功夫

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See also: 工夫

Chinese

merit; achievement; result
merit; achievement; result; service; accomplishment
 
 husband; man
simp. and trad.
(功夫) 		功 夫
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Pronunciation

Note:
  • gĕ̤ng-hŭ - colloquial;
  • gŭng-hŭ - literary.
Note: gang1 hu1 - Jieyang and Pontianak.

Noun

功夫

  1. time (to do something)
    我沒有功夫。／我没有功夫。  ―  Wǒ méiyǒu gōngfu.  ―  I have no time. (I am busy)
    一會兒功夫他就爬上了一個大樹。 [MSC, trad.]
    一会儿功夫他就爬上了一个大树。 [MSC, simp.]
    Yīhuìr gōngfu tā jiù pá shàng le yīge dà shù.
    He climbed up a tall tree in no time
  2. efforts (devoted to a task)
    要花很大的功夫才行。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]
    Yào huā hěn dà de gōngfu cái xíng.
    It won't work unless one expends great effort.
  3. accomplishments, achievement
  4. skill; art; workmanship (especially in martial arts)
    那個演員念臺詞的功夫不錯。 [MSC, trad.]
    那个演员念台词的功夫不错。 [MSC, simp.]
    Nà ge yǎnyuán niàn táicí de gōngfu bùcuò.
    That actor's skill at reading his lines is not too shabby.
  5. kung fu (Chinese martial art)
    耍功夫  ―  shuǎ gōngfū  ―  to perform kung fu
    打功夫 [Cantonese]  ―  daa2 gung1 fu1   ―  to perform kung fu
    這是中國少林功夫首次在雅典登臺亮相。 [MSC, trad.]
    这是中国少林功夫首次在雅典登台亮相。 [MSC, simp.]
    Zhè shì Zhōngguó Shàolín gōngfu shǒucì zài Yǎdiǎn dēng tái liàngxiàng.
    This was the first time that Chinese Shaolin kung fu was put on display in Athens, Greece.

Usage notes

  • Originally, kung fu referred to any skill learned through great effort. Used by the Occident to refer to martial arts (武術／武术 (wǔshù)), kung fu is now used by Chinese to also refer to martial arts, but only since the late twentieth century.

Synonyms

  • (efforts):
  • (skill):

Derived terms

References

Japanese

Kanji in this term
功 夫
かん
Grade: 4 		ふう
Grade: 4
irregular

Etymology 1

Borrowing from English kung fu, from Chinese 功夫 (gōngfu).

Pronunciation

Noun

功夫(カンフー) • (kanfū) 
(alternative reading katakana クンフー, rōmaji kunfū)

  1. kung fu: Chinese martial arts
  2. (uncommon) efforts (devoted to a task)
    • バーチャファイター
      「あなたには功夫(クンフー)が足(た)りないわ！」
      “Anata ni wa kunfū ga tarinaiwa!”
      "Your gongfu isn't enough!"
See also

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
功 夫
く
Grade: 4 		ふう
Grade: 4
on'yomi

Pronunciation

Noun

功(く)夫(ふう) • (kufū) 

  1. Alternative spelling of 工夫 (kufū): a device, scheme; dedication to spiritual improvement, especially in Zen meditation

Verb

功(く)夫(ふう)する • (kufū suru) suru (stem 功(く)夫(ふう)し (kufū shi), past 功(く)夫(ふう)した (kufū shita))

  1. Alternative spelling of 工夫 (kufū): to devise, come up with, contrive
Conjugation
Conjugation of "功夫する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 功夫し くふうし kufū shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 功夫し くふうし kufū shi
Shūshikei ("terminal") 功夫する くふうする kufū suru
Rentaikei ("attributive") 功夫する くふうする kufū suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 功夫すれ くふうすれ kufū sure
Meireikei ("imperative") 功夫せよ¹
功夫しろ² 		くふうせよ¹
くふうしろ² 		kufū seyo¹
kufū shiro²
Key constructions
Passive 功夫される くふうされる kufū sareru
Causative 功夫させる
功夫さす 		くふうさせる
くふうさす 		kufū saseru
kufū sasu
Potential 功夫できる くふうできる kufū dekiru
Volitional 功夫しよう くふうしよう kufū shiyō
Negative 功夫しない くふうしない kufū shinai
Negative continuative 功夫せず くふうせず kufū sezu
Formal 功夫します くふうします kufū shimasu
Perfective 功夫した くふうした kufū shita
Conjunctive 功夫して くふうして kufū shite
Hypothetical conditional 功夫すれば くふうすれば kufū sureba
¹ Written imperative

² Spoken imperative

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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