Kung fu (term)
Encyclopedia
Kung fu or gongfu or gung fu ' onMouseout='HidePop("81464")' href="/topics/Pinyin">Pinyin
: gōngfu) is a Chinese
term often used in the West to refer to Chinese martial arts
.
Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's expertise in any skill
achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial
. The Chinese literal equivalent of "Chinese martial art" would be .
In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any skill. Gōngfu (功夫) is a compound of two words, combining 功 (gōng) meaning "achievement" or "merit", and 夫 (fū) which translates into "man", so that a literal rendering would be "human achievement". Its connotation is that of an accomplishment arrived at by great effort. In Mandarin, when two "first tone" words such as gōng and fū are combined, the second word often takes a neutral tone, in this case forming gōngfu.
Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one's training - the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one's skills - rather than to what was being trained. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor. You can say that a person's kung fu is good in cooking
, or that someone has kung fu in calligraphy
; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with "bad kung fu" simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so. Kung fu is also a name used for the elaborate Fujian tea ceremony (Kung-fu cha).
The term kung fu was not popularly used in the sense of "Chinese martial art" until the 20th century, thus the word would be seldom found in any ancient texts. The term was first known to have been reported by the French Jesuit
missionary
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot
, in the 18th century. The term was uncommon in the mainstream English language
until the late 1960s, when it became popular due to Hong Kong films
, Bruce Lee
, and later the television series Kung Fu
. Before the 1960s, Chinese martial arts was primarily referred to in the West as "Chinese boxing", rather than "kung fu".
One Western entertainment exception in this misnomer is the animated film franchise, Kung Fu Panda
, which has been praised for its comprehensive understanding of Chinese culture. While it uses the term "kung fu" colloquially to refer to martial arts, the franchise also has the short, Secrets of the Furious Five
, in which the lead character, Po, explains its true meaning is "Excellence of Self." Furthermore, he illustrates this theme with stories of how his comrades' efforts to better themselves in character are just as much kung fu as their fighting skills.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: gōngfu) is a Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
term often used in the West to refer to Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
.
Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's expertise in any skill
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. The Chinese literal equivalent of "Chinese martial art" would be .
In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any skill. Gōngfu (功夫) is a compound of two words, combining 功 (gōng) meaning "achievement" or "merit", and 夫 (fū) which translates into "man", so that a literal rendering would be "human achievement". Its connotation is that of an accomplishment arrived at by great effort. In Mandarin, when two "first tone" words such as gōng and fū are combined, the second word often takes a neutral tone, in this case forming gōngfu.
Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one's training - the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one's skills - rather than to what was being trained. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor. You can say that a person's kung fu is good in cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, or that someone has kung fu in calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with "bad kung fu" simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so. Kung fu is also a name used for the elaborate Fujian tea ceremony (Kung-fu cha).
The term kung fu was not popularly used in the sense of "Chinese martial art" until the 20th century, thus the word would be seldom found in any ancient texts. The term was first known to have been reported by the French Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot was a FrenchJesuit missionary.-Life:Joseph Marie Amiot was born at Toulon. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1737 and was sent in 1750 as a missionary to China. He soon won the confidence of the Qianlong Emperor and spent the remainder of his life at Beijing...
, in the 18th century. The term was uncommon in the mainstream English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
until the late 1960s, when it became popular due to Hong Kong films
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, and later the television series Kung Fu
Kung Fu (TV series)
Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
. Before the 1960s, Chinese martial arts was primarily referred to in the West as "Chinese boxing", rather than "kung fu".
One Western entertainment exception in this misnomer is the animated film franchise, Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
, which has been praised for its comprehensive understanding of Chinese culture. While it uses the term "kung fu" colloquially to refer to martial arts, the franchise also has the short, Secrets of the Furious Five
Secrets of the Furious Five
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five is an Annie Award-winning animated short produced by DreamWorks Animation which serves as a semi-sequel to the animated feature film Kung Fu Panda and appears on a companion disc of the original film's deluxe DVD release...
, in which the lead character, Po, explains its true meaning is "Excellence of Self." Furthermore, he illustrates this theme with stories of how his comrades' efforts to better themselves in character are just as much kung fu as their fighting skills.