| |
|
Wushu (武術 - wu3 shu4) literally means "martial art". In the West, it is used much the same way as the popular term gongfu (kung fu), referring specifically to Chinese martial arts, but is in China also used as a general term for any martial art. Today, many Westerners also use wushu or modern wushu as a name for the modern styles of Chinese martial arts that are practiced solely for exhibition and competition.
Translation
The word wushu consists of two Chinese characters. 武 (wu3), meaning martial or military, and 術 (shu4), which translates into art, skill or method. Together these form "wushu" or "martial art". To be more precise, the first character 武 (wu3) is actually a combination of two other characters: 止 (zhi3) and 戈 (ge1). The first means to stop or halt something, and the latter symbolizes a halberd or a spear. Because of this, many consider a more detailed translation of "wushu" to be "method to stop weapon" or "the art of stopping violence", more similar to the Western term self-defense. This aspect plays a major role in the philosophies that are present many Chinese martial arts, which emphasize that the best way to defeat an enemy is to do so without fighting, and that the easiest way to not fight is to avoid situations that might lead to fighting at all.
See also: Chinese martial arts, gongfu