Chinese martial arts terms
162 chinese martial arts terms from CC-CEDICT with readings, meanings and stroke order.
| Term | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 抱持 | bào chí | to hold (expectations, hopes etc) |
| 豹拳 | bào quán | Bao Quan - "Leopard Fist" - Martial Art |
| 白鹤拳 | bái hè quán | Baihequan (Fujian White Crane) martial art form |
| 白眉拳 | bái méi quán | Pak Mei or Bak Mei - "White Eyebrow" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 博兴县 | Bó xīng Xiàn | Boxing, a county in Binzhou City 滨州市 (Bīn zhōu Shì), Shandong |
| 八段锦 | bā duàn jǐn | eight-section brocade, a traditional eight-part sequence of qigong exercises |
| 八法拳 | bā fǎ quán | Ba Fa Quan "Eight Methods" - Martial Art |
| 八卦拳 | bā guà quán | baguazhang (a form of Chinese boxing) |
| 八卦掌 | bā guà zhǎng | baguazhang (a form of Chinese boxing) |
| 八角笼 | bā jiǎo lóng | MMA octagon (octagonal cage used for mixed martial arts bouts) |
| 八极拳 | bā jí quán | Ba Ji Quan "Eight Extremes Fist" - Martial Art |
| 北派螳螂拳 | běi pài táng láng quán | Beipai Tanglang Quan - "Northern Praying Mantis" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 兵器术 | bīng qì shù | martial arts involving weapons |
| 比划 | bǐ hua | to gesture |
| 比武 | bǐ wǔ | martial arts competition |
| 创练 | chuàng liàn | to form and train (a military unit) |
| 查拳 | chá quán | Cha Quan - "Cha Fist" - Martial Art |
| 长拳 | cháng quán | Changquan - Northern Shaolin (北少林) - Longfist - Martial Art |
| 出招 | chū zhāo | to make a move (in martial arts or figuratively) |
| 蔡李佛 | cài lǐ fó | Choy Li Fut (Chinese martial art) |
| 次重量级 | cì zhòng liàng jí | middle heavyweight (boxing etc) |
| 点脉 | diǎn mài | to hit a pressure point (martial arts) |
| 点穴 | diǎn xué | to hit a pressure point (martial arts) |
| 段位 | duàn wèi | rank |
| 道馆 | dào guǎn | martial arts studio; dojo |
| 地躺拳 | dì tǎng quán | Di Tang Quan - "Ground-Prone Fist" |
| 斗拳 | dòu quán | boxing |
| 读秒 | dú miǎo | to count down the remaining seconds (e.g. in games, rocket launches, New Year's Eve) |
| 打拳 | dǎ quán | to do shadowboxing |
| 打太极 | dǎ tài jí | to practice tai chi |
| 翻子拳 | fān zi quán | Fanziquan - "Overturning Fist" - Martial Art |
| 飞檐走壁 | fēi yán zǒu bì | to leap onto roofs and vault over walls (usually associated with martial arts) |
| 风火轮 | fēng huǒ lún | (martial arts) wind-and-fire wheel, weapon used in hand-to-hand fighting |
| 国术 | guó shù | martial arts |
| 龟息 | guī xī | (Daoism, qigong etc) to breathe extremely slowly and faintly, in imitation of a turtle |
| 功夫 | gōng fu | skill |
| 功夫片 | gōng fu piàn | kung fu movie |
| 弓箭步 | gōng jiàn bù | forward lunge (stance used in martial arts, fitness training etc) |
| 勾拳 | gōu quán | hook (punch in boxing) |
| 钩拳 | gōu quán | (boxing) hook |
| 狗拳 | gǒu quán | Gou Quan - "Dog Fist" - Martial Art |
| 华拳 | huá quán | Hua Quan - "Flowery Fist? Magnificent Fist?" - Martial Art |
| 黄飞鸿 | Huáng Fēi hóng | Wong Fei-hung (1847-1925), martial arts master |
| 皇太极 | Huáng Tài jí | Hong Taiji (1592-1643), eighth son of Nurhaci 努尔哈赤 (Nǔ ěr hā chì), reigned 1626-1636 as Se |
| 皇太极清太宗 | Huáng tài jí Qīng Tài zōng | Hong Taiji (1592-1643), eighth son of Nurhaci 努尔哈赤 (Nǔ ěr hā chì), reigned 1626-1636 as Se |
| 回合 | huí hé | one of a sequence of contests (or subdivisions of a contest) between the same two opponent |
| 花拳 | huā quán | showy boxing of no practical use |
| 花招 | huā zhāo | trick |
| 合气道 | hé qì dào | aikido (Japanese martial art) |
| 洪佛 | Hóng Fó | Hung Fut style kung fu |
| 洪家 | Hóng Jiā | the Hong family (household) |
| 猴拳 | hóu quán | Hou Quan - "Monkey Fist" - Martial Art |
| 猴子偷桃 | hóu zi tōu táo | "monkey steals the peach" (martial arts), distracting an opponent with one hand and seizin |
