Kung fu

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Character Kung Fu, officially also Gongfu

The term Kung Fu , according to Duden also Kung-Fu rarely Kungfu - borrowed from the English kung fu - or Gong Fu , officially after Pinyin Gongfu , rarely Gung-Fu , written - from Chinese 功夫 , Pinyin Gōngfū , W.-G. Kung Fu  - "something achieved through hard, patient work", adopted - is mostly used in the West to denote various Chinese martial arts styles, e.g. B. " Shaolin Kung Fu " or " Wing Chun Kung Fu ". In the Chinese language, the term originally referred to the degree of skill acquired through hard work and the time and effort invested in it, but colloquially it is also used there as a synonym for martial arts that can only be achieved through constant training ("Kung Fu ”-“ hard work invested ”), especially for the Chinese martial art .  

Spellings

There are different transcription systems to represent the Chinese script of standard Chinese ( standard Chinese) in Latin letters, which also results in the different Latin spellings for the characters " 功夫 ", also synonymous with " 工夫 ". The spelling of Kung Fu is in the Western world probably the most widespread and goes on especially earlier in the United States and Great Britain used Wade-Giles system back. In the internationally officially used Pinyin system, the spelling Gōngfū applies . Without the diacritical marks for the tones of standard Chinese, the result is gongfu .

The spelling of the term Gung Fu ( 功夫 , Gōngfū , Jyutping Gung 1 fu 1 ), which is rarely found nowadays, has its origin in the Cantonese pronunciation of the characters according to the English writing convention and goes back to Bruce Lee .

meaning

Salutation of a Kungfu practitioner (see Kempō Karate ) 1

Kung Fu is the origin of several Chinese martial arts ( 武藝  /  武艺 , wǔyì  - " Chinese martial arts , martial arts , martial arts ") which were developed about 1,500 years ago by the monks of the Shaolin monastery (see Bodhidharma ), which are now mostly known in the West as modern wushu - modern Asian martial arts are known. The five elements play a major role in Kung Fu and are particularly valued in combat. A stick ( 棍 , Gùn ) symbolizes the wood , a spear ( 槍  /  枪 , Qiāng ) the fire , the fist ( 拳 , Quán ) the earth , a saber ( 刀 , Dāo ) the metal and a sword ( 劍  /  剑 , Jiàn ) symbolizes the water . Kung Fu doesn't just refer to a specific martial art. The Chinese name means something like "hard work". Learning the skills of kung fu takes time, effort and strength. Traditional training is rigorous and demanding, which is why a kung fu student is expected to be patient, persistent, disciplined and strong willed. Different styles of kung fu can be learned today.

In the West, the term Kung Fu (or Gungfu ) as a name for the Chinese martial arts was popularized in the 1960s by Bruce Lee and the Hong Kong films ( Eastern ) in the United States of America , later also by the television series Kung Fu .

In everyday Chinese usage, gōngfū ( 功夫 synonymous 工夫 , Jyutping gung 1 fu 1 ) simply means "work" (work invested), "effort" or "effort" without context. So in Chinese z. B. xià gōngfu ( 下功夫 synonym 下工夫 , Jyutping haa 6 gung 1 fu 1 ) translates as " putting time and effort (work) into something ". In the specific context, the term gōngfu in Chinese is mostly translated as "ability", "skill" or "ability", e.g. B. the term chuángshàng gōngfū ( 床上 功夫 synonym 床上 工夫 , Jyutping cong 4 soeng 6 gung 1 fu 1 ) usually means someone's "ability or sexual skill or technique in bed" and not "martial arts in bed". In general, gōngfu is not a term for the martial arts in particular, but a term for any skill that one has developed through hard effort and in which one has brought it to a certain mastery. This can refer to the martial arts, but also to other skills. Thus, for example, shàolín gōngfu ( 少林 功夫 , shaolin kung fu  - "Shaolin martial art") describes the martial arts of the Shaolin monks, but in calligraphy a calligrapher can "be filled with gongfu " ( 書法 功夫  /  书法 功夫 , shūfǎ gōngfu  - "calligraphic skill").

