内功 (nèi gōng) — internal martial-arts training (breath, energy, and organ conditioning); inner strength or foundational skill (metaphorical)
Definition
Literally 'internal skill': in wuxia it means breath-and-energy training inside the body, and metaphorically the deep, unseen foundation behind a result. Pairs with 外功 (external/surface technique).
noun
internal martial-arts training (breath, energy, and organ conditioning)inner strength or foundational skill (metaphorical)
Examples
- 内功。Liàn nèi gōng xū yào nài xīn hé cháng qī de jiān chí.Practicing internal martial arts requires patience and long-term persistence.
- 内功，。Tā de nèi gōng hěn shēn, suǒ yǐ shēn tǐ yì zhí hěn hǎo.His internal training is deep, so his health has always been good.
- 内功，。Zuò xué wèn yě yào liàn hǎo nèi gōng, bù néng zhī zhuī qiú biǎo miàn gōng fu.Doing scholarship also requires building solid inner skills, not just chasing superficial results.
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