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
Chinese 功夫 (
gōngfū) Kung-fu is usually divided into...
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