What exactly is Chinese boxing? As we shall see, this question is not as easily answered as one might suppose. 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.
In some ways, this translation is misleading and unfortunate, since in the United States today, “boxing” is a specific sport. Chinese boxing is not a sport, but a means of survival in no-holds-barred, life-or-death situations. Western boxing uses only the hands, which the boxer is required to sheathe in gloves. 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.
