---
title: Bung Bu (崩步拳) — The Mantis Foundation Form
---

**崩步拳 (Bung Bu Quan / Beng Bu Quan, "Avalanche Steps Boxing" or "Crushing Step")** is the **universal foundational form** of Northern Praying Mantis. Across Seven Star, Plum Blossom, Six Harmony, Eight Step, and Taiji-Plum branches alike, Bung Bu is taught **first** — the "ABC" through which every mantis specialist learns the system's signature vocabulary: the **mantis hook (螳螂鈎)**, the **seven-star stance (七星馬)**, **sticking-and-intercepting (黏截)**, and the **avalanche punch (崩捶)** that gives the form its name.

The Wong Hon Fan recension (Hong Kong Chin Woo / Seven Star), the most widely-disseminated version, has **48 postures**. Other branches differ in count and naming but not in core vocabulary.

## What the form trains

- **The mantis hook**: opens with *Snatching a Pearl from Under the Sea* (海底取珠) and *Mantis Catches a Cicada* (螳螂捕蟬) — the hooking hand on a low ducking entry that becomes muscle memory for every later mantis movement.
- **Step-and-strike unity**: *Stomp & Advance, Pushing Open a Window* (踏進推窗) and *Stomp, Wheeling Technique* (踏步翻車) — committing the body weight into the strike via the front foot's stamp.
- **The avalanche punch (崩捶)** in all its positions: *Avalanche Punch to the Face* (迎面崩捶), *Horse-Riding Stance Avalanche Punch* (馬式崩捶), *Mountain-Climbing Stance Avalanche Punch* (登山崩捶).
- **The seven-star (Big Dipper) stance** — *七星刁手* (Big-Dipper Stance, Hooking Hand) and *七星補捶* (Big-Dipper Stance, Filling Punch) — the eponymous Seven Star foundation.
- **Kicks under cover**: scooping kicks left and right (*Stretch Left Wing, Left Scooping Kick* 左翼揪腿; *Stretch Right Wing, Right Scooping Kick* 右翼揪腿), an intercepting fist over a lifting leg (*Lifting Leg, Intercepting Fist* 提腿截捶), a fanning kick (*呑塌扇風*, *反身扇風*, *進步扇風*).

## Full posture list — Wong Hon Fan recension (1947, 48 postures)

The canonical Seven Star Bung Bu, as Wong Hon Fan published it in 1947 (transmitted through 羅光玉 Luo Guangyu from 范旭東 Fan Xudong). Posture names and English glosses from Paul Brennan's open translation of Wong's book.

