Hand-to-hand combat and weapons practice were important in training ancient Chinese soldiers. The genesis of Chinese martial arts has been attributed to the need for self-defense, hunting techniques and military training in ancient China. It means 'fist method' or 'the law of the fist' ( quán means 'boxing' or 'fist', and fǎ means 'law', 'way' or 'method'), although as a compound term it usually translates as 'boxing' or 'fighting technique.' The name of the Japanese martial art kempō is represented by the same hanzi characters. Quánfǎ ( 拳法) is another Chinese term for Chinese martial arts. The term wushu has also become the name for the modern sport of wushu, an exhibition and full-contact sport of bare-handed and weapon forms ( 套路), adapted and judged to a set of aesthetic criteria for points developed since 1949 in the People's Republic of China. It is formed from the two Chinese characters 武術: 武 ( wǔ), meaning ' martial' or ' military' and 術 or 术 ( shù), which translates into ' art', ' discipline', ' skill' or ' method'. 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. In Chinese, the term kung fu refers to any skill that is acquired through learning or practice. The Chinese equivalent of the term 'Chinese martial arts' would be Zhongguo wushu (Chinese: 中國武術 pinyin: zhōngguó wǔshù) ( Mandarin). However, the Chinese terms kung fu and wushu ( listen (Mandarin) ⓘ Cantonese Yale: móuh seuht) have distinct meanings. Kung fu and wushu are loanwords from Cantonese and Mandarin respectively that, in English, are used to refer to Chinese martial arts. Geographical association, as in northern ( 北拳 běiquán) and southern ( 南拳 nánquán), is another popular classification method. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are called internal ( 内家拳 nèijiāquán), while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called external ( 外家拳 wàijiāquán).

Examples of such traits include Shaolinquan ( 少林拳) physical exercises involving All Other Animals ( 五形) mimicry or training methods inspired by Old Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as 'families' of martial arts. Chinese martial artsĬhinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu ( / ˈ k ʌ ŋ ˈ f uː/ Chinese: 功夫 pinyin: gōngfu Cantonese Yale: gūng fū), kuoshu ( 國術 guóshù) or wushu ( 武術 wǔshù), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Ancient China. For other uses, see Kung fu (disambiguation). For the generalized meaning of the term, see Kung fu (term).

Age of wushu dynasty pet guide