kung fu

American  

[kuhng foo, koong] / ˈkʌŋ ˈfu, ˈkʊŋ /

noun

1. an ancient Chinese method of self-defense by striking blows at vulnerable areas of an attacker's body using fluid movements of the hands and legs.

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kung fu British  

/ ˈkʌŋ ˈfuː /

noun

1. any of various Chinese martial arts, some focusing on unarmed combat, others involving the use of weapons

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Etymology

Origin of kung fu

From the Chinese word gōngf ú literally, skill

Compare meaning

How does kung-fu compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• kung fu vs. karate

Example Sentences

Under his leadership, the temple started opening schools outside China and formed a travelling troupe of monks who performed Shaolin kung fu shows - the temple's signature style of martial arts.

From BBC

In China, officials involved in the project to remaster kung fu films said they were eager to work with AI companies.

From Los Angeles Times

Also to Mexico, and a Korean martial arts school pulled straight out of some old Shaw Brothers kung fu movie, which doesn’t make sense culturally, but consider what we’re discussing.

From Salon

In what ways has your experience with scoring kung fu films influence your classical composing style?

From Los Angeles Times

“It was six months of shooting. I was basically in every scene. I had to be funny on Tuesday, do kung fu on Wednesday and cry on Friday. It was very grueling,” Yang said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling