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)
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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)
    沒有功夫没有功夫  ―  Wǒ méiyǒu gōngfu.  ―  I have no time. (I am busy)
    一會兒功夫一個 [MSC, trad.]
    一会儿功夫一个 [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)
    功夫 [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)
    演員臺詞功夫不錯 [MSC, trad.]
    演员台词功夫不错 [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)
    功夫  ―  shuǎ gōngfū  ―  to perform kung fu
    功夫 [Cantonese]  ―  daa2 gung1 fu1   ―  to perform kung fu
    中國少林功夫首次雅典亮相 [MSC, trad.]
    中国少林功夫首次雅典亮相 [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
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)()りないわ!」
      “Anata ni wa kunfū ga tarinaiwa!”
      "Your gongfu isn't enough!"
See also

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term

Grade: 4
ふう
Grade: 4
on'yomi

Pronunciation

Noun

()(ふう) (kufū

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

Verb

()(ふう)する (kufū surusuru (stem ()(ふう) (kufū shi), past ()(ふう)した (kufū shita))

  1. Alternative spelling of 工夫 (kufū): to devise, come up with, contrive
Conjugation

References

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