Choy Li Fut is a common translation nowadays. Choy Lay Fut is based on the Guangzhou dialect’s pronunciation. Due to the lack of standard translation in this dialect, and the fact of many non-Chinese's own translations, Choy Li Fut has been translated in different ways. Here is a list of syllable by syllable translation: Choi, Choy; Li, Lai, Lay, Lee, Lei; Fut, Fuk, Fat, Foot. Hence we may have Choi Li Fut, Choi Lai Fut, Choy Lay Fut, Choy Lei Fut, Choi Lai Foot and so on and so forth. In the official Mandarin spelling, it will be Cai Li Fo. In San Diego, Kung Fu or Taiji or the Chinese language, JING Institute of Chinese Martial Arts & Culture will try to do the best we can to help students to understand better.
We welcome visitors and your questions about Chinese literature and terminology and Chinese Martial Arts (Kung Fu, Wushu, Wing Chun, Tai Chi). We are the only Chinese Martial Arts school with the highest professional quality in San Diego certified by Chinese Official in China!
Olympic Nanquan and Choy Li Fut
Question: Does JING Institute do Choy Li Fut (also spelled Choi Li Fut and Choi Lay Fut)?
Answer: We do Nanquan (Southern Fist), of which Choy Li Fut is a branch. Come in and see our Wushu Coach 's Nanquan!
Question: Do you do Traditional Kung fu?
Short Answer: Yes! Of course!
Long Answer: Wushu team athletes know practically everything, most definitely including traditional kungfu/wushu! The only real difference between traditional and contemporary wushu (so far as we can gather) is that "traditional" forms have a longer history, and contemporary forms are newer, harder, and flashier, making them more appropriate for extreme athletics and competition (ie compulsory forms are all contemporary wushu forms. What you see in the Kungfu Movies are basically all contemporary forms).
Note: Traditional and "Family Style" forms, including Choy Lai Fut and Wing Chun, can be used for competition in "friendship" and "international friendship" tournaments/championships around the world, including China (Guanmo Dasai, Guoji Youyi Jinbiaosai), since they are (by definition) open to the public, open to all forms. and will cater to particularly popular styles.
Traditional and Family styles, however, are not part of the World Wushu Championships, the Asian Games, or the Chinese National Competitions.
Why? Because, though they may be excellent styles and forms for self-defense, health, and artistic quality (like our Wing Chun!), they don't contain the high degree of athleticism sought by the Chinese Wushu Association & the International Wushu Kungfu Federation! They don't have the types of powerful kicks & punches & high jumps & balance & flexibility & speed & rhythm that the CWA and International Wushu Kungfu Federation use to separate the Really Good from the Super Awesome. They aren't Compulsories!
