Notes

Zhai Yao Section 1 (摘要一段) — Eight Step Mantis

Updated 2026-06-08

On this page

摘要 (Zhāiyào, "Picked Essentials") is the signature curriculum of Eight Step Praying Mantis — the distilled core of Wei Xiaotang (衛笑堂)'s system, taught across six sections (六段). This is Section 1 (一段), 43 postures. It is the form Wei chose to demonstrate on film, and the heart of what the Eight Step lineage transmits. (For the cross-branch meaning of 摘要, see the Zhai Yao page.)

What it trains

The system's combat essentials — 摘要 means "picked essentials," the techniques judged most worth drilling
Seizing-and-striking chains — 採手, 摟手圈捶, 崩捶閉門腳, 拔步避擊手
Named postures — 白猿偷桃, 滾龍肘, 海底取寶, 十字披紅斬腰拳, ending in 螳螂封手虛式
Footwork range — the eight steps applied through 墊步, 偷步, 拔步, 退步行步

Full posture script — 43 postures

The posture-name list as set down in the 松傳古藝武術學苑 拳譜 (the 林松賢 / 左顯富 line, direct Wei Xiaotang disciples), reproduced under fair-use citation; the English are the wiki's own working glosses. Eight Step movement names are longer and more descriptive than the tight four-character Seven Star style.

#	中文	Working gloss
1	採手進步雙捶	Seizing hand, advancing, double punch
2	偷手劈軋崩捶閉門腳	Stealing hand, chop-and-crush, avalanche punch, closing-door kick
3	拔步避擊手	Uprooting step, evading-strike hand
4	偷手砍掌	Stealing hand, hacking palm
5	進步撲掌	Advancing, pouncing palm
6	挑抱扎捶	Lifting embrace, stabbing punch
7	墊步捅捶	Skip-step, thrusting punch
8	左挫捶	Left, grinding punch
9	右黑虎偷心撩陰腳	Right, black tiger steals the heart, rising groin kick
10	轉身縱步雙撞	Turning the body, leaping step, double ramming
11	落腳回頭圈捶	Dropping the foot, turning the head, circling punch
12	提左腳通天砲	Raising the left foot, heaven-reaching cannon
13	進步劈砸	Advancing, chopping smash
14	一代二起腳	First-and-second rising kick
15	落腳雙捶	Dropping the foot, double punch
16	摟手圈捶	Scooping hand, circling punch
17	雙捋手	Double rollback hands
18	進步雙幫手	Advancing, double bracing hands, hand
19	還步雙捋手虛式	Returning step, double rollback hands, empty stance
20	進步爬三手	Advancing, three climbing hands
21	崩捶閉門腳	Avalanche punch, closing-door kick
22	退步行步	Retreating step, walking step
23	前幫手	Front, bracing hands
24	後帶手	Rear carrying hand
25	撤步圈捶	Withdrawing step, circling punch
26	白猿偷桃	White ape steals the peach
27	捋手千斤墜	Rollback hand, thousand-pound drop
28	滾龍肘	Rolling-dragon elbow
29	崩捶	Avalanche punch
30	偷手三捶	Stealing hand, three punches
31	翻身崩捶	Flipping the body, avalanche punch
32	劈砸	Chopping smash
33	墊步雙插捶手	Skip-step, double, inserting punch, hand
34	手腳齊封	Hands and feet seal together
35	偷手撞肘	Stealing hand, ramming elbow
36	崩捶插捶	Avalanche punch, inserting punch
37	轉身海底取寶	Turning the body, reach the sea-bottom for treasure
38	墊步捅捶	Skip-step, thrusting punch
39	採手劈砸	Seizing hand, chopping smash
40	崩捶閉門腳	Avalanche punch, closing-door kick
41	墊步轉身	Skip-step, turning the body
42	十字披紅斬腰拳	Cross-sash waist-cutting fist
43	螳螂封手虛式	Mantis sealing hand, empty stance

Place in the curriculum

The central form of the curriculum, trained after the foundation sets (七手, 力劈, 翻車). The full 摘要 continues through 二段 and beyond (the lineage counts six sections).

Videos

衛笑堂示範：摘要一段、二段 — Wei Xiaotang himself, archival (the gold-standard primary film)
摘要一段 — AI-restored

Sources

[1] 衛笑堂 Wei Xiaotang, 實用螳螂拳 series (1968 / 續集 1972 / 秘笈 1977; Yiwen 逸文 reprints) — the in-copyright primary published source for the Eight Step curriculum; cited, not reproduced.

[2] 松傳古藝武術學苑 (suntrans88.blogspot.com) — the 拳譜 posted by the 林松賢 / 左顯富 line (direct Wei Xiaotang disciples). The bare posture-name list is reproduced under fair-use citation; the English are the wiki's own working glosses. Source post: http://suntrans88.blogspot.com/2016/11/blog-post_60.html.

Details

Section:: Notes
Updated:: 2026-06-08

What it trains

Full posture script — 43 postures

Place in the curriculum

Videos

See also

Sources