Chinese kung fu consists of a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries. Those fighting styles can be classified according to common themes that are identified as "families" (家), "sects" (派) or "schools" (门) of martial arts. Examples of themes are physical exercises that mimic the movements of specific animals, or a history and training method inspired by various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends.

Some styles focus on the harnessing of qi (æ°") and are called: internal (nèijiāquán內家拳) and (wàijiāquán外家拳). Geographical association, as in northern (bÄ›iquán 北拳) and southern (nánquán 南拳), is another popular method of categorization. Each fighting style offers a different approach to the common problems of self-defense, health, and self-cultivation from a Chinese perspective.

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