Mantis Liuhe Staff (螳螂六合棍) — the Six-Harmony Staff

The Mantis Six-Harmony Staff (螳螂六合棍, Tánglàng Liùhé Gùn) is one of the principal long-staff (棍) forms of Seven Star Praying Mantis. Recorded by Wong Hon Fan and serialized in Hong Kong's Chinese Boxing Magazine (武術雜誌) across 1956–57, the set runs to 80 postures — among the longer staff routines in his curriculum. The "six harmonies" (六合) in the name is the same coordination principle that governs the empty-hand boxing: the unity of hand–foot, elbow–knee, and shoulder–hip, here projected out to the tip of the staff.

Character

The staff is the "grandfather of weapons" and the foundation of all the long-weapon training; mantis staff work keeps the art's close, sticking quality even at range, with rapid changes of grip and line, avalanche-style downward strikes, and the coiling blocks that turn an opponent's thrust aside before answering. The frequent spear-crushing images in the posture names (the staff used against a spear) reflect the battlefield logic the form preserves.

Representative postures

A selection from the 80 (the complete sequence is in Wong Hon Fan's serialized manual, translated in full by Brennan — linked below):

See also

Tiger-Tail Three-Section Staff (虎尾三節棍) — the flexible-staff form

Fifth Son's Eight-Trigrams Staff (五郎八卦棍) — the other major mantis staff

Seven Star Mantis (七星螳螂拳) — the parent branch

Mantis Canon — the full index of Wong Hon Fan forms in open English

Praying Mantis (螳螂拳) — the parent system

Sources

[1] 黃漢勛 (Wong Hon Fan), 螳螂六合棍, serialized in 武術雜誌 (Hong Kong, 1956–57), Seven-Star Mantis line of Luo Guangyu — full open English translation by Paul Brennan: Mantis Liuhe Staff. Brennan's translation is in copyright; linked, not reproduced.

[2] Praying Mantis Master Wong Hon Fan Collection, Chinese University of Hong Kong Library (repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/en/collection/whf).