Martial Arts

1. 請問可唔可以參觀吓你哋練功？

   cing2 man6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 caam1 gun1 haa5 nei5 dei6 lin6 gung1?

   Excuse me, may I watch your training for a bit?

   Usage

   A Hong Kong martial arts school is a "mou5 gun2", typically upstairs in an older mixed-use building in Mong Kok or Sham Shui Po, with the style name — Wing Chun, Hung Kuen, Choy Li Fut — on the sign. Many are now used to visitors turning up to watch and rarely say no. Training runs mostly from 19:00 to 22:00

   Grammar Note

   The particle "haa5" after a verb makes the action brief — "have a quick X" — and corresponds to Mandarin "yīxià". "Ho2 m4 ho2 ji5" is the A-not-A question pattern, the default way of forming questions in Cantonese

2. 我想學詠春，有冇新手班？

   ngo5 soeng2 hok6 wing6 ceon1, jau5 mou5 san1 sau2 baan1?

   I would like to learn Wing Chun — do you have a beginners' class?

   Usage

   Wing Chun is the Hong Kong style made famous worldwide by Ip Man and his student Bruce Lee. It focuses on close-range fighting and on using structure rather than size, which makes it popular with beginners and with women. Hong Kong has dozens of Ip Man lineage schools, many tracing themselves through his eldest son Ip Chun. Swap in "hung4 kyun4" (Hung Kuen), "coi3 lei5 fat6" (Choy Li Fut) or "baak6 hok6" (White Crane)

   Grammar Note

   "Jau5 mou5" is the A-not-A form of "to have" and sounds more natural in Cantonese than "jau5 ... maa3". Cantonese uses its own character "mou5" where Mandarin has "méiyǒu"

3. 我完全冇學過武術

   ngo5 jyun4 cyun4 mou5 hok6 gwo3 mou5 seot6

   I have never studied any martial art

   Usage

   Say this before you start and, in Wing Chun, you will begin with Siu Nim Tau — the first form — and the basic stance. Hong Kong teachers are patient with beginners, but overstate your experience and you may be put straight into chi sau drills. Being honest is the safer route

   Grammar Note

   "Verb + gwo3" marks experience ("have ever done"), and its negation is "mou5 + verb + gwo3". Note that "m4 + verb" negates the present or an intention and cannot be used for experiential negation

4. 試堂要幾多錢？

   si3 tong4 jiu3 gei2 do1 cin2?

   How much is a trial lesson?

   Usage

   "Si3 tong4" is the standard Hong Kong term for a trial lesson and is used for language schools and yoga classes as well as martial arts schools. A Wing Chun school charges roughly HK$200-400 a session; classes taught in English for visitors can run HK$500-800. A fair number of schools offer the trial free, so it is worth asking

   Grammar Note

   Cantonese asks a price with "gei2 do1 cin2", differing from Mandarin "duōshǎo qián" in both vocabulary and order. "Gei2" is the quantity question word and also appears in "gei2 dim2" (what time) and "gei2 noi6" (how long)

5. 一個月學費幾多？包唔包器材？

   jat1 go3 jyut6 hok6 fai3 gei2 do1? baau1 m4 baau1 hei3 coi4?

   How much are the monthly fees, and is equipment included?

   Usage

   Monthly fees at a Hong Kong school run about HK$800-1,500 for twice a week. Many run in three-month terms, sometimes prorated if you join mid-term. Equipment such as gloves and focus mitts is usually not included, though the wooden dummy and the heavy bag are shared school property. More schools now accept FPS transfers or the Octopus card

   Grammar Note

   "Baau1" means to include and appears throughout everyday billing situations, as in a restaurant's "baau1 m4 baau1 caa4 cin2?" (is the tea charge included?). The A-not-A form simply repeats the verb around "m4"

6. 要唔要自己買功夫服？

   jiu3 m4 jiu3 zi6 gei2 maai5 gung1 fu1 fuk6?

   Do I need to buy my own kung fu uniform?

