---
title: "Kung Fu and Martial Arts in Chinese: Styles, Weapons and Words With Pinyin and Sound"
description: "54 kung fu words in Chinese, from 功夫, 武术 and 太极拳 to 少林, 咏春拳 and 江湖: the styles, weapons, training hall and the words of kung fu stories, each with pinyin, its meaning and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-martial-arts"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 54 words

# Kung fu and martial arts in Chinese

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E5%8A%9F%E5%A4%AB%20%E6%AD%A6%E6%9C%AF%20%E6%AD%A6%E5%8A%9F%20%E5%A4%AA%E6%9E%81%20%E6%B0%94%E5%8A%9F%20%E5%B0%91%E6%9E%97%20%E6%AD%A6%E5%BD%93%20%E5%A4%AA%E6%9E%81%E6%8B%B3%20%E5%92%8F%E6%98%A5%E6%8B%B3%20%E5%85%AB%E5%8D%A6%E6%8E%8C%20%E5%BD%A2%E6%84%8F%E6%8B%B3%20%E9%95%BF%E6%8B%B3%20%E5%8D%97%E6%8B%B3%20%E7%8C%B4%E6%8B%B3%20%E6%88%AA%E6%8B%B3%E9%81%93%20%E6%95%A3%E6%89%93%20%E5%85%AB%E6%AE%B5%E9%94%A6%20%E5%85%B5%E5%99%A8%20%E5%8D%81%E5%85%AB%E8%88%AC%E6%AD%A6%E8%89%BA%20%E5%89%91%20%E5%AE%9D%E5%89%91%20%E5%A4%AA%E6%9E%81%E5%89%91%20%E5%88%80%20%E5%A4%A7%E5%88%80%20%E6%9E%AA%20%E9%95%BF%E7%9F%9B%20%E6%88%9F%20%E6%96%B9%E5%A4%A9%E7%94%BB%E6%88%9F%20%E6%A3%8D%20%E5%8F%8C%E8%8A%82%E6%A3%8D%20%E9%9E%AD%20%E6%B5%81%E6%98%9F%E9%94%A4%20%E6%96%A7%E5%A4%B4%20%E5%8C%95%E9%A6%96%20%E5%BC%93%E7%AE%AD%20%E5%BC%A9%20%E7%9B%BE%E7%89%8C%20%E9%A3%9E%E9%95%96%20%E6%9A%97%E5%99%A8%20%E5%B8%88%E7%88%B6%20%E5%BE%92%E5%BC%9F%20%E6%AD%A6%E9%A6%86%20%E4%B9%A0%E6%AD%A6%20%E7%BB%83%E5%8A%9F%20%E9%A9%AC%E6%AD%A5%20%E5%A5%97%E8%B7%AF%20%E4%B8%B9%E7%94%B0%20%E6%B1%9F%E6%B9%96%20%E6%AD%A6%E6%9E%97%20%E9%97%A8%E6%B4%BE%20%E6%8E%8C%E9%97%A8%20%E5%86%85%E5%8A%9F%20%E8%BD%BB%E5%8A%9F%20%E7%82%B9%E7%A9%B4)

Speed

## Words for kung fu

gōng功fu夫

kung fu; martial arts

wǔ武shù术

martial arts; wushu

wǔ武gōng功

martial arts; kung fu

tài太jí极

Taiji; the Supreme Ultimate (in Chinese philosophy)

qì气gōng功

qigong

## Styles

shào少lín林

Shaolin Monastery; Shaolin (martial arts)

wǔ武dāng当

Wudang (Taoist mountain and martial arts school)

tài太jí极quán拳

tai chi

yǒng咏chūn春quán拳

Wing Chun (martial art)

bā八guà卦zhǎng掌

baguazhang (internal martial art)

xíng形yì意quán拳

Xingyiquan (Chinese internal martial art)

cháng长quán拳

Changquan (long fist, a style of martial arts)

nán南quán拳

Southern Fist (Chinese martial arts style)

hóu猴quán拳

monkey-style kung fu

jié截quán拳dào道

Jeet Kune Do (martial art of Bruce Lee)

sàn散dǎ打

Sanda; Chinese kickboxing

bā八duàn段jǐn锦

Baduanjin (traditional eight-movement qigong exercise)

