功夫

gōngfu
noun HSK 3 #3,165

Meanings

  1. 1 kung fu
  2. 2 skill
  3. 3 effort
  4. 4 time spent

Characters

Originally meant 'time and effort invested in mastering a skill.'

Examples

Tā de gōngfu hěn lìhai.
His kung fu is impressive.
Xué Zhōngwén xūyào xià gōngfu.
Learning Chinese requires effort.
Wǒ méiyǒu gōngfu qù lǜyóu.
I don't have time to travel.

Tips

culture
功夫 originally meant 'mastery achieved through effort,' not just martial arts. It can refer to any skill perfected through practice, like 功夫 (tea-making art).
usage
下功夫 means 'to put in effort.' 功夫 means 'no time' (colloquial). The martial arts meaning became globally famous through movies.

In Pop Culture

功夫熊猫 Gōngfu Xióngmāo
Kung Fu Panda
DreamWorks animated franchise — a panda becomes a kung fu master

Stroke Order

gōng