Chinese Martial Arts - Wushu

Wushu

“‘Wu’ 武” is translated as ‘martial’ in English, however in terms of etymology, this word has a slightly different meaning. In Chinese, “wu 武” is made up of two parts, the first meaning “stop”(zhi 止) and the second meaning “invaders lance” (je 戈). This implies that “wu’ 武,” is a defensive use of combat. The term “wushu 武術” meaning martial arts goes back only to the beginning of the 20th century. Prior to that it meant military affairs. The earliest term found in the Han History (206BC-23AD) was "bing jiqiao" 兵技巧，military fighting techniques. During the Song period (c960) the name changed to "wuyi" 武艺，literally "martial arts". In 1928 the name was changed to "guoshu" 国术 or "national arts" when the National Martial Arts Academy was established in Nanjing. The term reverted to "wushu" 武術 under the People's Republic of China during the early 1950s.

As forms have grown in complexity and quantity over the years, and many forms alone could be practiced for a lifetime, modern styles of Chinese martial arts have developed that concentrate solely on forms, and do not practice application at all. These styles are primarily aimed at exhibition and competition, and often include more acrobatic jumps and movements added for enhanced visual effect compared to the traditional styles. Those who generally prefer to practice traditional styles, focused less on exhibition, are often referred to as traditionalists. Some traditionalists consider the competition forms of today's Chinese martial arts as too commercialized and losing much of its original values.