The Language of Kung Fu - by Mads Rud

If you've ever tried to engage with Chinese martial arts content, you might find yourself lost in all the different terms you find. Is it sifu, or shifu? Laozi or Lao tzu? Why are there different words and spellings for the same concepts? There are two core reasons.

The first and most simple reason can be found in the two most common romanization structures for Chinese languages. The older system is called the Wade-Giles system (Lao tzu), and the newer is the more familiar Pinyin (Laozi). Many older texts were translated using the Wade-Giles system until pinyin was adopted as the standard in 1979. Neither system is more correct than the other, but for many Pinyin is easier to understand and pronounce. If you're having trouble with converting between the two, many Wade-Giles to Pinyin charts can be found online.

The more complex reason for the inconsistencies in kung fu vocabulary comes from the Chinese language. Or rather, Chinese languages: Cantonese and Mandarin. The two share some similarities, but are their own distinct language with their own unique structures and rules. 

Mandarin Chinese is the language spoken by around 70% of Chinese speakers. It is the language that you might find spoken in the Songshan Shaolin temple and most mainland cities in China. In Mandarin, the term for our kung fu masters is shifu. 

Cantonese, on the other hand, is primarily spoken in southern China, particularly Hong Kong. Its total number of speakers is much smaller than Mandarin. In Cantonese, the term for our kung fu masters is sifu.

Those who have trained for a while may have a question at this point: If Mandarin is the more widely used language, why do we predominantly see Cantonese being used for kung fu? While Mandarin is the more common language, kung fu flourished in Hong Kong. Many teachers that brought the art abroad came from here, and so we see primarily Cantonese language in our kung fu.

So what's most correct? I'm of the opinion that the point of language is meant to be understood. Either language or romanization is valid, but the context you find yourself in will help you decide what to use. For example, if your school uses primarily Cantonese, it probably won't be as helpful for you to count technique repetitions in Mandarin.

I hope you leave this article better able to navigate the vast world of kung fu (and Chinese in general!) language. Happy reading!