HUMAN-CHARACTER BUTTERFLY KNIVES
OR DOUBLE SOUTHERN KNIVES
Picture Series

Butterfly Knives

Grandmaster Wong demonstrating a pattern called “Jade Girl Combs Hair” from the Human-Character Double Southern Knives



The Butterfly Knives or Double Southern Knives were very popular in South China where narrow streets and crowded environments favored such short, light weapons for combat.

The set below, called “Human-Character Double Southern Knives”, is composed from the essence of two sets — “Crossroad Double Southern Knives” of Uncle Righteousness of Southern Shaolin, and “Human-Character Knives” of Sifu Choe Hoong Choy of Choe Family Wing Choon. “Human-character” is so-named because the two knives are held like the Chinese character for “human”. This is an effective technique to dislodge an opponent's weapon. Do you know how this can be done by looking at the pictures of the relevant pattern?

Besides being effective for close-range fighting, these short, light weapons are also effective against long and heavy weapons. Can you tell which patterns in the set below are effective counters against long or heavy weapons like spears and big tridents?


The names of the patterns in Chinese pronunciation and Chinese characters are provided below


Sequence 1

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
1 Dragon and Tiger Appear
2 Thousand Tons to Ground

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
3 Hide Flowers in Sleeves
4 Big Boss Offers Wine

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
5 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain
6 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
7 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain
8 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
9 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain
10 Jade Girl Combs Hair


Sequence 2

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
11 Jade Belt Circulate Waist
12 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
13 Phoenix Spreads Wings
14 Breeze Sways Lotus Leaves

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
15 Butterflies Flying Separately
16 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
17 Phoenix Spreads Wings
18 Breeze Sways Lotus Leaves

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
19a Whirlwind Sweeps Leaves
19b Whirlwind Sweeps Leaves


Sequence 3

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
20 Jade Belt Circulates Waist
21 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
22 Beauty Moves Boat with Pole
23 Happy Birds Construct Bridge

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
24 Beauty Moves Boat with Pole
25 Happy Birds Construct Bridge

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
26 Tiger Tail Knife Technique
27 Comet Chases Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
28 Tiger Tail Knife Technique
29 Comet Chases Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
30 False Leg Hand Sweep
31 Comet Chases Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
32 Catch Tiger in Mountain
33 Fierce Tiger Crouches on Ground


Sequence 4

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
34 Jade Girl Throws Ball
35 Jade Girl Throws Ball

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
36 Breeze Sways Floating Green
37 Breeze Sways Floating Green

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
38 Colorful Swallows Flying Separately
39 Double Leopards Speed Through Jungle


Sequence 5

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
40 Double Lifting Sun and Moon
41 Double Leopards Speed Through Jungle

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
42 Double Leopards Speed Through Jungle
43 Double Leopards Speed Through Jungle

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
44 Bar the Big Boss
45 Black Tiger Guards Door

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
46 Bar the Big Boss
47 Black Tiger Guards Door


Sequence 6

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
48 Double Leopards Speed Through Jungle
49 Double Whips Strike Tiger

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
50 Double Swallows Turn Body
51 Bail Moon from Sea Bottom

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
52 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon
53 Double Whips Strike Tiger

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
54 Double Swallows Turn Body
55 Bail Moon from Sea Bottom


Sequence 7

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
56 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon
57a Double Butterflies Flying

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
57b Double Butterflies Flying
58 Golden Knife Chops Rock

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
59 Golden Knife Chops Rock
60 Double Dragons Emerge from Sea

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
61a Double Butterflies Flying
61b Double Butterflies Flying

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
62 Golden Knife Chops Rock
63 Golden Knife Chops Rock


Sequence 8

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
64 Double Dragons Emerge from Sea
65 Human-Character Knife Technique

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
66 Drying Dews on Lotus Platform
67 Human-Character Knife Technique

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
68 Drying Dews on Lotus Platform
69 Human-Character Knife Technique

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
70 Reverse Hitting of Purple Bell
71 Human-Character Knife Technique

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
72 Reverse Hitting of Purple Bell
73 Colorful Swallows Flying Separately

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
74 Golden Knife Chops Rock
75 Golden Knife Chops Rock


Sequence 9

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
76 Breeze Sways Lotus Leaves
77 Point at Star Look at Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
78 Bail Moon from Sea Bottom
79 Single Legged Hungry Crane

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
80 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon
81 Breeze Sways Lotus Leaves

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
82 Point at Star Look at Moon
83 Bail Moon from Sea Bottom

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
84 Single Legged Hungry Crane
85 Rhinoceros Looks at Moon

Butterfly Knives Butterfly Knives
86 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain
87 Dragon and Tiger Appear


Names of Patterns, Chinese (Cantonese) Pronunciation and Chinese Characters

Chinese characters of Butterfly Knives

The names of the patterns, the Chinese (Cantonese) pronunciation and the Chinese characters are provided by Sifu Michael Chow of Shaolin Wahnam Canada, with the help of Sifu Zhang Wuji of Shaolin Wahnam Singapore. We wish to thank Sifu Michael Chow and Sifu Zhang Wuji for their splendid effort.

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