   Usage

   Most Wing Chun schools have no uniform requirement — a T-shirt and loose trousers are fine. More traditional schools have a custom of buying a shirt with the school name on it, around HK$150-250. Wing Chun is practised barefoot or in flat cloth shoes, so thick cushioned trainers are unsuitable; you can pick up kung fu shoes for about HK$100 at a martial arts shop in Sham Shui Po

   Grammar Note

   "Maai5" (buy) and "maai6" (sell) are the classic Cantonese pair distinguished only by tone: tone 5 is low rising, tone 6 low level. Get the tone wrong and the sentence means the opposite, which is why the tone numbers matter

7. 星期幾有堂？幾點開始？

   sing1 kei4 gei2 jau5 tong4? gei2 dim2 hoi1 ci2?

   Which days do you have classes, and what time do they start?

   Usage

   Hong Kong schools cater to people coming after work, so the main slots are weekday evenings from about 19:30 to 21:30 plus Saturday afternoons, with Sundays usually closed. They shut for roughly a week over Lunar New Year, so check ahead if you are visiting in late January or February. "Tong4" is the word for one lesson

   Grammar Note

   Cantonese counts lessons with "tong4" and combines it with verbs: "soeng5 tong4" (attend class), "lok6 tong4" (class ends). It corresponds to Mandarin "kè", but in Hong Kong "tong4" is by far the more colloquial word

8. 木人樁可唔可以畀我試吓？

   muk6 jan4 zong1 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bei2 ngo5 si3 haa5?

   Could you let me try the wooden dummy?

   Usage

   The wooden dummy is Wing Chun's emblematic training tool — a wooden post with three arms and a leg. Films have made it a magnet for visitors, but the full 108-movement dummy form is properly an intermediate-level subject. Hitting it hard as a beginner is a good way to hurt your wrist, so only touch it under the teacher's supervision. A school's dummy is often a treasured piece handed down through generations

   Grammar Note

   "Bei2" is the basic Cantonese verb for giving, and in the pattern "bei2 + person + verb" it also carries the permissive sense of letting someone do something — covering the roles of both Mandarin "gěi" and "ràng"

9. 我膝頭有舊傷，可唔可以唔紮低馬？

   ngo5 sat1 tau4 jau5 gau6 soeng1, ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 m4 zaat3 dai1 maa5?

   I have an old knee injury — could I avoid the low stance work?

   Usage

   Say this before training. Chinese martial arts start with "zaat3 maa5", holding a static horse stance, and styles like Hung Kuen hold a deep one for minutes at a time, which is hard on the knees. Wing Chun's goat-clamping stance sits higher and is kinder to the joints, though still tiring over time. Swap "sat1 tau4" for "jiu1 gwat1" (lower back) or "bok3 tau4" (shoulder)

   Grammar Note

   Cantonese body-part words often end in "tau4": "sat1 tau4" for knee, "bok3 tau4" for shoulder. "M4" is the negator corresponding to Mandarin "bù", and it can appear twice in one sentence, as in "ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 m4 ..." (may I not ...?)

10. 黐手係咩嚟㗎？

    ci1 sau2 hai6 me1 lai4 gaa3?

    What exactly is chi sau?

    Usage

    Chi sau, "sticking hands", is the core partner drill of Wing Chun: two people keep their forearms in contact, read the direction of each other's force and exploit the gaps. It is a sensitivity exercise rather than a contest of strength. Schools introduce beginners to single-hand chi sau fairly early. The term is emblematic of the style, so knowing it opens up conversation

    Grammar Note

    "Hai6 me1 lai4 gaa3?" is the set Cantonese way of asking what something actually is and sounds more natural and polite than a bare "hai6 me1?". The final particle "gaa3" is a fusion of "ge3" and "aa3" and is extremely common in spoken Cantonese

11. 入門要唔要拜師？

    jap6 mun4 jiu3 m4 jiu3 baai3 si1?

    Do I need to go through a discipleship ceremony to join?

