Shaolinquan
/ˌʃaʊ.lɪnˈtʃwɑːn/noun
A Chinese martial-arts system associated with the Shaolin Monastery and its traditions.
Did you know?The popular claim that the Indian monk Bodhidharma founded Shaolin martial arts is a later tradition, not securely supported by early historical evidence.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
少林
““Young forest” or “small forest,” the name associated with the monastery’s wooded location”
495 CE
Chinese
少林寺
“Shaolin Temple, founded on Mount Song in Henan during the Northern Wei period”
Middle Chinese
Chinese
拳
“Fist; by extension, a style or method of unarmed fighting”
Ming Dynasty, 16th Century
Chinese
少林拳
“Shaolin boxing or the martial techniques associated with Shaolin”
20th Century
Mandarin
Shàolínquán
“Modern Mandarin pronunciation of “Shaolin fist””
Modern English
English
Shaolinquan
“An English loanword for the Shaolin martial-art tradition”
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