cdobe wrote:There are two pronunciations of the character lou. When pronounced with the first tone it means 'draw towards' or 'gather'. That might be the origin of the English translation. While people nowadays mostly say it with the third tone, it might not have been the original pronunciation. Modern Chinese speakers (and their teachers) might use the more common version, simply because they are more familiar with it. The form movement, at least the very last part of it, matches the action described by the 1st tone pronunciation. The form movement is utterly useless for catching a leg. The beginning movement of 'Cross Hands' in Wu style would fit the action of scooping under a kick much better. The "brushing" movement is not a low deflection to the outside, but an inward circle, basically the opposite movement to Cloud Hands. The second half of the circle has An and Lü. The movement is most effectively used against the arms of the opponent in a grappling situation, not for catching legs from a long range.
The first tone pronunciation is considered non-standard and regional. Replacing the third tone with the first tone is a feature of many Northern Chinese dialects, especially ones spoken in Shandong. (My own grandfather, who was from Henan, also spoke this way.) Since Taiji came from Northern China, it'd make sense that LouXiAoBu was originally pronounced in the first tone.
And the "draw towards" and "gather" definitions you provided are actually the same as holding or keeping something/someone close as far as native speakers of Chinese are concerned. To provide a clearer picture, "lou" is a verb most commonly used to describe the action of hugging, embracing, or holding a loved one in your arms. I'd be very surprised if another native speaker told me that there is a difference in meaning when the tone is changed, since the two pronunciations are simply regional variations of the same word.
The application I was shown does not involve catching a leg as shown in the original video clip. It's about applying An to a trapped lead leg and make the opponent take a nasty fall.