Martial Art means any form of physical combat from sword fighting styles, the stereotypical Eastern fighting style we see in movies, to boxing.. The literal meaning of Martial art is a system or style of combat.
Nope..... 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"
Nope..... 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"
Gong 功 work.
Fu 夫 husband, man.
I found this useful post in a forum on Internet:
CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS In the West, Chinese martial arts are usually referred to as "gongfu 功夫". The term does not specifically mean 'Chinese martial arts'. Rather, gongfu is the philosophy which is applied to any time-honoured pursuit of excellence. Thus, dedication and perseverance are essential for the practitioner of Chinese martial arts. In China, several terms for the Chinese martial arts became popular. Guoji 国技 (National Skill) has been used in the past, as have guoshu 国术 (National Technique), zhongguo quan 中国拳 (China Fist), quanfa 拳法 (the Way of the Fist), and quanshu 拳术 (Fist Technique). The term gongfu does not refer specifically to the martial arts. It is more a slang usage found in the United States and in some parts of southern China. Wushu 武术 (War Technique) is perhaps the more proper term for Chinese martial arts. The term wushu has been officially adopted by the People's Republic of China.
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