The general Chinese term for all Chinese martial arts is Wǔshù ( 武術  /  武术  - "martial art, fighting technique"). In the meantime, however, the term Gōngfu ( 功夫 ) is also being used more and more in China to conceptually separate traditional martial arts from modern martial arts , namely competition-oriented Wushu .

If the term is broken down into its individual characters, the sign 功 means “achievement”, “merit” or “achievement”, and 夫 means “mature person” or “man”. However, the combination of characters has the meaning given above.

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1 Closed and open hand ("closed fist and open hand") to symbolize Yin and Yang - Ordinary traditional salutation in ancient China, especially for people with martial arts.

Use of the word in Chinese philosophy

The word "Kung Fu" is formed from the characters Gōng ( 功 , kung  - "achievement, achievement") and Fū ( 夫 , fu  - ", adult man, mature person"). The compound term has a profound meaning in Chinese philosophy .

“[Kung Fu is the] endeavor of human beings to perfect themselves through constant effort. [...] [Whatever we do], our inner constitution is always expressed in what we do. [...] When we perfect our actions, we perfect ourselves. "

- Taisha Abelar

In this sense, Kung Fu is working on oneself through the consequent devotion to an artistry. Here the term is similar to the use of the term Dō ( = way, path ) in the traditional Japanese arts. In addition to the literal meaning, this is also an indication of the spiritual dimensions and the influence of the Dào on the practice of the individual disciplines.

Mark Salzman describes in his book Iron and Silk that Kung Fu is also an “immeasurable quality” that is inherent in something. A painted character can have gong fu - the creator, as described above, had invested long training in perfecting his art. Things, but also activities, e.g. B. dance, music or fighting movements, have Kung Fu.

Web links

Wiktionary: Kungfu  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Kungfu  Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kung-Fu - Duden , Bibliographisches Institut ; 2017
  2. ↑ a b c Term "gōngfū (功夫)". In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved March 4, 2016 (Chinese, German, English, French).
  3. ↑ term "gongfu (功夫/工夫). In: leo.org . Retrieved on June 23, 2017 (Chinese, German).
  4. ↑ a b Term "gōngfū (工夫)". In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved April 7, 2016 (Chinese, English).
  5. ^ Lee, Bruce, edited by John Little: The Tao of Gung Fu . Tuttle Publishing, Tokyo, Rutland (Vermont), Singapore 1997, ISBN 0-8048-3110-6 , pp. 12 .
  6. ↑ term Wuyi -武藝/武艺. In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved August 6, 2019 (Chinese, English).
  7. ↑ term "xiagōngfū (下功夫)". In: dict.revised.moe.edu.tw. Retrieved September 9, 2017 (Chinese, Taiwan Ministry of Education Dictionary).
  8. ↑ term "xiagōngfū (下工夫)". In: www.zdic.net. September 9, 2017, accessed January 1, 2000 (Chinese, German, English, French).
  9. ↑ term "Chuangshang gongfu (床上功夫)". In: dict.revised.moe.edu.tw. Retrieved September 9, 2017 (Chinese, Taiwan Ministry of Education Dictionary).
  10. ↑ What does gungfu mean ? Retrieved February 19, 2010 .
  11. ↑ What does Kung Fu mean? Retrieved February 19, 2010 .
  12. ↑ What is Shaolin Kung Fu? (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 4, 2010 ; accessed on August 16, 2019 .
  13. ↑ a b Term "gōng (功)". In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved March 4, 2016 (Chinese, German, English, French).
  14. ↑ a b Term "fū (夫)". In: www.zdic.net. Accessed March 4, 2016 (Chinese, German, English).
  15. ↑ Taisha Abelar: The Sorceress . Fischer ( TB ), Frankfurt 2001, ISBN 3-596-13304-1 .
  16. ↑ Mark Salzman: Iron and Silk. Encounters with China. 1995, ISBN 3-426-60409-4 .