a Chinese system of self-defense, like karate but emphasizing circular rather than linear movements
Origin of kung fu
from Chinese ch'uan-fa, literally , boxing principleskung fu
kung fuWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"kung fu." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kung-fu>.
APA Style
kung fu. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kung-fu
kung fu
noun
Any of various Chinese martial arts, especially those forms in which sharp blows and kicks are applied to pressure points on the body of an opponent.
Origin of kung fu
Mandarin gōngfu skill, art, labor from Middle Chinese kəwŋ fu&schwabreve; cultivation of the spirit kəwŋ work, labor fu&schwabreve; to support, assistTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"kung fu." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kung-fu>.
APA Style
kung fu. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kung-fu
Origin
Based on the Wade-Giles romanization of the Chinese Mandarin 功夫 (“skill, or accomplishment”) (Wade-Giles: kung1-fu, Pinyin: gōngfu, IPA: /kʊŋ˥˥fu/).
Noun
(uncountable)
- Alternative spelling of kung fu.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"kung fu." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/kung-fu>.
APA Style
kung fu. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/kung-fu