## Weapons

bīng兵qì器

weapon; arms

shí十bā八bān般wǔ武yì艺

skill in all eighteen martial arts weapons

jiàn剑

sword; double-edged sword

bǎo宝jiàn剑

fine sword; precious sword

tài太jí极jiàn剑

tai chi sword

dāo刀

knife; blade

dà大dāo刀

broadsword; long-handled saber

qiāng枪

spear

cháng长máo矛

spear; lance

jǐ戟

halberd (ancient weapon)

fāng方tiān天huà画jǐ戟

fangtian halberd (crescent-bladed halberd, weapon of Lü Bu)

gùn棍

stick; rod

shuāng双jié节gùn棍

nunchucks

biān鞭

whip; lash

liú流xīng星chuí锤

meteor hammer (weapon)

fǔ斧tou头

axe; hatchet

bǐ匕shǒu首

dagger

gōng弓jiàn箭

bow and arrow

nǔ弩

crossbow

dùn盾pái牌

shield

fēi飞biāo镖

dart; darts

àn暗qì器

concealed weapon; hidden projectile

## In the training hall

shī师fu父

master; teacher (in a craft, martial art, or religion)

tú徒dì弟

apprentice; disciple

wǔ武guǎn馆

martial arts school

xí习wǔ武

to practice martial arts

liàn练gōng功

to practice martial arts or qigong; to train (in a skill)

mǎ马bù步

horse stance (martial arts)

tào套lù路

set routine (in martial arts)

dān丹tián田

dantian (point below the navel where qi gathers)

## From the kung fu stories

jiāng江hú湖

the world of itinerant martial artists and outlaws

wǔ武lín林

martial arts world

mén门pài派

sect; school (of martial arts etc.)

zhǎng掌mén门

head of a martial arts school or sect

nèi内gōng功

internal martial arts; internal exercises (of breath and organs)

qīng轻gōng功

(martial arts) art of lightness (leaping and running effortlessly)

diǎn点xué穴

(martial arts) to hit an acupoint to paralyze

## How do you write kung fu in Chinese?

功夫 (gōngfu, kung fu). Besides martial arts it means any skill won by hard work, so a good cook has 功夫 too. The usual word for the martial arts themselves is 武术 (wǔshù, martial arts).

## How do you write tai chi in Chinese?

太极拳 (tàijíquán, tai chi): 太极 (tàijí) is the Supreme Ultimate of Chinese philosophy and 拳 (quán) is fist, as in 咏春拳 (yǒngchūnquán, Wing Chun) and 形意拳 (xíngyìquán, Xingyiquan).

## What is the difference between Shaolin and Wudang?

少林 (shàolín, Shaolin Monastery) kung fu comes from the Buddhist Shaolin Temple in Henan; 武当 (wǔdāng, Wudang) from the Taoist Mount Wudang in Hubei.

## What are the traditional Chinese weapons called?

The word for weapons is 兵器 (bīngqì, weapon), and a master of them all has 十八般武艺 (shíbābānwǔyì, skill in all eighteen martial arts weapons). The four most famous are 剑 (jiàn, the straight sword), 刀 (dāo, the broadsword), 枪 (qiāng, the spear) and 棍 (gùn, the staff); 方天画戟 (fāngtiānhuàjǐ, fangtian halberd) is the halberd of the warrior Lü Bu.

## Is it 师父 or 师傅?

Both are shīfu. 师父 (shīfu, master) is the master you learn a martial art from; 师傅 is a skilled worker, and how you address a driver or tradesman.

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Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary.