List of Chinese martial arts

For an overview of styles, see Styles of Chinese martial arts.
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The hundreds of different styles and schools of Chinese martial arts (中國武術) are collectively called kungfu (功夫), wushu (武術), kuoshu (國術), or ch'uan fa (拳法), depending on the persons or groups participating. The following list is by no means exhaustive.

Alphabetical listing

Traditional styles

The following martial arts have not been influenced by other cultures or have a lineage that predates the 1940s:

Modern hybrids

The following martial arts systems are either influenced by other cultures or possess a lineage that started after 1940:

General terms

Internal and external styles

Chinese martial arts may be divided into neijia (內家, internal family) or wàijiā (外家, external family) styles. However, many styles combine both internal and external techniques.

There is a discussion within the martial arts community, at both the popular and scholar level, over the distinction between "internal" and "external" arts. Consequently, the list of styles considered internal or external may vary greatly from source to source. There are only three Chinese styles that are universally recognized as internal, sometimes referred to the "Orthodox Internal Styles." These three styles are: Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and T'ai chi ch'uan (Taijiquan). These three internal arts were categorized as such by Sun Lutang, who greatly popularized the terms "neijia" and "wàijiā" as a method of classifying martial arts.

Styles often considered internal styles

See also

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