What is Chinese Boxing?

The actual name in Chinese is “Chung-Kuo chuan”, which literally translates as “Chinese fist". However, “fist” is typically translated as “boxing,” meaning hand-to-hand combat.

 Chinese boxing is not a sport, but a means of survival in no-holds-barred, life-or-death situations.   Chinese boxing has no constraints. It uses the entire body as a weapon. It was never designed as a game, and so knows no rules.

“Chung-Kuo chuan,” then, might be more accurately translated as “Chinese lethal combat method.” However, as we at the CBII use the term, Chung-Kuo chuan is not just any Chinese lethal combat method—it is a very specific method. Thus, Chinese boxing refers to a Chinese method of lethal combat governed by a particular philosophy and set of principles. To know what Chinese boxing is, one must know the underlying theory. The cornerstone of Chinese boxing is the study of energy. Chung-Kuo chuan is the science of energy use and control. It seeks to generate power and to control oncoming force without depending on physical size or strength.  

As a result of this emphasis, the central skills of Chinese boxing do not deteriorate with age. While muscular strength and speed inevitably deteriorate, internal energy may be cultivated indefinitely. Thus, the energy boxer may continue to grow in combative efficacy as he grows older. Many of the masters of Chinese boxing, in fact, are in their 60’s or 70’s. Despite their age, they are feared fighters.