I know the characters are different from kung-fu and I apologise to anyone who thought I might be divulging secrets of Fukien White Crane i this post but kang-hu 工夫 sounds the same, and I've been wondering about what it means.
Douglas defines it simply as "work". In the Penang Hokkien podcast last week about making koe, they used it in a different way, meaning something like "special method". Does anyone else know this meaning? My Chiang-chiu dictionary says something like "to do specialised work" and makes it an adjective rather than a noun.
Does anyone have any examples of usage or other definitions?
BTW in Korean the combination of characters is pronounced "kongbu" and suffixed with the verb "hada" means "to study" - an interesting development in meaning.
Hokkien Kung-fu
Re: Hokkien Kung-fu
Hi Ah-bin,
IMHO, Penang Hokkien uses "kang-hu" to mean "technique". In that way, your translation as "special method" is a good one, as the two are very close in meaning.
So indeed, in making cakes, one could say "ci(t)-le kang-hu cin-nia khan-khO" (= "this technique is very difficult"), i.e. complicated, tedious, etc.
It can also be used to mean "workmanship", e.g. "i e kang-hu cin-nia ho" (= "his workmanship is very good"), said of a plumber or carpenter or painter who does his job well. The relationship is clear: someone whose technique is very good will also produce stuff with good workmanship. [This is perhaps where Douglas' "work" comes from.]
I think it indeed means special technique, as it is used with extreme situations, like being very good or bad or complicated or long. It would be unusual to say "ci(t)-le kang-hu cin-nia eng5" for "this technique is very easy", as - if it were easy - it would be less likely to be a special technique.
Hope this helps. Native Penang Hokkien speakers, please correct me if I've got it wrong.
IMHO, Penang Hokkien uses "kang-hu" to mean "technique". In that way, your translation as "special method" is a good one, as the two are very close in meaning.
So indeed, in making cakes, one could say "ci(t)-le kang-hu cin-nia khan-khO" (= "this technique is very difficult"), i.e. complicated, tedious, etc.
It can also be used to mean "workmanship", e.g. "i e kang-hu cin-nia ho" (= "his workmanship is very good"), said of a plumber or carpenter or painter who does his job well. The relationship is clear: someone whose technique is very good will also produce stuff with good workmanship. [This is perhaps where Douglas' "work" comes from.]
I think it indeed means special technique, as it is used with extreme situations, like being very good or bad or complicated or long. It would be unusual to say "ci(t)-le kang-hu cin-nia eng5" for "this technique is very easy", as - if it were easy - it would be less likely to be a special technique.
Hope this helps. Native Penang Hokkien speakers, please correct me if I've got it wrong.
Re: Hokkien Kung-fu
Thanks Sim, it fits perfectly with what they were saying. At one point jokes were being made about how one had to go up the mountains and live in a cave with a master for years before one could recieve the special "kang-hu" for making koe!
Re: Hokkien Kung-fu
Actually not only in Hokkien, in Mandarin 功夫 also can means skill/workmanship 
Re: Hokkien Kung-fu
Hi niuc,
Welcome back. Hope you had an enjoyable trip!
Welcome back
. Hope you had an enjoyable trip!Re: Hokkien Kung-fu
Hi Sim
Thanks! The trip was enjoyable although very busy.
Thanks! The trip was enjoyable although very busy.