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from Karate Depot

Who's Who in
Wushu

Dennis Brown
Ho Sung Pak

Wushu means Martial Arts in Mandarin Chinese and was developed in China over 1,000 years ago. Known in the West as Gongfu (meaning �high level of skill�), Wushu comprises many different styles, including Taiji Quan, from empty hand and weapon routines to free-fighting techniques. Wushu also represents a way of life as it is based on ancient Chinese philosophies, ethical and moral principles, mental and physical disciplines.

The word Wushu in Chinese is made up of two �characters� or words. The first, �wu� meaning �martial� (pronounced wu in Chinese; bu as in �budo� in Japanese and moo in Korean); and the second, �shu� meaning �art�. To get a better understanding of the original meaning of Wushu, we should analyse the character Wu and what it reveals of the principles behind it. The character for Wu is made up of two different radicals (elements):

zhi - translates as prohibited or forbidden but comes even earlier from the radical for a foot;

ge � is the name for an ancient, long Chinese weapon used in chariot fighting.

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