    Usage

    Traditional schools have a "baai3 si1" ceremony to formally become a disciple: you offer tea and bow to the founder's tablet, sealing the master-student bond. In modern Hong Kong, though, most schools distinguish fee-paying students from formally initiated indoor disciples, and a visitor or short-term learner is perfectly fine as an ordinary student. There is no need to push for the ceremony — simply asking is taken as respect for the tradition

    Grammar Note

    "Baai3" means to pay respects and runs through Hong Kong life vocabulary in words like "baai3 nin4" (New Year visits) and "baai3 saan1" (grave sweeping). "Si1" is the master, addressed as "si1 fu2"

12. 有冇師傅識講英文？

    jau5 mou5 si1 fu2 sik1 gong2 jing1 man2?

    Is there an instructor who speaks English?

    Usage

    English is an official language in Hong Kong, but at a long-established school the master may speak only Cantonese. Wing Chun has students worldwide, though, so many schools are well used to teaching foreigners, and a younger assistant instructor often interprets. Classes in Tsim Sha Tsui and Central almost always operate in English

    Grammar Note

    Cantonese "sik1" expresses an ability acquired through learning and corresponds to Mandarin "huì". It is distinct from "ho2 ji5" (permitted) and "dak1" (circumstances allow), and appears in phrases like "sik1 jau4 seoi2" (can swim) and "sik1 zaa1 ce1" (can drive)

13. 手唔好收得咁低，護住中線

    sau2 m4 hou2 sau1 dak1 gam3 dai1, wu6 zyu6 zung1 sin3

    Don't let your hands drop so low — protect the centreline

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. The centreline is the heart of Wing Chun theory: an imaginary line through the middle of the body along which you attack and defend by the shortest route. Dropping your hands opens it, which makes this the most frequent correction in class. Other cues you will hear are "sau2 zaang1 maai4 san1" (keep the elbows in) and "m4 hou2 jung6 maan4 lik6" (don't muscle it)

    Grammar Note

    "M4 hou2 + verb" is the prohibition, equivalent to Mandarin "bié". "Verb + dak1 + adjective" is the degree complement structure ("sau1 dak1 dai1" = pull down low). "Gam3" is a distinctively Cantonese adverb meaning "so / that much"

14. 放鬆啲，唔好用蠻力

    fong3 sung1 di1, m4 hou2 jung6 maan4 lik6

    Relax more — don't try to muscle it

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. Wing Chun works by feeling and redirecting the other person's force, and a tense arm can no longer read what the partner is doing. Beginners invariably stiffen up during chi sau and hear this correction repeatedly. "Jung6 maan4 lik6", using brute force, is a firmly negative term — the thing a martial artist is least supposed to do

    Grammar Note

    "Di1" follows an adjective to mean "a bit more" and is a distinctively Cantonese word corresponding to Mandarin "yīdiǎn": "faai3 di1" (faster), "maan6 di1" (slower)

15. 企穩個馬，重心壓低

    kei5 wan2 go3 maa5, cung5 sam1 aat3 dai1

    Settle into your stance and sink your weight

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. "Maa5" is the general word for a stance, and Wing Chun's basic one is the goat-clamping stance with the toes turned slightly inward. Chinese martial arts put such weight on the legs that there is a saying: learn to stand before you learn to strike. It is not unusual for a first session to consist of nothing but holding the stance

    Grammar Note

    Cantonese uses "kei5" for standing where Mandarin has "zhàn", and adds a result complement to specify the outcome: "kei5 wan2" (stand steady), "kei5 hou2" (stand properly). "Go3" is the all-purpose classifier, here pointing to that particular stance

16. 今日練到呢度，你做得幾好

    gam1 jat6 lin6 dou3 ni1 dou6, nei5 zou6 dak1 gei2 hou2

    That's where we'll stop today — you did pretty well

    Usage

    Said by the instructor to close the session. The right reply is "do1 ze6 si1 fu2" — Cantonese distinguishes "do1 ze6" for thanks over a favour or gift from "m4 goi1" for thanks over a service or request. There is no tipping at Hong Kong schools. If the master or a senior student invites you to yum cha afterwards, say yes

    Grammar Note

    "Ni1 dou6" (here) and "go2 dou6" (there) are the basic Cantonese demonstratives of place. Besides being a question word, "gei2" also works before an adjective to mean "quite / fairly", as in "gei2 hou2" (pretty good) and "gei2 daai6" (fairly big)

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