Chinese martial arts

Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (ˈkʌŋ_ˈfuː; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Ancient China . These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" of martial arts. Examples of such traits include Shaolinquan () physical exercises involving All Other Animals () mimicry or training methods inspired by Old Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are called internal (内家拳; ), while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called external (外家拳; ). Geographical association, as in northern (北拳; ) and southern (南拳; ), is another popular classification method. Kung fu (term) Kung fu and wushu are loanwords from Cantonese and Mandarin respectively that, in English, are used to refer to Chinese martial arts. However, the Chinese terms kung fu and wushu (; ) have distinct meanings. The Chinese equivalent of the term "Chinese martial arts" would be Zhongguo wushu () (Mandarin). In Chinese, the term kung fu refers to any skill that is acquired through learning or practice. 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. Wushu literally means "martial art". 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". 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 (), adapted and judged to a set of aesthetic criteria for points developed since 1949 in the People's Republic of China. Quánfǎ (拳法) is another Chinese term for Chinese martial arts. 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.

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