Chinese Martial Arts and the term Kung Fu

“Chinese martial arts” is popularly known as “kung fu” but the actual name for it is Wushu. Kung fu’s original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's expertise in any skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial art. However, The Chinese literal equivalent of "Chinese martial art" is Wushu.
Wushu literally means "martial art". It is formed from the two words (wu), meaning "martial" or "military" and (shu), which translates into "discipline", "skill" or "method". Kung fu in the other hand is a compound of two words, combining (Kung) meaning "achievement" or "merit", and (fu) which translates into "man”, that is like "human achievement".


Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one's training and strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one's skills.
You can say that a person's kung fu is good in cooking, or that someone has kung fu in sketching; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop.
Someone with "bad kung fu" simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so.
 
Here are some Chinese martial arts listed in alphabetical order:
 

Before you continue, you might want to note that these fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" (jiā), "sects" (pài) or "schools" (mén) of martial arts. Examples of such traits include physical exercises involving animal mimicry, or training methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles which focus on qi manipulation are labeled as internal (nèijiāquán), while others concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are labeled external (wàijiāquán). Geographical association, as in northern (běiquán) and southern (nánquán), is another popular method of categorization.

The word “qi” is pronounced “chi”;
 

Earlier Styles

·        Bafaquan - Eight Methods

·        Bagua Zhang - Eight Trigrams Palm

·        Bai He Quan - Fujian White Crane

·        Bajiquan - Eight Extremes Fist

·        Bak Mei - White Eyebrow

·        Chaquan - Cha Fist

·        Changquan - Long Fist

·        Chuo Jiao - Poking Feet

·        Choy Gar - Choi Family style

·        Choy Li Fut

·        Dachengquan - Great Achievement Boxing (Yiquan)

·        Ditangquan  - Ground-Prone Fist, Ground Tumbling Boxing

·        Do Pai - Style of the Way

·        Dragon Kung Fu Lung Ying

·        Duan Quan - Short Range Boxing

·        O Mei Ch'uan

·        Fanziquan - Overturning Fist, Tumbling Boxing

·        Five Ancestors - Wuzuquan or Ngo Cho Kun

·        Fu Jow Pai - Tiger Claw System (also called Black Tiger Kung Fu or Haak Fu Mun)

·        Fut Gar - Buddhist Palm

·        Gouquan - Dog Fist

·        Hakka Kuen

·        Hap Ga

·        Houquan - Monkey Fist

o   Drunken Monkey

·        Heihuquan: Black Tiger Kung Fu

·        Hsing-i Ch'uan: Xingyiquan

·        Huaquan - China Fist

·        Hung Fut - Hung and Buddha style kung fu

·        Hung Gar; also known as Hung Ga or Hung Kuen

·        Jing Wu Men - Jing Wu, a famous school founded in Shanghai that teaches several different styles

·        Jow-Ga Kung Fu - Jow family style

·        Lai Tung Pai - Shaolin Style that mixes long and short fist

·        Lama Pai

·        Leopard Kung Fu

·        Li Gar - Li Family or Lee Family style

·        He Ba Fa - Six Harmonies, Eight Methods or Water Boxing

·        Luohan Quan Arhat Boxing, Loh Han Kuen

·        Mei Hua Quan Plum Blossom Fist

·        Mian Quan Cotton Boxing

·        Mizongyi Mízōngquán - Lost Track Fist (also known as My Jong Law Horn)

·        Mok Gar Mok family style

·        Monkey Kung Fu or Houquan

·        Nam Pai Chuan - North South Fist

·        Nan Quan - Southern Fist

·        Ng Ga Kuen - Five Family/Five Animal style (Hung, Mok, Li, Choy, Fut)

·        Northern Praying Mantis

·        Northern Shaolin - Bei Shaolin

·        Paochui - Cannon Fist, Sanhaung Paochui

·        Piguaquan - Chop-Hitch Fist, Axe-hitch boxing

·        Shaolin Quan

·        Shequan - Snake Fist

·        Shuai jiao - Chinese and Mongolian styles of wrestling

·        Southern Praying Mantis

o   Chow Gar - Chow Style Southern Praying Mantis

·        T'ai chi ch'uan - Supreme Ultimate fist

o   Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan

o   Sun-style tai chi chuan

o   Wu (Hao)-style tai chi chuan

o   Wu style tai chi chuan

o   Yang-style t'ai chi ch'uan

·        Tantui - Springing legs style

·        Tien Shan Pai

·        Tongbeiquan - Through-the-Back Fist

·        Wing Chun  - Style based on movements of a snake and a crane or Wing Tsun

·        Wudangquan

·        Xingyiquan; Hsing-i Chuan - Form-Intent Fist

·        Yau Kung Mun - Flexible-Power Style

·        Yingzhaoquan - Eagle Claw Fist

·        Yuejiaquan - Yue family Fist/Boxing

·        Yiquan; I Ch'uan - Mind Boxing

·        Zi Ran Men - Natural Boxing or "fist of nature"

Modern Hybrids

·        Hong Cha

·        I Liq Chuan - Mind-Body Art

·        Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist

·        Jing Quan Do - a modern synthetic style

·        Kenpo - Japanese description of various Chinese arts

·        Liu Seong Kuntao (also Liu Seong Kung Fu, Liu Seong Chuan Fa) - A Chinese art with Indonesian influence, practiced primarily in the United States

·        Kuntao - Way of the Fist, a Hokkien term referring to Chinese martial arts practiced in Southeast Asia and in Indonesia in particular

·        Sanshou or Sanda - Free Fighting

·        Shao Quan - Kung Fu style based on Ziboce's teachings