This is the original meaning of the Bil Gee in Ancient time.

1. 蛇鶴詠春翁國榮體育會
Snake Crane Wing Chun Yung Kwok Wing Athletic Association
(SCWCYKWAA)
Update: 2016-02-11, by Wayne K.W. Yung
http://scwc.com.hk/ e-mail: ccwayne@yahoo.com
Snake Crane Wing Chun - Bil Gee, the truth meaning
Snake Crane Wing Chun - Bil Gee, the truth meaning
Co-Author: Wayne Yung(Hong Kong), Huang Ning(Taiwan)
Snake Crane Wing Chun Yung Kwok Wing Athletic Association
Usual translation of Biu Gee is darting finger or shooting finger. Interpretation of this
term often goes so far that explains Wing Chun third form as some kind of magic tool
which will give practitioner some superhuman powers. Usual explanation is that form
should teach a secret techniques of pressure points and give practitioner an ability to
hurt,or even kill the enemy with a finger stab. Unfortunately this is not a correct
explanation and Biu Gee means something else. When we talk about Wing Chun
terminology we have to aware of some things. For the most part of its history, wing
chun was a style practiced by a handful of people. These people were members of the
upper social class, rich and highly educated. They had their own way of using Chinese
language which is quite different from modern Chinese and at same time different
from Chinese language used by common people, just like today, highly educated
people, especially in some fields of work, use pretty different and very specific
terminology, often hard to understand for others. To properly understand term Biu
Gee, we have to understand it’s origin, time period when it was used for the first time,
who used it and why. Wrong interpretation of kung fu terminology is quite common
today, not only for “biu gee’” but for the most of wing chun terms and it is not
specific only for wing chun, it is the same for the most of kung fu styles today.
Being kept secretly in Law family for more than 150 years, Biu Gee form in Snake
Crane Wing Chun preserved not only the original technical content but also the
original meaning and interpretations of its name which is extremely important for
proper understanding, practicing and applying Biu Gee form and its techniques.

2. Term ‘’ Biu Gee” originally comes from Ch’an Buddhist story where after years of
practice nun Wu Jincang asked the Sixth Patriach Huineng for advice and explanation
of some things regarding her spiritual practice .
The patriarch responded, “I am illiterate. Please read out the characters to me and
perhaps I will be able to explain the meaning.”
Said the nun, “You cannot even recognize the characters. How are you able then to
understand the meaning?”
“Truth has nothing to do with words. Truth can be likened to the bright moon in the
sky. Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger. The finger can point to the moon’s
location. However, the finger is not the moon. To look at the moon, it is necessary
to gaze beyond the finger, right?”
This story was wildly known to people of 19th
century, it was part of their education
and they took it to describe the true meaning of Wing Chun third form. Of course,
instead of telling the whole story all the time they just used “Biu Gee”, where “Biu”
has nothing to do with shooting or darting but actually means pointing. Law family at
the time belonged to the upper social class, members of the family had best education
at the time and the art they practiced was the original and complete system from red
boats. Since we cannot know for sure when wing chun forms got their names it is
possible that Law family members had something to do with that, being the most
educated Wing Chun people at the time. Of course this is just a hypothesis, not a

3. claim or a fact. We can only hope that future research will shed some more light to the
subject
So what “Biu Gee” actually means in wing chun terms. The form is the finger. Finger
is actually the path, a set of tools for a practitioner. These tools are not only technical,
but also intellectual and ethical. The form”finger” will give models and concepts for
future growth and advancement of the practitioner.
Once mastered and adopted, models, principles, techniques will help practitioner to
fully understand the art, to continue his own path, to grow , to finally make the art his
own ,to personalize it and to be able to use it not only in any given fighting situation ,
but also In everyday life .This is the part about seeing the whole beauty of the moon.
So, the form is important, the finger is there to point the practitioner into the right
direction, without it , we could not find the right way , but once we find the path , we
have to take it , to walk on it as far as we can and leave the finger behind. It is wrong
to stay concentrated on the finger as much as it is wrong to take a path without the
right pointer (finger). Both are necessary and important.
There is a deeper meaning of “Biu Gee” term, or perhaps not deeper , it is a meaning
wildly know the people of 19th
century but hidden from modern people , especially
from people whose culture has no connection to Buddhism.
There are eight aspects of life, aspects important for personal growth and
development defined by Buddhist practice. These aspects were part of wing chun
practice as well as everyday life of old masters, but today not known to the majority
of wing chun people .These aspects are also referred as a steps on the path of

4. development .These aspects or steps are: Right Understanding, Right Intent, Right
Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration.
- Right Understanding: The first step of the path is Right Understanding. I think
there is no need to elaborate this any further. Without right understanding it is
impossible to reach any higher level of anything
- Right Intent: The second step is Right Intent. Right Understanding shows us the
essence of things , Right Intent helps us to decide what to do , helps us to take a step
on the path , whether is learning the art or simply a fighting technique in a fight.
- Right Speech: Right Speech is the next step of the Path. Right speech involves
recognition of the truth, and also an awareness of the impact of the spoken word.
There is no other way to pass and explain the art but through words. It is extremely
important to use right words and pass the art correctly.
- Right Action: In a terms of fight Right Action, closely connected to the right intent
represent an appropriate response to the fighting situation and condition we are in .
Right Action also encompasses the five precepts which were given by the Buddha, not
to kill, steal, lie, to avoid sexual misconduct, and not to take drugs or other
intoxicants.
- Right Livelihood: It means that someone who manage to reach level of Biu Gee
form must uphold the highest moral and ethical standards and be what is called a
“ Pillar of the society” , ,like many of kung fu masters of the past were , and some of
the masters today are.
- Right Effort: Right Effort means cultivating an enthusiasm, a positive attitude in a
balanced way
- Right Mindfulness: Right Mindfulness means being aware of the moment, and
being focused in that moment. This is the way of achieving the best possible results in
any given activity
- Right Concentration: . Right Concentration is turning the mind to focus on an
desired object or a goal. It is one of the most important things in wing chun training.

5. As you can see, there is much more behind two simple words, “Biu Gee”, than darting
or shooting. At least, that is how we explain and practice Biu Gee form in Snake
Crane Wing Chun.