Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: regarding shen gung, chi gung, and nei gung

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    54

    Default regarding shen gung, chi gung, and nei gung

    what is the difference between these three types of gong?
    maxwell

  2. #2
    Senior Member kamii's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    601

    Default

    I'm not sure i'm the one that should be answering this question.....i don't really understand myself!

    From what i know 'nei gung' is like your internal energy or qi? I don't really know what the difference between 'nei gung' and 'chi gung' is, i've always thought that 'nei gung is what they call it in wuxia stories, while nowadays they call it 'chi gung'.

    And about 'shen gung' i'm pretty sure this term can be used pretty loosely but i think its mainly used to describe the higher level martial arts. Although i think in certain stories martial arts have to meet certain criteria in order to be classified as 'shen gung'.

    I'm not really sure of any of the answers i've provided but yeah....:P
    Full Metal Alchemist - HAGANE NO RENKINJUTSUSHI

  3. #3
    Senior Member CC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    5,497

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kamii
    And about 'shen gung' i'm pretty sure this term can be used pretty loosely but i think its mainly used to describe the higher level martial arts. Although i think in certain stories martial arts have to meet certain criteria in order to be classified as 'shen gung'.
    The weakest skill I can think of which has the term 'Shen Gong' attached to it is Zi Xia Shen Gong from SOD/SPW. Are there anymore middling skills with the term Shen Gong?

    I think it tends to be used to make the name of the skill more easy on the tongue and more poetic. 4 character names tend to sound more 'artistic' in Chinese.

    e.g. Bei Ming Gong or Jiu Yang Gong doesn't sound as poetic as Bei Ming Da Fa or Jiu Yang Shen Gong. While Xiao Wu Xiang Gong would sound clumsy if it was Xiao Wu Xiang Shen Gong. (and Xiao Wu Xiang Gong is definitely powerful enough to rate as a 'shen gong'.)

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    54

    Default

    shen gong loosely translated means divine martial arts... nei gung is internal strength while chi gung or hei gung (in cantonese) is where i get lost...it means breath control translating loosely from the chinese terms...

    but still i can't understand... what is so divine or spiritual about certain forms of martial arts ---it is as though the art originated from some divine being....

    nei gung or loi gung has o do with internal energy...bt about chi gung or hei gung...in xiao au jiang wu...the hua san sect split according to fong ching yong because of one party emphasise hei or chi gung and the other on the sword techniques.
    maxwell

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    1,451

    Default

    The term "shen gong" indicates that the person who named the kungfu has a big ego.

    Look at Huang Yaoshi's Luo Ying Shen Jian Zhang for example. Luoying Jianzhang sounds much better, it's a four character name, it flows smoothly, etc. But no, East Heretic had to throw in a "shen" to make himself sound cool. Note that Tan Zhi Shen Tong also has a "shen" in it. I don't know if his neigong is ever mentioned but I'm sure it has a "shen" in it too.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    1,530

    Default

    Xiang Long Shi Ba Shen Zhang
    Yi Yang Shen Zhi
    Ha Ma Shen Gong
    Xian Tian Shen Gong

  7. #7
    Senior Member Siven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    A Red State
    Posts
    371

    Default

    Shen gong and nei gong are mainly literary inventions in wuxia, whereas qi gong is a form of martial arts and physical exercise actually practiced today, though it is still debated whether it actually involves the sort of internal flow of energy described in wuxia novels and recognized in traditional Chinese medicine.
    林家有女玉啄成
    嫣然巧笑艳冠人
    纤纤起舞随风动
    疑似飞燕又重生

  8. #8
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    5

    Default

    As far as I've understood in my studies... shen gong is largely made up... but it would be accurate to translate it as "spirit work" or the like. The implication would be that certain forms of kung fu in wuxia require one be highly attained spiritually. Nei gong is an actual yogic art... it has more to do with the internal organs, I believe.... and chi gong is the most commonly known. Nei gong is without a doubt a form of chi gung. Shen gong, that being a form of meditative excercise intended to work on one's Shen(spirit) would also be a chi gung since shen is a more subtle form of chi.

    How all that actually relates to the highly fictionalized versions in wuxia... I don't know. Just a little contribution.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 23
    Last Post: 03-06-07, 01:22 AM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-23-06, 06:14 PM
  3. Some questions regarding Zhang Wuji and Shen Gung
    By maxwell in forum Wuxia Fiction
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 07-24-05, 03:36 AM
  4. Some questions regrading Zhang Wuji & Shen Gung
    By maxwell in forum Wuxia Fiction
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 07-08-05, 12:30 AM
  5. Hung 7 Gung: Hero?
    By anatoly_karpov in forum Wuxia Fiction
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 05-28-04, 04:41 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •