Some Chinese Martial Arts Terms

Kung Fu / Kong Fu / Gung Fu / Gong Fu / 功夫

These terms all mean the same thing. The correct pinyin writing for this term is Gong Fu, although the term 'Kung Fu' is more popular in the west, and is thus the standard term used in association with Chinese martial arts. Gung Fu is closer to the Cantonese pronounciation, and was often used by Bruce Lee and martial art schools from the Southern Chinese tradition.

The term translates to "Skill obtained from hard work over time." Thus, Gong Fu may be applied to many other disciplines, not just Chinese martial arts. For example, a master chef or a skillfull musician both apply Gong Fu in their work. Of course, so does a martial artist, and Shaolin Gong Fu would mean the Shaolin skills obtained through training over a long period of time.

Wushu / 武術 / 武术

The term wu shu (Cantonese: mou sot), means "Martial Art". The character Wu is an interesting paradox in Chinese Language as it means "to stop war" but also means "martial / pertaining to the military". Shu translates to "art / skill". Together, these terms mean "The art of not fighting" or "martial arts".

In the West, some people use the term wushu to refer to a modern contemporary form of chinese martial arts which emphasizes aesthetics and athleticism. However, wushu refers to martial arts in general, ancient or modern. Some people make the distinction by using the terms "Modern Wushu" and "Traditional Wushu".

Regardless of being modern or traditional, wushu practitioners apply gong fu to their art.

Song Shan Shao Lin Si / 嵩山少林寺

This means "Song Shan Shaolin Temple" and refers to the Shaolin temple in Henan, China. Si translates to "temple". Song Shan means "Song Mountain" and is the site of the Shaolin temple. Shao Lin means "Young Forest" and the name was adopted because of its location near a forest at the base of Song Mountain.

Shifu / Sifu / Jiao Lian / Lao Shi

Shifu (Cantonese: Sifu) (师父) roughly translates to master. In Chinese martial arts the term also carries some deeper significance with family relationships (ie, father of a kung fu family), although after the Cultural Revolution in China, this term has seen less use because of the nature of modern martial art schools, and the abolishment of Confucian values such as the master / disciple relationship. In China, this term in a martial arts context is usually reserved for closer shifu-disciple relationships.

It is still popular in the West or other countries where Chinese masters have immigrated.

Jiaolian (教练) translates to "Coach" (literally "teach training"). Most modern schools in China use this term, and most students in the big martial art schools in China address their instructor with this title. It is also used in other sports. Adult students at Apex should use this term to address their instructor.

Laoshi (老师) translates to "teacher". Like the other terms, this isn't exclusive to martial arts, and can refer to any kind of teacher. Children at Apex will use this term to address their instructor.

Sanda / Sanshou / 散手 / 散打

San Da ("Free Fighting") and San Shou ("Free Hand") refer to the modern Chinese combat sport and self-defence system. They are two terms which refer to the same concept. It is thought of as a synthesis of traditional Chinese fighting styles into a modern hand-to-hand combat system which incorporates punching, kicking, wrestling, throwing, and locking.

As a sport, Sanda is often played alongside modern competitive wushu taolu (forms) events. Some popular Sanshou practitioners include Liu Hai Long and Cung Le.

Ling Feng Shaolin Gong Fu Xue Yuan / 领峰少林功夫学院

This is the name of our school. Ling Feng roughly translates to "Apex."

Shaolin is already defined above, as well as Gong Fu.

Xue Yuan translates to "Academy / College". The term Xue means "Study / Learn". The term Yuan means "Courtyard".

back to top
Discuss this article in our forums