功夫

gōngfu

HSK 4

功夫 — gōngfu

1. skill; ability; a particular art or technique

   他说煮菜的功夫很好。 tā shuō zhǔcài de gōngfu hěn hǎo — He is very skilled at cooking.

2. kung fu; martial arts (colloquial term for Chinese martial arts)

   他从小学功夫，后来成了教练。 tā cóng xiǎoxué gōngfu hòulái chéng le jiàoliàn — He studied kung fu since childhood and later became a coach.

3. labor; effort; time and work put into something

   这件事花了他不少功夫才做好。 zhèjiàn shì huā le tā bùshǎo gōngfu cái zuòhǎo — This task took him a lot of effort to finish well.