| 黑虎拳 | hēi hǔ quán | Hei Hu Quan - "Black Tiger Fist" - Martial Art |
| 虎爪派 | hǔ zhuǎ pài | Fu Jow Pai (Tiger Claw Style), a southern Chinese martial art emphasizing tiger-claw techn |
| 剑术 | jiàn shù | swordsmanship |
| 教师爷 | jiào shī yé | master of martial arts, in former times often employed by a landlord to teach fighting ski |
| 节礼日 | Jié lǐ rì | Boxing Day, holiday on 26th December (the day after Christmas Day) in some countries |
| 截拳道 | jié quán dào | Jeet Kun Do or Way of the Intercepting Fist, a fusion of Eastern and Western martial arts |
| 节奏口技 | jié zòu kǒu jì | beatboxing |
| 金鸡独立 | jīn jī dú lì | golden rooster stands on one leg (tai chi posture) |
| 开箱 | kāi xiāng | unboxing |
| 口技 | kǒu jì | beat boxing |
| 练功 | liàn gōng | to practice martial arts, tai chi etc |
| 量级 | liàng jí | order of magnitude |
| 连招 | lián zhāo | (gaming or martial arts) a sequence of attacks or moves; combo |
| 六合八法 | liù hé bā fǎ | Liuhe Bafa - "Six Harmonies, Eight Methods" - Martial Art |
| 罗汉拳 | luó hàn quán | Luohan Quan (Shaolin kung fu style) |
| 裸绞 | luǒ jiǎo | (martial arts) rear naked choke |
| 擂 | lèi | (bound form) platform for a martial art contest |
| 龙形拳 | lóng xíng quán | Long Xing Quan - "Dragon Fist" - Martial Art |
| 路数 | lù shù | stratagem; method; approach |
| 李连杰 | Lǐ Lián jié | Jet Li (1963–), Chinese martial artist, actor and film director |
| 李小龙 | Lǐ Xiǎo lóng | Bruce Lee (1940-1973), Hong Kong actor and martial arts expert |
| 鲤鱼打挺 | lǐ yú dǎ tǐng | (martial arts, gymnastics) to kip up (spring upright from supine without hands) |
| 梅花拳 | méi huā quán | Meihua Quan - "Plum Blossom Fist" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 迷踪罗汉拳 | mí zōng luó hàn quán | Mizongyi, Mizong, My Jhong Law Horn - "Lost Track Fist" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 马步 | mǎ bù | (martial arts) horse stance (with legs wide apart, as when riding a horse) |
| 南派螳螂 | nán pài táng láng | Chow Gar - "Southern Praying Mantis" - Martial Art |
| 南拳 | nán quán | Nanquan - "Southern Fist" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 掤 | péng | to ward off (in tai chi) |
| 劈挂拳 | pī guà quán | Piguaquan "Chop-Hanging Fist" (Chinese Martial Art) |
| 扑跌 | pū diē | to fall flat on one's face |
| 拳 | quán | fist |
| 拳棒 | quán bàng | martial arts; kung fu |
| 拳法 | quán fǎ | boxing |
| 拳脚 | quán jiǎo | Chinese boxing |
| 拳击 | quán jī | boxing |
| 拳击手套 | quán jī shǒu tào | boxing glove |
| 拳击台 | quán jī tái | boxing ring |
| 拳术 | quán shù | Chinese boxing |
| 拳师 | quán shī | boxing coach |
| 拳套 | quán tào | boxing glove |
| 拳王 | quán wáng | boxing champion |
| 气场 | qì chǎng | qi field (in qigong or feng shui) |
| 气功 | qì gōng | qigong, a traditional Chinese system of cultivating vital energy 气 (qì) through coordinate |
| 奇能异士 | qí néng yì shì | extraordinary hero with special abilities |
| 轻功 | qīng gōng | (Chinese martial arts) the art of agile movement such as leaping, wall-running or gliding |
| 轻量级 | qīng liàng jí | lightweight (boxing etc) |
| 清太宗 | Qīng Tài zōng | posthumous title of Hong Taiji 皇太极 (Huáng Tài jí) (1592-1643), eighth son of Nurhaci 努尔哈赤 |
| 双节棍道 | shuāng jié gùn dào | nunchaku martial arts |
| 少林 | Shào lín | the Shaolin monastery and martial arts school |
| 少林寺 | Shào lín Sì | Shaolin Temple, Buddhist monastery famous for its kung fu monks |
| 召陵区 | Shào líng Qū | Shaoling, a district of Luohe City 漯河市 (Luò hé Shì), Henan |
| 射雕英雄传 | Shè Diāo Yīng xióng Zhuàn | Legend of the Condor Heroes, wuxia (武侠 (wǔ xiá), martial arts chivalry) novel by Jin Yong |
| 圣德太子 | Shèng dé Tài zǐ | Prince Shōtoku Taiji (574-621), major Japanese statesman and reformer of the Asuka period |
| 身法 | shēn fǎ | pose or motion of one's body in martial arts |
| 闪转腾挪 | shǎn zhuǎn téng nuó | to move nimbly about, dodging and weaving (martial arts) |
| 三皇炮捶 | sān huáng pào chuí | Pao Chui (Chinese martial art) |
| 散打 | sǎn dǎ | mixed martial arts |
| 扫地僧 | Sǎo dì Sēng | Sweeper Monk, nameless monk who maintains the library of Shaolin (from Jin Yong's novel "D |
| 扫堂腿 | sǎo táng tuǐ | (martial arts) floor-sweeping kick (to trip one's opponent) |
| 铁球 | tiě qiú | kung fu balls |
| 推手 | tuī shǒu | promoter |
| 太极拳 | tài jí quán | shadowboxing or Taiji, T'aichi or T'aichichuan |
| 泰拳 | Tài quán | Muay Thai - "Thai fist" - Martial Art |
| 套路 | tào lù | sequence of movements in martial arts |
| 台江区 | Tái jiāng Qū | Taijiang, a district of Fuzhou City 福州市 (Fú zhōu Shì), Fujian |
| 台江县 | Tái jiāng Xiàn | Taijiang, a county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture 黔东南苗族侗族自治州 (Qián dōn |
| 跆拳道 | tái quán dào | taekwondo (Korean martial art) |
| 潭腿 | tán tuǐ | Tantui, a northern school of martial arts boxing |
| 唐手道 | Táng shǒu dào | Tang soo do (Korean martial art) |
| 踢馆 | tī guǎn | to challenge an established martial arts school to a fight (to prove one's skills or gain |
| 踢拳 | tī quán | kickboxing |
| 踢腿 | tī tuǐ | to kick; to do a kick (in dancing, martial arts etc) |
| 乌当区 | Wū dāng Qū | Wudang, a district of Guiyang City 贵阳市 (Guì yáng Shì), Guizhou |
| 武德 | wǔ dé | ethics (in the military or the martial arts) |
| 武当山 | Wǔ dāng shān | Wudang Mountain range in northwest Hubei |
| 武馆 | wǔ guǎn | martial arts school |
| 武功 | wǔ gōng | martial art |
| 武林 | wǔ lín | martial arts (social) circles |
| 武术 | wǔ shù | military skill or technique (in former times) |
| 武坛 | wǔ tán | martial arts circles |
| 武侠 | wǔ xiá | martial arts chivalry (Chinese literary, theatrical and cinema genre) |
| 武侠小说 | wǔ xiá xiǎo shuō | a martial arts (wuxia) novel |
| 五形 | wǔ xíng | Wuxing - "Five Animals" - Martial Art |
| 武艺 | wǔ yì | martial art |
| 武艺高强 | wǔ yì gāo qiáng | highly skilled in martial arts |
| 五祖拳 | wǔ zǔ quán | Wuzuquan - "Five Ancestors" - Martial Art |
| 解数 | xiè shù | talent |
| 旋风脚 | xuàn fēng jiǎo | whirlwind kick (martial arts) |
| 旋子 | xuàn zi | whirlwind somersault (in gymnastics or martial arts) |
| 习武 | xí wǔ | to practice martial arts |
| 形意拳 | Xíng yì quán | Xingyiquan (Chinese martial art) |
| 叶问 | Yè Wèn | Yip Man (1893-1972), martial arts practitioner, master of Bruce Lee |
| 一字马 | yī zì mǎ | the splits (in gymnastics, dance or martial arts) |
| 鹰爪翻子拳 | yīng zhuǎ fān zi quán | Ying Zhua Fan Zi Quan - "Eagle Claw" - Martial Art |
| 演武 | yǎn wǔ | to practice martial arts |
| 倚天屠龙记 | Yǐ tiān Tú lóng Jì | Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, wuxia (武侠 (wǔ xiá), martial arts chivalry) novel by Jin Yon |
| 咏春 | yǒng chūn | Wing Chun |
| 咏春拳 | yǒng chūn quán | Yongchun - "Singing Spring Fist" (Chinese martial art) |
| 中招 | zhòng zhāo | (martial arts) to get hit; to get taken down |
| 招法 | zhāo fǎ | move (in chess or martial arts) |
| 着法 | zhāo fǎ | move (in chess or martial arts) |
| 招式 | zhāo shì | (martial arts) formalized move |
| 招数 | zhāo shù | move (in chess, on stage, in martial arts) |
| 着数 | zhāo shù | move (in chess, on stage, in martial arts) |
| 中量级 | zhōng liàng jí | middleweight (boxing etc) |
| 左右勾拳 | zuǒ yòu gōu quán | left hook and right hook (boxing) |
| 自动装箱 | zì dòng zhuāng xiāng | autoboxing (computing) |
| 综合格斗 | zōng hé gé dòu | mixed martial arts (MMA) |
| 二节棍 | èr jié gùn | nunchaku (weapon with two rods joined by a short chain, used in martial arts) |
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.