| # | Chinese | English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 立正中平 | Standing at Attention |
| 2 | 中平蓄勢 | Chest Facing North, Both Fists Storing Power |
| 3 | 海底取珠 | Snatching a Pearl from Under the Sea |
| 4 | 螳螂捕蟬 | Mantis Catches a Cicada |
| 5 | 踏進推窗 | Stomp & Advance, Pushing Open a Window |
| 6 | 順步補捶 | Straight Stance, Filling Punch |
| 7 | 虎躍龍騰 | Tiger Leaps & Dragon Soars |
| 8 | 入環疊肘 | Kneeling Stance, Piling Elbow |
| 9 | 迎面崩捶 | Avalanche Punch to the Face |
| 10 | 掠翼鶴膝 | Swatting Wings, Bending a Leg Like a Crane |
| 11 | 封手牽羊 | Sealing Hands, Leading a Sheep |
| 12 | 泰山壓頂 | Mt. Tai Crushes the Head |
| 13 | 抅摟採手 | Hook & Pull Seizing |
| 14 | 踏步翻車 | Stomp, Wheeling Technique |
| 15 | 踏進推窗 | Stomp, Advance, Charging Palm |
| 16 | 順步補捶 | Straight Stance, Filling Punch |
| 17 | 霸王請客 | Tyrant Invites a Guest |
| 18 | 反彈腰斬 | Tugging His Foot, Slice Through His Waist |
| 19 | 馬式崩捶 | Horse-Riding Stance, Avalanche Punch |
| 20 | 提步抅腿 | Lifting Leg, Catching His Kick |
| 21 | 反手摟腿 | Reversing Your Hand to Drag Away Another Kick |
| 22 | 反彈劈頂 | Tugging His Foot, Chop to His Head |
| 23 | 扭步黏肘 | Twisting Stance, Sticky Elbow |
| 24 | 靠身拐肘 | Crowding Body, Smashing Elbow |
| 25 | 順步推窗 | Holding Your Ground, Pushing Open a Window |
| 26 | 正門補捶 | Facing Him Squarely, Filling Punch |
| 27 | 左翼揪腿 | Stretch Left Wing, Left Scooping Kick |
| 28 | 右翼揪腿 | Stretch Right Wing, Right Scooping Kick |
| 29 | 騰撲雙綑 | Leaping Pounce, Double Snaring Hands |
| 30 | 抹眉啄睛 | Wiping Your Brow, Poking His Eyes |
| 31 | 陰陽擊掌 | Back of One Hand Striking Into the Palm of the Other |
| 32 | 力撞肺腑 | Powerfully Smash His Lungs |
| 33 | 指星換月 | Put a Blindfold on Him |
| 34 | 提腿截捶 | Lifting Leg, Intercepting Fist |
| 35 | 挑手截捶 | Intercepting by Carrying Upward |
| 36 | 橫掌封擊 | Sideways Palm After Sealing Off |
| 37 | 反封左措 | Reverse Sealing, Left Twisting |
| 38 | 迎封右措 | Block & Seal, Right Twisting |
| 39 | 掛手頂臍 | Hanging Hand, Navel-Smashing Punch |
| 40 | 呑塌扇風 | Gulp & Sink Stance, Fanning |
| 41 | 反身扇風 | Turn Around, Fanning |
| 42 | 進步扇風 | Advance, Fanning |
| 43 | 引針腰斬 | Drawing the Needle, Slicing Through the Waist |
| 44 | 圈打太陽 | Swinging Punch to the Temple |
| 45 | 登山崩捶 | Mountain-Climbing Stance, Avalanche Punch |
| 46 | 七星刁手 | Big-Dipper Stance, Hooking Hand |
| 47 | 七星補捶 | Big-Dipper Stance, Filling Punch |
| 48 | 螳螂捕蟬 | Catching a Cicada (closing) |

## The closing aphorism

Every Wong-line transmission closes the form with the verse:

> **練拳不練功，到老一塲空。捱得苦中苦，方成強上強。**
> *Practicing the boxing form without training the underlying skill — in old age it comes to nothing. Only those who endure the suffering within suffering attain the strength upon strength.*

## The 1954 verse edition (Wong's 重訂崩步拳)

In **1954** Wong Hon Fan published a revised *Bengbu Poems* (重訂崩步拳, 47 postures) attaching a **classical four-to-eight-line verse** to each posture, attributed to Wong's predecessor **Fan Xudong** (范公語). This is the *poetic-mnemonic* version of the form — meant to be memorized alongside the movement so the principle is recalled with the technique. Brennan translated all 47 verses in 2025.

## Cross-branch versions

- **Su Yu-Chang / Wutan (蘇昱彰)** — a distinct lineage preservation of Bung Bu; demo: [武術展示 七星螳螂拳-崩步(武壇版)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-RG_J-A8s).
- **Taiji Plum (太極梅花)** and **Six Harmony** branches each have their own Bung Bu variants — generally shorter, with different ordering of the same vocabulary. The Kung Fu Magazine forum thread *Bung Bu Comparisons (7-Star, CCK TJPM, TJPM)* discusses the differences across branches: [forum thread](http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-55778.html).
- **Eight Step** uses a form by the same name 崩步 in its curriculum, though not identical movement-for-movement to the Seven Star Wong version.

