指路,老子騎鶴。
餓虎撲食最傷人,蛟龍戲水能兇惡。
魔王使個蟒翻身,大聖卻施鹿解角。
翹跟淬地龍,扭腕擎天橐。
青獅張口來,鯉魚跌脊躍。
蓋頂撒花,繞腰貫索
迎風貼扇兒,急雨催花落。
妖精便使觀音掌,行者就對羅漢脚。
長掌開闊自然松,怎比短拳多緊削?
兩個相持數十回,一般本事無强弱。

LoveVanPersie (talk) 15:08, 5 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]