Kung Fu/Gung Fu

[oceanwinds]

I've never been around any Chinese Martial Arts schools and have always been interested. I recently moved to a new state and found an advertisement for "Gung Fu." Can someone please explain what this is? Is it just a form of Kung Fu, something totally different, or just a mis-print?

 

Edited in...Okay, I've been reading on here and have found threads that say they are the same, just different pronunciations. Then I read a thread that said Gung Fu is the same as Wushu. So does that mean the same for Kung Fu? I am really confused now! Any help?

 

Also, what are the main differences between Wing Chun and Wushu? I think one is more a sport, and the other is more an art. Am I totally off base here? I'm looking for a Martial Art that is more forms and techniques as opposed to sparring. My legs are messed up from TKD and I need something new.

 

Thanks for any help...

 

oceanwinds

[Stold]

Gung Fu is the cantonese pronunciation of Kung Fu.

 

Kung Fu is generally an american term. If you were to go to china and ask for a kung fu school people would most likely look at you funny. The general term for martial arts in china is Wu Shu.

 

Wu Shu however is also a name for a type of form competition in china.

 

The difference between Wing Chun and wushu? Depends what you mean by wu shu. The real meaning doesn't make sense, it's like asking, "What's the difference between Wing Chuns and martial arts?"

 

However, Sport Wu Shu is only forms and is used for display. Wing Chun is strictly a form of pugilism.

[Ali]

 

Gung Fu = Kung Fu

 

In Chinese, the term "Kung Fu" mean skillful.

 

If you are good at making wooden table, people

 

would also say that you have good "Kung Fu".

 

But I think for westerners, Kung Fu would mean

 

Chinese method of martist art.

 

Kung Fu is not a form or school of fighting method

 

but just a general term of thousand schools of

 

Chinese martial art.

 

Wing Chun is being only one of the fighting method of

 

Chinese Kung Fu. And what makes this well-known.

 

Nobody would deny the status of Bruce Lee on this.

 

Or we could go into some of development of Chinese Kung Fu in China.

 

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party becomes the ruling party.

 

Another group fled to Taiwan for the fear of being accused of

 

anti-revolutionaries. Among these people, some great martial artists

 

also fled to Taiwan, Hong Kong, South East Asia and etc.

 

Later, during the Cultural Revolution between 1966 - 1976 caused by

 

Mao, many great martial artists in China were accused to be

 

old traditional cultural stuff, "toxic" to Communist revolution and

 

were humilated, in jail or even got killed. When the end of political

 

movement, the Chinese communist parties started to re-focus on

 

Kung Fu.

 

Using another term Wushu to represent Chinese martist art,

 

"Wushu" in Chinese mean "fighting technique"

 

"Wu" in single has a deep meaning. To stop conflict is "Wu"

 

Chinese communist party would standardize the "Wushu".

 

Taking one of northern fighting style in China to form "Long Fist", Chinese communist government ignored fighting essence. "South Fist"

 

was also formed by taking some hand-techique from Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut and other southern school, "Simplfied Taiji", "Sword play", "Stick play" were also standardized for easier judgement for the sake of gold medal. These were all you can see so-called

 

"Modern Wushu" or "Sport Wushu". With a guy jumping here and

 

there, people would say these stuff are "flowery style" and yes these

 

are.

 

For animal styles, taking monkey style as example, modern monkey

 

style you can see some nonse behaviour like peeping off peanut in

 

the form. Is this related to fighting? NO!!!

 

How about real fighting combat?

 

Yes, San shou is formed on 1983 with stupid rule on that moment.

 

Wrestling skill score 3 marks, punch 1 mark, kick 1 mark.

 

No conservative punching on head that mean if you throw

 

1 punch on head, the other punch should be on body.

 

In short, no 1-2 punch, no jab and hook.

 

Even crazy, not allowed to have heavy punch on head

 

Competitor need to wear body shelter, helmet, shin pad.

 

This is until 1990, no conservative punching rule is deleted.

 

Recently, all protector, helmet and shin pad are allowed taking

 

away.

 

In short, Wu shu in China can be divided into

 

"Wu Shu" just form like dancing and "San Shou", Chinese way

 

of free fighting.

 

How about traditional fighting school or Gar?

 

With no government sponsor, not quite easy to develop.

 

coz Chinese Kung Fu have so many different schools.

 

Hope these information help

[omnifinite]

Our letters don't quite fit their sounds. If you could mix K and G into one letter it would probably be closer.

[The_Devil_In_Disguise]

Kung fu is the martial art like gung fu However the word Wushu literally means 'martial art'

[Kensai]

Kung Fu is not a MA. Wing Chun Kung Fu is, Shaolin Kung Fu is and Choi Li Fut Kung Fu is etc.

 

Aikido could be considered Kung Fu, so could Mauy Thai or Brazilian Jiujutsu. Kung Fu, literally means "hard work".

 

Gung Fu and Kung Fu, are one and the same. However if you look at the soundings of the word in Chinese/Cantonese and Romanised English, you will see that to write the word correctly you would say KUNG FU, but to SAY that word you would say "GUNG FU". Sorta like Thru and though. THRU is how you say the word, however (in the PROPER ENGLISH), it is spelt TH-ROU-GH.

 

Hope this helps.

[oceanwinds]

Thank you all for responding. I think I am beginning to understand a little better now.

[monkeygirl]

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