07/20/2026
Gongfu (Kung Fu)
功 (gōng): Work, effort, merit, achievement,
Accomplished result of sustained effort
夫 (fu): Adult man, husband, laborer, the condition of being these
Together, 功夫 (gongfu) means the process of sustained effort and the skill/ability produced by that effort and the embodiment of that ability in a person.
Therefore, 功夫 gongfu (kung fu) not only applies to martial arts, but to any embodied skill.
It is not the particular skill itself, but the depth of transformation cultivated through training.
Gongfu is conditioning.
This is why traditional training in Chen Tai Chi focused on single, repeated movements and held postures with careful attention to alignment, release of tension, whole body coordination, and other characteristics of the art that build Tai Chi qualities into the body and mind.
