What is the Chinese form of karate is called?

Answer 1

"Karate" or "Kara-te" is an art formed from combining Chinese Kung Fu with the Okinawa Wrestling, te-gumi.

Various forms of Chinese Martial Art have had different names, such as Wushu, Kung Fu (gongfu), and many other names for specific systems. The term "kara" referred to anything of ancient times in China (pottery, furnishings, art, etc) particularly from the Tang Dynasty. Thus "kara" became synonymous with "Tang" or "China." The term "Kara-te" was used to speak of the ancient "Chinese hand fighting" or "Tang hand." Okinawa was a tributary of China and the Chinese officials that came to Okinawa brought their households, priests and bodyguards with them. China was considered the local power and all the countries wanted to be associated with it.

In time, many Japanese people began to use the term Karate as a generic term for all forms of unarmed combat, including the Japanese and Okinawa forms. This created some confusion, and opposition from Japanese and Okinawan Martial Art experts. There was also a movement away from wanting to be associated with China and the Japanese wished to promote their national identity. One of the leading Kara-te experts, Gichen Funakoshi, suggested a name change with a synonym that would be pronounced the same (and spelled the same in English), but have a different meaning. The Japanese term would use the character for "Kara" that also meant "empty." Funakoshi would refer to his Shotokan system as "Karate-do" which meant the "way of the empty hand."

Many experts and novice alike still use the word "Karate" as a generic term, not specifically connected to either Chinese or Japanese Martial Art, but any form of Asian unarmed combat. The Koreans developed their native Taekwondo in post World War II times while still using the term "Karate," even calling it "Korean Karate," but not as a reference specifically to the Japanese system but more as a generic label. They also used the term "Tangsudo" (Tang Soo Do) which meant "Tang hand way" or "Way of Chinese Hand fighting."

Answer 2

"Karate" or "Kara-te" is an art formed from combining Chinese Kung Fu with the Okinawa Wrestling, te-gumi.

Various forms of Chinese Martial Art have had different names, such as Wushu, Kung Fu (gongfu), and many other names for specific systems. The term "kara" referred to anything of ancient times in China (pottery, furnishings, art, etc) particularly from the Tang Dynasty. Thus "kara" became synonymous with "Tang" or "China." The term "Kara-te" was used to speak of the ancient "Chinese hand fighting" or "Tang hand." Okinawa was a tributary of China and the Chinese officials that came to Okinawa brought their households, priests and bodyguards with them. China was considered the local power and all the countries wanted to be associated with it.

In time, many Japanese people began to use the term Karate as a generic term for all forms of unarmed combat, including the Japanese and Okinawa forms. This created some confusion, and opposition from Japanese and Okinawan Martial Art experts. There was also a movement away from wanting to be associated with China and the Japanese wished to promote their national identity. One of the leading Kara-te experts, Gichen Funakoshi, suggested a name change with a synonym that would be pronounced the same (and spelled the same in English), but have a different meaning. The Japanese term would use the character for "Kara" that also meant "empty." Funakoshi would refer to his Shotokan system as "Karate-do" which meant the "way of the empty hand."

Many experts and novice alike still use the word "Karate" as a generic term, not specifically connected to either Chinese or Japanese Martial Art, but any form of Asian unarmed combat. The Koreans developed their native Taekwondo in post World War II times while still using the term "Karate," even calling it "Korean Karate," but not as a reference specifically to the Japanese system but more as a generic label. They also used the term "Tangsudo" (Tang Soo Do) which meant "Tang hand way" or "Way of Chinese Hand fighting."