kung fu

[ kuhng foo, koong ]

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.

kung fu

/ ˈkʌŋ ˈfuː /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kung fu¹

From the Chinese word gōngf ú literally, skill

Word History and Origins

Origin of kung fu¹

from Chinese: skill, accomplishment

Example Sentences

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

Yeun is relegated to neither nerd, nor mysterious villain, nor kung fu master roles.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ve taken a bunch of classes in the past, like tap dancing, kung fu, and basket weaving.

From Literature

“Bruce Lee was very popular in 1974. He was Chinese, but they didn’t understand the difference between Chinese, Japanese and Korean so they would always ask me if I knew kung fu,” Kawano said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling