功夫

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

Pronunciation
Note:
  • gĕ̤ng-hŭ - colloquial;
  • gŭng-hŭ - literary.

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个大樹。 [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 yīgè dà shù. [Pinyin]
    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. [Pinyin]
    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. [Pinyin]
    That actor's skill at reading his lines is not too shabby.
  5. kung fu (Chinese Martial art)
    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. [Pinyin]
    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 Chinese 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
Synonyms of 功夫

Derived terms
  • 白費功夫／白费功夫
  • 磨功夫
  • 筆下功夫／笔下功夫
  • 箱底功夫
  • 費功夫／费功夫
  • 頂上功夫／顶上功夫

Japanese
Kanji in this term
功 夫
かん
Grade: 4		 ふう
Grade: 4
Irregular

Etymology 1

Borrowing from Mandarin 功夫 (gōngfu).[1][2]

Compare Min Nan 功夫 (kang-hu).

Pronunciation
  • (Irregular reading)
    • (Tokyo) カ​ンフー [káꜜǹfùù] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
    • IPA(key): [kã̠ɰ̃ɸɯ̟ᵝː]

Noun

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

  1. kung fu: Chinese martial arts
See also

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
功 夫
く
Grade: 4		 ふう
Grade: 4
on’yomi

Pronunciation

Noun

功夫 (hiragana くふう, rōmaji kufū)

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

Verb

功夫する (suru conjugation, hiragana くふうする, rōmaji kufū suru)

  1. Alternative spelling of 工夫 (kufū): to devise, come up with, contrive
Conjugation
Conjugation of "功夫する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 功夫し くふうし kufū shi
Continuative (連用形) 功夫し くふうし kufū shi
Terminal (終止形) 功夫する くふうする kufū suru
Attributive (連体形) 功夫する くふうする kufū suru
Hypothetical (仮定形) 功夫すれ くふうすれ kufū sure
Imperative (命令形) 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. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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