Chinese word

功夫

Pronunciation

Pinyingōng fu

Meaning

  • nounskill

Example

她的功夫很不错。tā de gōng fu hěn bú cuò

Her skill is quite good.

Illustration for 功夫 (skill)

More examples

他在电视上看功夫表演。tā zài diàn shì shàng kàn gōng fu biáo yǎn

He is watching a kung fu performance on television.

Core concept

The visible result of staying with a task long enough for effort to become practiced ability.

Common phrases

  • 练功夫liàn gōng fu

    practice kung fu

  • 学功夫xué gōng fu

    study kung fu

  • 看功夫电影kàn gōng fu diàn yǐng

    watch a kung fu film

  • 下功夫xià gōng fū

    put in effort

Similar words

本领bén lǐng: Practical skill or ability used in work and daily life.
手艺shǒu yì: Skilled craft for making things by hand or with tools.
水平shuǐ píng: The level of skill reached in a field.
能力néng lì: The ability or capacity to do something.

Definition in Chinese

表示为完成某事而投入的时间或精力，也可引申为由此形成的技艺或熟练程度。biǎo shì wèi wán chéng mǒu shì ér tóu rù de shí jiān huò jīng lì yě kě yǐn shēn wèi yóu cǐ xíng chéng de jì yì huò shú liàn chéng dù

Word origin

功夫 (gōngfu, "skill") shifts from meaning work or effort devoted to something to meaning the skill or mastery that such work produces.

Usage tips

  • In English, kung fu often sounds like the name of one kind of fighting, so learners can miss that Chinese 功夫 (gōngfu, "effort and skill") has a much broader everyday range.

Other meanings

  • martial artsnoun
  • kung funoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 功夫片gōng fū piànkung fu filmnoun
  • 功夫表演gōng fu biáo yǎnkung fu performancenoun

Word lists with this word