The Tai Chi Healthways Discussion Board

zhong · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 17

What makes T'ai Chi 'T'ai Chi' and Kung Fu 'Kung Fu'?
I mean why is Yang Style classed as T'ai Chi but Wing Chun and Lau Gar classed as Kung Fu?

Maria · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 164

zhong wrote:

What makes T'ai Chi 'T'ai Chi' and Kung Fu 'Kung Fu'?
I mean why is Yang Style classed as T'ai Chi but Wing Chun and Lau Gar classed as Kung Fu?

I think it is a western misunderstanding of the word Kung Fu, spelt in pinyin gong fu

功夫 gong1 fu5 skill / art / kung fu / labor / effort

http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddictbasic&wdqb=gongfu&wdrst=0&wddmtm=0

Lau gar is simply the Lau family style

The real name of tai chi is taiji quan :

拳 tai4 ji2 quan2 shadowboxing or Taiji, T'aichi or T'aichichuan / traditional form of physical exercise or relaxation / a martial art

http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddictbasic&wdqb=taijiquan&wdrst=0&wddmtm=0

zhong · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 17

Thanks. But what I mean is why does Wing Chun not call itself T'ai Chi instead of Kung Fu. Why is Yang Style called T'ai Chi and not Kung Fu?
Is it just down to the slowing down of Forms and increased awareness/sensitivity to Chi energy?

Maria · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 164

zhong wrote:

Thanks. But what I mean is why does Wing Chun not call itself T'ai Chi instead of Kung Fu. Why is Yang Style called T'ai Chi and not Kung Fu?
Is it just down to the slowing down of Forms and increased awareness/sensitivity to Chi energy?

I'll try to explain myself, but I think it is first of all a question for sinologist and not simply people who learn chinese like me.

I think first the word "Kung Fu" has been popularized by the movie of Bruce Lee and TV series like : David Carradine : Kung Fu the legend.

Kung Fu is the Wade Gilles translitaration of the pinyin gongfu that means art, skills, and so on.

So anything can be a gongfu : calligraphy, painting, I even will say embroidery. Kung fu does not necessarily means martial art.

Taiji means the Absolute or Supreme ultimate, the source of all things according to some interpretations of Chinese mythology

My teacher of Chinese culture has also told me that taiji can be used to describe the ridge of a house : the part of a roof where the sloping sides join at the top

When you are practising taiji quan (quan = boxing) on this ridge you have to keep your balance all the time, maybe is it a way to illustrate the balance between yin and yang.

And what about yang style, it is a gong fu.

Master Zhang Dongwu, headmaster of the school of Grand Master Chen Zhenglei has written this sentence for me :

功夫在于苦练技巧在于深思

gonfu zai yu ku lian ji qiao zai yu shensi.

That means something like : the art (kung fu) consists in training hard, the skills lies in thinking deeply.

and I hope some else can explain better what I have tried to. Embarassed

andrey · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 234

Taijiquan is name of martial art. Gong fu is a skill/experience/art and apply to any martial art. If you gongfu is bad you taijiquan is bad as well Smile

Kung fu is what Westerners call gongfu due to lack of understanding original meaning:)

zhong · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 17

I get you.
I was being too boxed in.
Thanks.
Smile