“Kung fu”是中国武术在英语国家的代名词，更是全世界认同的中华文化标志性符号。文中运用文献资料法和考据法从语义变迁与词典收录两个视角对“Kung fu”进行溯源研究。研究发现：法国传教士钱德明于1779年首次向西方介绍了中国的“功夫”，并在著作中将“功夫”译作法语“Cong-fou”， 含义是“一种道家医学治疗体系”；英国传教士师惟善于1869年开创性地使用了流行至今的“Kung fu”， 并在中国武术语境下论述了对“Kung fu”的理解，认为“Kung fu”是中国道士、僧侣练习的一种以强身健体为目的的规范性健身操；英国传教士德贞于1870—1895年间系统阐释了“Kung fu”的含义，认为 “Kung fu”是中国道教的一种内家功法；至1920年，英文纸媒已普遍将“Kung fu”一词与“中国武术”画上等号。20世纪70年代初，李小龙通过功夫电影迅速提升了“Kung fu”一词在西方世界的普及度。1976 年，国际权威英语词典《牛津英语词典》正式收录“Kung fu”一词，给出了6条引注，使其获得了语言学意义上的合法地位。

“Kung fu” is the term for of Chinese martial arts in the English world, and also the symbol of Chinese culture recognized by the whole world. By using the methods of literature review and textual research, this paper studies the origin of “Kung fu” from the perspectives of semantic change and word collection. The research found that the French missionary Joseph-Marie Amiot fifirst introduced Chinese “Kung fu” to the West in 1779, and translated “Kung fu” into French “Congfou” in his work, meaning “a Taoist medical treatment system”; British missionary Frederick Porter Smith pioneered the use of the word “Kung fu” in 1869, which has been popular ever since. Frederick Porter Smith discussed the connotation of “Kung fu” in the context of Chinese martial arts terms, believing that “Kung fu” was a kind of “disciplinary Calisthenics” aiming at strengthening the body and was practiced by Chinese Taoists and monks; British missionary John Dudgeon systematically interpreted his understanding of “Kung fu” from 1870 to 1895, and believed that “Kung fu” is an internal form of Chinese Taoism exercises. By 1920, English paper media had generally equated the term “Kung fu” with “Chinese martial arts”. In the early 1970s, Bruce Lee quickly promoted the popularity of the word “Kung fu” through Kung fu movies. In 1976, the “Oxford English Dictionary” offificially included the word "Kung fu", making it linguistically legitimate.

G852;H315.9

国家社会科学基金一般项目(20BTY093)