Everything You Wanted to Know About Chinese Kung-fu

1. The History of Kung-fu

In Chinese, the term 功夫 (gōngfū) Kung-fu refers to any skill that is acquired through learning or practice. It is a compound word composed of the words 功 (gōng) meaning "work", "achievement", or "merit", and 夫 (fū) which is a particle or nominal suffix with diverse meanings. "Kung-fu," the way people say this word in the West, is an Anglicized version of this Chinese word 功夫 (gōngfū).

功夫 (gōngfū) Kung-fu is an ancient Chinese martial art of hand-to-hand combat. The martial art was developed to be a defense against an opponent who used any one-to-one, hand-to-hand fighting methods. This was common in ancient China in the context of military combat, when soldiers would often lose their weapons.

功夫 (gōngfū) Kung-fu can also be used in attack, meaning that, having repelled his opponent's attack, the defender may then go on the offensive, delivering his own thrusts, blows, kicks, and pressure grips – as necessary – in order to overpower his attacker.

2. Kung-fu for The Masses
Even though this martial art originated for military purposes, 功夫 (gōngfū) Kung-fu has become popular and used by all kinds of people for self-defense and as a mental, spiritual and physical health exercise.

We always see Kung-fu as violent in the movies, but it can also be used as a yoga-like practice, and become meditative, like the discipline of 气功 (qìgōng) Qigong. Meditation of qi, or "life force," is a large part of 功夫 (gōngfū) Kung-fu.

3. Types of Chinese Kung-fu

Yuèguāng xià, yí gè xiǎoxiǎo de luǎn, tǎng zài shùyè shàng.
月光 下，一 个 小小 的 卵， 躺 在 树叶 上.
In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.

Yí gè xīng qī tiān de zǎochén, nuǎnnuǎn de tàiyáng shēngqǐ lái le.
一 个 星期天 的 早晨， 暖暖 的 太阳 升 起 来 了，
One Sunday morning, the warm sun came up.

Pā! Cóng luǎnké lǐ zuàn chū yì tiáo yòu shòu yòu è de máomáochóng.
啪！ 从 卵壳 里 钻 出 一 条 又 瘦 又 饿 的 毛毛虫。
Pop! Out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar.

Tā sì xià xúnzhǎo zhe kěyǐ chī de dōngxi.
他 四 下 寻找 着 可以 吃 的 东西。
He started to look for food.

Xīngqīyī, tā kěn chuān le yí gè píngguǒ. Kě tā hái shì jué dé è.
星期一，他 啃 穿 了 一 个 苹果，可 他 还 是 觉 得 饿。
On Monday, he ate through one apple. But he was still hungry.

Xīngqīèr, tā kěn chuān le liǎng gè lízi, kě tā hái shì jué dé è.
星期二，他 啃 穿 了 两 个 梨子,可 他 还 是 觉 得 饿。
On Tuesday, he ate through two pears. But he was still hungry.

Xīngqīsān, tā kěn chuān le sān gè lǐzi, kě tā hái shì è.
星期三， 他 啃 穿 了 三 个 李子,可 他 还 是 饿。
On Wednesday, he ate through three plums. But he was still hungry.

Xīngqīsì, tā kěn chuān le sì gè cǎoméi, kě tā hái shì è.
星期四，他 啃 穿 了 四 个 草莓，可 他 还 是 饿。
On Thursday, he ate through four strawberries. But he was still hungry.

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Quiz:

A. 星期一 (xīngqīyī)
B. 星期三 (xīngqīsān)
C. 星期五 (xīngqīwǔ)
D. 星期日 (xīngqīrì)
See Answer