Word of the Day

: January 8, 2010

wushu

noun WOO-SHOO

What It Means

: Chinese martial arts

wushu in Context

Before becoming a martial arts film star, Jet Li was well-known as a champion in the Chinese sport of wushu.

Did You Know?

The name of the martial art "wushu" derives from the Beijing dialect of Chinese, where it was formed by combining the words for "martial" or "military" ("wǔ") and "art" ("shù"). This form of hand-to-hand combat (known more familiarly as "kung fu") was highly developed in China by the 3rd century B.C.E, and it is credited with influencing other martial arts that arose within Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Modern wushu, however, has separated itself from traditional kung fu to emphasize aesthetics and performance. One of the more well-known divisions of wushu is tai chi, the ancient discipline of meditative movements practiced as a system of exercises.