Wing Chun Knowledge & Philosophy Group (Archive)
Wing Chun is more than techniques—it’s a way of thinking, moving, and living. This group is for those who want to dive deeper into the principles, history, and mindset behind the art.
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✔ Explore the history and evolution of Wing Chun
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✔ Share books, articles, and resources for deeper understanding
The more you understand, the more powerful your Wing Chun becomes. What’s one concept in Wing Chun that fascinates you?
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How Many Wing Chun Forms Are There?
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How Many Wing Chun Forms Are There?
How many Wing Chun forms are there? From Wing Chun training
I am only familiar with Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu, Bil Jee, and
the Wooden Dummy forms. According to Vollume II of the Wing
Chun Compendium, by Wayne Belonoha, there are two weapons forms.
They are the Long Pole (Luk Dim Bun Gon) and Eight Cut Swords
(Baat Jaam Dou) weapons forms. These are discussed on pages
332 and 353, respectively. I do not know these forms. They
are for senior students. So, this totals to 4 empty-hand and
2 weapons forms.
I think the number and types of Wing Chun forms taught is
based on the Wing Chun style. In the December 2025 issue of
Wing Chun Illustrated there is an article by Tainyu Zhang titled
“Wong Yan Zhi: The Art and Legacy of ‘Third Dog Wong'”. This
article lists the forms from the Chan Wah Shun Wing Chun style.
The forms were taught by Chan Wah Shun to Chan Ga Lim and Chan
Ga Sah. They taught the forms to Wong Yan Zhong who taught them
to his student Hong Gwong Gau. Hong Gwong Gau said on page 43, his
teacher “passed down three types of bladed weapons, 6 type, of long
weapons, and twelve empty hand forms, and many training methods”.
The names of the empty hand forms are Lin Tau, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee,
Sei Mun, Fuk Fu, Fat Zeong, Fa Kuen 1 and 2, Jong Ying, Hung Sa Sau,
Sam Neung Kuen, and Ng Loi Kuen. Within this style totals 21 forms.
In retrospect, this writing shows one Wing Chun style can contain many
more than just the typical forms like Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu, Bil Jee,
and the Wooden Dummy.
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1 Reply
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6854
Dragon Points
Hey Mike,
There are several in Wayne Belona’s list that I’ve never heard before. For sure some different lineages have additional forms (a rattan circle form, a spear form, and a walking stick form in my previous lineage), but to my knowledge Yip Man passed down only the traditional 3 empty hand, 1 dummy and 2 weapons forms to his students (there are rumors he taught slightly different versions of the dummy and sword forms at different times).
Nonetheless, the differences between even the traditional 6 forms are surprisingly large even among lineages from Yip Man’s students let alone if you compare lineages that trace back before Leung Jan and Chan Wah Shun!
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