Chinese characters look beautiful, but it’s natural to want to know what they mean before wearing them. We’ve all seen the stories of tattoos and T-shirts with characters that say something unexpected. So here’s a simple guide to the Chinese characters on our TrackAndTrainStudio apparel: what they say, how they’re built and why we chose them.
A quick note: Chinese characters can often be translated in more than one way, and meanings can shift with context. The explanations here are the common, widely accepted readings.
詠春功夫: Wing Chun Kung Fu
Found on the Biomechanical Blueprint tee, these four characters read “Wing Chun Kung Fu”.
詠春 (Wing Chun)
詠 means to sing, chant or praise. 春 means spring, the season. Together, 詠春 is often translated as “singing spring” or “praising spring”, a poetic name suggesting renewal and hope. According to the founding legend, it’s also the name of Yim Wing Chun, the young woman who is said to have learned the art and passed it on.
功夫 (Kung Fu)
功 means achievement, merit or effort. 夫 can refer to a person, or to time spent. Together, 功夫 means skill achieved through hard work over time. In Chinese, you can have kung fu in cooking, calligraphy or music, not just martial arts. It’s a lovely reminder that skill comes from patient practice.
龍: dragon
Found on the Celestial Dragon tee, 龍 means dragon. It’s one of the more complex characters in common use, and its traditional form is written with many strokes. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of power, wisdom, good fortune and harmony with nature, rather than the fearsome monster of Western stories. It has long been associated with emperors and seen as a protective, benevolent force.
虎鶴: tiger and crane
Found on the Tiger & Crane Duality tee, these two characters are:
- 虎 (tiger): representing strength, courage and hard, explosive power.
- 鶴 (crane): representing grace, balance, precision and soft, fluid movement. The crane is also associated with longevity.
Paired together, they express the balance of hard and soft that runs through many southern Chinese martial arts.
寧靜致遠: tranquillity yields far-reaching vision
Found on the Ink Wash Pagoda & Plum Blossom Hoodie, this four-character phrase is a piece of classical wisdom:
- 寧: peaceful, tranquil.
- 靜: calm, still.
- 致: to reach or achieve.
- 遠: far, distant.
The phrase suggests that only with a calm, settled mind can you see far and achieve great things. It’s often displayed in studies and schools as a reminder to stay steady and focused.
Why seals?
On our tees, the characters appear in a small cinnabar red seal on the front left chest. Traditional Chinese seals, or chops, have been used for centuries to sign documents and artworks. Artists stamp their paintings with a seal as a signature. The red colour, cinnabar, is associated with vitality and good fortune.
Using a seal gives the designs an understated, authentic feel. It’s a nod to tradition that doesn’t shout.
Traditional characters
You may notice that we use traditional Chinese characters rather than simplified ones. Traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong, where Ip Man taught Wing Chun and from where our lineage comes, and they’re common in martial arts and calligraphy. Some, such as 龍 and 鶴, have simpler forms in mainland China today.
Wearing characters with respect
We chose each set of characters because it connects to something we value in training: the art itself, strength with wisdom, the balance of hard and soft, and a calm, clear mind. We hope that when you wear them, you’ll know exactly what they say and why they matter.
A few Wing Chun words you’ll hear in class
Characters aren’t only on our clothing. In class you’ll hear Cantonese terms such as Sifu (teacher), kwoon (training hall) and Siu Nim Tao (the first form). Learning them is part of connecting with the culture the art comes from.
Explore the designs
You’ll find all these designs in our online shop and through our TrackAndTrainStudio shop on Etsy. If you have a question about any of the characters, ask me after class. I’m always happy to talk about them.
Sifu Alan Bagley, Wing Chun Halesowen
Want more Wing Chun in your inbox?
Join the list for training tips and the occasional offer.
We’ll only email you what you’ve agreed to. Read our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.