Is the monolingualism of Americans.
Time to jump back in the ring with Chiduce again... :argue:
Originally posted by Chiduce
"Martial Arts" translates as "pertaining or concerned with war or warfare'.
No. Martial Arts translates (from English into English?) as Martial Arts. A vague, obscure reference term used to generalize the combative practice, both armed and unarmed, usually originating in Asia but also allowed to encompass fighting methods from other parts of the world...
"Wu" translates in chinese as "Martial Arts",
No, it doesn't.
Wu in Chinese (Mandarin) or
bu in Japanese are the same character. The meaning is multi-layered as it is with all characters. There is the common use of the term, but there is also the meaning inside the character derived from its component parts. The common meaning is "military." The implied meaning, when the components of the character are examined, is "to stop the lances of invaders." When combined with other characters, words such as
wushu (martial arts),
wuda (martial arts),
wuduan (arbitrary),
wugong (martial {arts} skill),
wuli (military force),
wuqi (weapons),
wushi (warrior, knight),
wuxia (chivalry),
wuyi (martial {arts} skill), and
wuzhuang (arms, weapons, armaments) are created.
and "Shu" translates as "Skills".
Again, no.
Shu translates commonly as "method," or "technique." Its implied meaning is "to proceed with/on a road."
Wushu literally translates as "Martial Techniques".
For a third time, no.
Wushu's common translation is "martial arts," but the deeper understanding of the word really means something more along the lines of "the methods and techniques by which aggression may be defended against."
So, it is safe to assume that the term "Wushu" can mean the Martial Skills Of Techniques Executed Within The Rules Of Engagement In Armed And Unarmed Combat.
Several errors here.
First, it is never safe to assume anything. Not in martial arts, not in military engagements, not in using foreign languages improperly. A mispronunciation of the word "map" in Japanese can also mean "vagina." Important distinction there, when asking to look at someone's graphic representation of a portion of the Earth's surface while in public...

("Excuse me, could you show me your ____ ?" Oops!)
Second, what does "Within The Rules Of Engagement" mean? Rules of engagement apply in military contexts or self defense situations relating to the law easily, but within the definition of this particular word they have absolutely no relevance whatsoever. Your reliance on too many words to make your posts carry the weight of legitimacy fails every time. You have posted very informative details elsewhere on other topics, but I would ask that you check your translations before posting in such an authoritative manner... That will lend more credibility to your comments than capitalizing every word or using an exclamation point as your only form of punctuation... :asian:
End Argument with Chiduce :argue:
The word/term
wushu is the proper Mandarin term for martial arts, real or otherwise, as we know them. The same characters are pronounced
bujutsu in Japanese, but their common use is nearly identical to the implied meaning.
In the common misuse of foreign words in the US,
wushu has come to be the label used for the jumping, spinning, acrobatic martial forms that were, in fact, created at the direction of the Chinese government in the years following the Cultural Revolution. In Taiwan, the term
kuoshu or
guoshu (alternate pronunciations), which in common translation refers to "national" arts as opposed to "martial" arts, is used for authentic combative martial arts, while in the US we thank David Carradine for introducing us to
kung fu (which can refer to
any skill developed over long periods of time, such as driving, golfing, whatever...).
Bottom line, and back on topic, wushu can be real or fake, depending on what they are doing. If it is jumping around, slapping pencil thin staves on the floor, brandishing paper thin aluminum unsharpened swords in each other's faces... Then it is fake. If it includes strong fighting skills, realistic approaches to self defense, and a lot of bruising and pain inflicted from genuine contact by good techniques... I suspect the answer is right there in front of you...
Gambarimasu.