Neigong

This article is about the term 'nèigōng' 內功. For the term 'nèigōng' 內宮, "inner palace", see Imperial Chinese harem system.

Neigong
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese內功
Literal meaninginternal strength or skill
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinnèigōng
Wade–Gilesnei kung
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingnoi gong

Neigong (internal strength[1] or internal skill[2]), also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to a series of internal changes that a practitioner goes through when following the path to Dao, and these changes may be achieved through practices including qigong or tai chi.[3] Neigong is also associated with xingyi quan.[4]

Neigong practice is normally associated with the so-called "soft style", "internal" or neijia Chinese martial arts, as opposed to the category known as waigong 外功 or "external skill" which is historically associated with Shaolin kung fu or the so-called "hard style", "external" or waijia Chinese martial arts.[citation needed] Both have many different schools, disciplines and practices and historically there has been mutual influence between the two and distinguishing precisely between them differs from school to school.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Ng, Pei-San (2016). Strength From Within: the Chinese Internal Martial Arts as Discourse, Aesthetics, and Cultural Trope (1850-1940) (Thesis). p. 1. ProQuest 1916572523.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Damo (2014). Daoist Nei Gong: The Philosophical Art of Change. Singing Dragon. p. 18. ISBN 978-1848190658.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Damo (2014). Daoist Nei Gong: The Philosophical Art of Change. Singing Dragon. p. 14. ISBN 978-1848190658.
  4. ^ Ng, Pei-San (2016). Strength From Within: the Chinese Internal Martial Arts as Discourse, Aesthetics, and Cultural Trope (1850-1940) (Thesis). p. 3. ProQuest 1916572523.