Chinese martial arts
| Wushu | |
|---|---|
| Literal meaning: | martial art |
Chinese martial arts, also known by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu (Simplified Chinese: 武术; Traditional Chinese: 武術; Pinyin: wǔshù), and popularly as kung fu (Chinese: 功夫; Pinyin: gōngfu), includes a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common features, identified as "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pài) or "schools" (門, mén) of martial arts. Examples of such features include physical exercises copying certain animals, or training methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles focusing on qi are called internal (内家拳, nèijiāquán), while others concentrate on improving muscle and heart fitness, and are called external (外家拳, wàijiāquán). They are also often classed according to region, that is northern (北拳, běiquán) and southern (南拳, nánquán).
Related pages [change]
- Eighteen Arms of Wushu
- Hard and soft (martial arts)
- Kung fu (disambiguation)
- List of Chinese martial arts
- Wushu (term)
- Wushu (sport)
