Gong and fa in Chinese martial arts

Abstract

The distinction between gong (skill) and fa (technique) is ubiquitous in Chinese martial arts. Utilizing Maurice Merleau-Ponty's notion of 'embodied intentionality', I examine this distinction. I draw specific examples of the kinds of skills under discussion from a particular style of taijiquan-Hong Chuan Chen Shi taijiquan (Master Hong Junsheng's transmission of Chen taiji boxing)-and I argue that understanding taijiquan in terms of embodied intentionality allows us to understand important taijiquan concepts such as chansijin, yin, and yang. Although in this article I focus on one specific style of martial art, I argue that the general analysis of the gong-fa distinction based on embodied intentionality is widely applicable.

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“…It informs, for example, the distinction between gong (skill) and fa (technique) in taiji [Nulty 2017], the experiential 'bodying forth' in taolu [Mroz 2017], and the 'somatic conundrums' of kime (decision) in karate [Bar-On Cohen 2006]. The nature of this transformation is not conceptualized as simply physical or technical, as might be understood in the practice of a sport or in efforts to objectively define the most effective martial technique.…”