| 词源 |
karate. Born in China and refined in Japan, karate is the an- cient art of defending oneself against an armed attacker by striking sensitive areas on the attacker’s body with the hands, elbows, knees, or feet. Centuries later the sport of karate based on this method of self-defense was introduced. Modern karate owes much to Japanese karate master Funakoshi Gichin, who taught the art and indeed gave it the name karate, from the Japa- nese kara, “empty,” and te, “hands.” Shotokan karate (named af- ter Funakoshi’s nickname, Shoto) is the most popular form of karate today. |