Patience, Discipline, and Perseverance in Gong Fu

At our Wushu Gwoon (martial arts school), students will see the words Patience, Discipline, and Perseverance written above the mirrored wall. What do these words really mean, and what is their significance? To understand the meaning of a word, it is always best to seek out the word’s origin.

Patience derives from the Latin word Patientia, which is a derivative of the verb Pati, which means to suffer.

Discipline derives from the Latin word Disciplina, which is a derivative of the verb Discere, which means to learn.

Perseverance derives from two Latin words. The first, perseverare, means to persist, and the second, perseveres, means to be strict.

To suffer, the root meaning of Patience, has widespread significance in one’s martial arts training. While suffering is not akin to torture, you will have to endure and overcome discomfort. In training, your lungs will burn, your muscles will ache, and you must learn to suffer through it. This barrier is psychophysical, and you need to muster your strength to conquer it.

Discipline’s root meaning, to learn and also to train, touches every aspect of being part of the Wushu Guan that has to do with learning. And this learning goes beyond physical skills. The most difficult aspect is learning how to be a martial artist. This requires you to be disciplined with your training, to be disciplined with your diet, and to be disciplined with your demeanor.

Persisting and being strict are both intrinsic and extrinsic qualities. You need mental and physical toughness to overcome the challenges that you are sure to encounter in your training. You must learn to persevere, and to learn that you can do it, as this is not an innate quality. A drop of water is soft, but through perseverance it can make a hole in solid rock. Persevere like a drop of water, and nothing is insurmountable.

Patience, Discipline and Perseverance as briefly described here are akin to what in Gong Fu is called Chi Ku (吃苦) or Eating Bitter. I will explore the deeper meaning and how it relates to martial arts practice in a future post.