## Videos

**Seven Star (Wong-line):**

- [七星螳螂-崩步拳 (clean walkthrough)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d_sXvf05QY) — recommended first watch
- [Mantis Bung Bo Kuen + applications](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H9ysrOGQBY) — form with breakdown of applications
- [Praying Mantis Kung Fu Tutorial Beng Bu: Lesson 1 Section 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SSj3B8fpl0) — English-language teaching
- [崩步 — 1930s 黃漢勛-era photos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Bu_jOELtk) — archival imagery from the Wong era
- [hfwong-mantis.com — 羅光玉宗師崩步拳演式](https://www.hfwong-mantis.com/%E7%BE%85%E5%85%89%E7%8E%89%E5%AE%97%E5%B8%AB%E5%B4%A9%E6%AD%A5%E6%8B%B3%E6%BC%94%E5%BC%8F/) — **rare archival film of Luo Guangyu himself performing Bengbu**

**Other lineages:**

- [武壇版 (Wutan / 蘇昱彰 lineage)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-RG_J-A8s)
- [中國武術名拳錄 — 螳螂崩步拳](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXD0pNmmtx4) — standard reference recording

## Open English translations

- **Paul Brennan, "Avalanche Steps Boxing Set / 崩步拳" (2020)** — full bilingual translation of Wong's 1947 manual: [brennantranslation.wordpress.com](https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2020/01/26/avalanche-steps-boxing-set-beng-bu-quan/)
- **Paul Brennan, "Bengbu Poems / 重訂崩步拳" (2025)** — bilingual of Wong's 1954 verse edition: [brennantranslation.wordpress.com](https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/bengbuquan-poems/)
- **Paul Brennan, "Understanding the Avalanche Steps / 領崩步"** — bilingual of the two-person companion form: [brennantranslation.wordpress.com](https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/two-person-avalanche-steps-boxing-set/)
- **Plum Publications posture chart by Sifu Paul Koh** (companion to a Tak Wah Eng DVD): [plumpub.com/kaimen](https://www.plumpub.com/kaimen/2020/bong-bo-kuen-beng-bu-quan/)

The Brennan translations are the **single best free English-language window into Bung Bu** — full original Chinese (from Wong's published books) plus careful English, page by page.

## See also

<PageRef space="notes" slug="praying-mantis" text="Praying Mantis (螳螂拳) — the style overview" />

<PageRef space="notes" slug="seven-star-mantis" text="七星螳螂 Seven Star Mantis — Bung Bu's branch context" />

<PageRef space="notes" slug="li-pi-quan" text="力劈拳 Li Pi Quan — the Eight Step companion form" />

<PageRef space="notes" slug="zhai-yao-quan" text="摘要拳 Zhai Yao Quan — Seven Star's 'Picked Essentials' form-group" />

<PageRef space="notes" slug="wong-hon-fan" text="Wong Hon Fan (黃漢勛) — the Seven Star master whose Bung Bu is canonical" />

## Sources

**[1]** Wong Hon Fan 黃漢勛, *崩步拳* (Hong Kong, **1947**) — original Chinese published manual. Original held in the CUHK Wong Hon Fan Special Collection.

**[2]** Paul Brennan (tr.), "Avalanche Steps Boxing Set / 崩步拳" (2020) — open-access English translation: [brennantranslation.wordpress.com](https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2020/01/26/avalanche-steps-boxing-set-beng-bu-quan/). The posture list above is reproduced under fair use as the bare form-name list (in copyright as a translated work; cited and credited).

**[3]** Wong Hon Fan, *重訂崩步拳* (Hong Kong, **1954**) — the verse edition. Brennan translation: [brennantranslation.wordpress.com](https://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/bengbuquan-poems/).

**[4]** *螳螂派黃漢勛* official family site ([hfwong-mantis.com](https://www.hfwong-mantis.com)) — archival film and lineage essays.