Striking · Chinese systems
Kung Fu
Chinese martial systems; many families under one roof — not one style, one stance, or one sport.
Find a topic
A map of this art. Live entries are links. The rest is mapped, not written yet.
Kung Fu
Families
- Shaolin
- Southern
- Internal
- Wushu
Tools
- Forms
- Applications
- Weapons
Related
Culture
- Schools
- Fighters
- News
What Is Kung Fu?
Kung fu (gōngfu) in Chinese just means skill earned by time. In English it became the cover term for Chinese martial arts. Under that roof: northern and southern empty-hand families, internal arts, military and village systems, lion dance adjacent schools, and modern performance wushu.
Treat any one stance or animal name as a school, not as “kung fu.” This hub is the catalog door.
How the umbrella works
Traditional rooms drill forms (tàolù) and then applications — throws, qín ná (seizing), and strikes. Sport wushu scores difficulty and performance. Sanda / sanshou is the Chinese kickboxing-and-throw sport that sits beside the form halls.
Wing Chun is one southern close-range family. Jeet Kune Do is Bruce Lee’s later method, not a classical kung fu style. They belong on the map; they are not synonyms.
Many lineages, one catalog
Chinese martial history is regional and argumentative. Martial Index will name families as their pages land rather than flatten them into a movie poster.
What You’ll Find Here
This hub is the live overview. Published entries are links. Fighters, gyms, rules, and news are mapped for later — even when those pages are not written yet.
- Related hubs. Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, Karate, Silat.
- Fighters / gyms / rules / news. Mapped, not written yet.
FAQ
Questions we hear on the mats, in gyms, and when fighters compare styles.
Is wushu the same as kung fu?
Wushu is the modern Mandarin name and also a performance sport. English “kung fu” is broader and looser. Ask which school you are standing in.
Does kung fu include grappling?
Many families do: throws, locks, and Qin Na. It is not BJJ. Ground fighting as a sport meta is not the default.
Where is Wing Chun on this site?
Its own hub: Wing Chun.
The Bottom Line
Kung fu is the Chinese-systems umbrella on Martial Index. Do not expect one stance. Open Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do when you want a named close-range method.