What springs to mind when you think of kung fu, also known as wushu? Maybe the image of Shaolin monks striking fierce poses with a stern look in their eyes, or popular children’s movies like Kung Fu Panda. But do they really portray the meaning of kung fu?
想到功夫（武術(shù)），你會(huì)想到什么？也許是少林僧人目光炯炯的一招亮相；也許是像《功夫熊貓》這樣深受孩子們喜愛的電影。但這些真的體現(xiàn)了功夫的真諦嗎？

Recently, Laurence J. Brahm, a documentary filmmaker from the United States, explored this question in Searching for Kung Fu. In the movie, Brahm embarked on a kung fu pilgrimage, traveling to cities in China and the US in search of the origin and value of kung fu.
近日，美國(guó)紀(jì)錄片制作人龍安志在《尋找功夫》中探討了這一問題。在電影中，龍安志踏上功夫朝圣之旅，走訪中美城市，尋找功夫的起源與價(jià)值觀。

Brahm himself is a kung fu lover who has been devoted to the practice for more than 40 years. For him, pursuing this craft was more than a pastime.
龍安志是個(gè)功夫愛好者，潛心修習(xí)功夫40多年。對(duì)他來說，這不僅僅是一種消遣。

Around a decade ago, Brahm was unable to use one of his legs for about two years and had to walk with crutches and a cane. But by practicing martial arts “very, very slowly” he was able to recover step by step. Now, kung fu has become a daily routine for him and also the way he greets the day.
大約10年前，有兩年左右的時(shí)間里，龍安志的一條腿都不能動(dòng)，他不得不拄拐走路。但通過“非常非常緩慢地”練習(xí)武術(shù)，他逐步恢復(fù)?，F(xiàn)在，功夫已經(jīng)成為他日常生活的一部分，也是他迎接新一天的方式。

“Martial arts can help us connect our body, connect our neural system, connect our blood flow, and also help connect us into our environment to increase our awareness. Martial arts is moving meditation,” Brahm said.
“武術(shù)可以幫助我們連接身體，連接神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，連接血流，還可以將我們連接到環(huán)境中來提高我們的意識(shí)。武術(shù)正在推動(dòng)冥想，”龍安志表示。

Still others find additional meaning in the practice.
還有些人在習(xí)武中發(fā)現(xiàn)了其他真諦。

“Chinese kung fu is full of Chinese philosophies and core values,” Hong Kong actor Bruce Leung told Xinhua.
“中國(guó)功夫充滿了中國(guó)哲學(xué)和核心價(jià)值觀，”中國(guó)香港演員梁小龍?jiān)诮邮苄氯A社采訪時(shí)表示。

Nonviolence is one of these values, which is shown both in the name and the practice. Wu, consists of two characters – ge, meaning “dagger-ax”, and zhi, meaning “to stop”. So, the meaning of kung fu in Chinese is the art of stopping fighting, the art of nonviolence. Kung fu artists always salute with baoquan. This lets each person know that there are no hidden weapons and shows trust.
非暴力就是其中之一，體現(xiàn)在武術(shù)的名字和習(xí)武過程中?！拔洹庇蓛蓚€(gè)字組成——一個(gè)是戈，指“匕首”，另一個(gè)是止，指“停止”。因此，功夫在中文里指停止（止）戰(zhàn)斗（戈），一種非暴力的行為藝術(shù)。習(xí)武者總行抱拳禮，這是在告訴每個(gè)人，沒有藏武器，顯現(xiàn)信任。

Brahm’s appreciation of kung fu is clear. He sees it as “a mirror of Chinese culture”.
龍安志對(duì)功夫的欣賞不言而喻。他將功夫看成“中國(guó)文化的一面鏡子”。

“The traditional values of kung fu, actually, are in the minds of all Chinese people. Why does China want to be in harmony with other nations? It’s part of the psychology of the Chinese people. It’s also national psychology,” Brahm told Xinhua.
“實(shí)際上，功夫的傳統(tǒng)價(jià)值觀在所有中國(guó)人心中。為什么中國(guó)要與其他國(guó)家和睦相處？這是中國(guó)人心理的一部分。這也是民族心理，”龍安志在接受新華社采訪時(shí)表示。

Brahm also believes that today’s world urgently needs to restart equal exchanges between countries without stereotypes, and that culture and sports, such as kung fu, can serve as a great channel and platform.
龍安志還認(rèn)為，當(dāng)今世界迫切需要恢復(fù)國(guó)家之間沒有刻板印象的平等交流，文化和體育，例如功夫，可以作為一個(gè)很好的渠道和平臺(tái)。

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》，詳情請(qǐng)見《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》高一825期