(from the Irish Karate Association Facebook page)
The Kenpo Karate Salute with the left palm over right fist isn’t exclusive to Kenpo, but something that is used in many systems with Chinese origins. It’s is a seemingly simple gesture, and was used as a greeting in China, but the meaning has additional interpretations from a martial context.
This gesture shows the duality of things, such as:
• Open (hand)
• Scholar
• Dragon
• Yang
• White
• Sun
• Hardness
• 5 Lakes
• Closed (hand)
• Warrior
• Tiger
• Yin
• Black
• Moon
• Softness
• 4 Seas
In Kenpo Karate we often refer to the open hand and the fist as: “The scholar” and “The warrior” respectively (and also “The Dragon” and “The Tiger”). But what does it all mean?
In Chinese there is a saying:
“To cultivate both the civil and the martial”
(wenwu shuangxiu – 文武雙修)
And in Japan they also have a similar phrase:
“To excel in both arts / sciences and martial arts”
(“bunbu ryodo” – 文武両道)
From a Kenpo practitioner’s perspective it means that in order to understand the martial, we need to understand the science and gain knowledge to not only understand HOW (the warrior) but also the WHY (the scholar) of what we do.
Additionally it’s implied through these sayings that:
Through our studies we ought to strive to become a more balanced human being. Create virtues such as respect, politeness / courtesy and self-control. And through diligent study and training to become a more understanding and compassionate human being and only show force whenever it is absolutely necessary.
What about all of the other symbolism of the fist and open hand mentioned above?
Another often used interpretation of the salute in Chinese martial arts is in the phrase:
“People in the 5 lakes and 4 seas are all brothers”
(Wuhusihai jie xiongdi – 五湖四海皆兄弟)
In this case, the Five Lakes is represented by your closed fist; while the open hand represents the four seas. And the understanding is that “The Five Lakes and Four Seas” represent their country (of China – or the world from their perspective).
So, we as Kenpo practitioners can take it to mean that we are all part of a Brotherhood.
The last one I’ll mention today is perhaps the most well-known meaning of the salute:
“Overthrowing the Ching to restore the Ming”
(反清復明 – fan Qing fu Ming)
This comes from a legend that implied meaning to the shapes of the hand. The left hand (open hand) began representing the sun (日); and the right hand, the fist, represented the moon (月); which together makes the Chinese word for MING (明); and was a secret “handshake” of sorts to signify that you stood with the Ming.
There are obviously other interpretations of the salute, but hopefully this basic overview has provided some clarity
