kung-fu

kung fu (martial art)

noun KOONG-foo Rare

Origin: Chinese gōngfu (skill, effort)

Usage Note

Kung-fu is used in French as an invariable masculine noun — le kung-fu — and refers both to the martial art and, colloquially, to any deft physical skill. Films featuring Bruce Lee in the 1970s popularised the term across Europe. It is sometimes written kung fu without the hyphen in modern French usage.

Examples

"Il pratique le kung-fu depuis l'âge de dix ans."

Natural Translation

He has practised kung fu since the age of ten.

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