Bruce Lee - Ning Mui Kung Fu Organisation

Bruce Lee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Bruce Lee 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Bruce Jun Fan Lee - (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973) 

was a Chinese American martial artist and actor widely 

regarded as one of the most influential martial artists of the 

20th century. Lee's films, especially his performance in the 

Hollywood-produced Enter the Dragon, elevated the 

traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level. His 

pioneering efforts paved the way for future martial artists and 

martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chuck 

Norris. 

Lee's movies sparked the first major surge of interest in 

Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of his 

films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts 

films in Hong Kong, China, and the rest of the world. Lee 

became an iconic figure particularly to Chinese; as he 

portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese nationalism in 

his movies. [1] 

Many see Lee as a model blueprint for acquiring a strong and 

efficient body as well as developing a mastery of martial arts 

and hand to hand combat skills. Lee began the process of 

Bruce Lee in the film Enter the Dragon. 

creating his own fighting system known as Jeet Kune Do. 

Bruce Lee's evaluation of traditional martial arts doctrines is 

nowadays seen as the first step into the modern style of mixed martial arts. 

Contents 

� 1 Early life 

� 1.1 Names 

� 1.2 Education and family 

� 1.3 Early acting career 

� 2 Martial arts training and development 

� 2.1 Tai Chi Chuan 

� 2.2 Hung Gar 

� 2.3 Wing Chun 

� 2.4 Jun Fan Gung Fu 

� 3 Jeet Kune Do 

� 3.1 Beyond Jeet Kune Do 

� 4 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships 

� 5 Physical fitness and nutrition 

� 6 Bruce Lee's feats 

� 6.1 Quotes from Bruce Lee's friends 

� 7 Death by "misadventure" 

� 8 Filmography 

� 9 Philosophy 

� 10 Bruce Lee and popular culture 

� 11 Awards and honours 

� 12 Martial arts lineage 

� 13 List of people influential to Bruce Lee 

� 14 Books authored 

� 15 Books about Bruce Lee and/or JKD 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee 

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� 16 Bruce Lee documentaries 

� 17 References 

� 18 See also 

� 19 External links 

Early life 

Bruce Lee was an American Born Chinese (ABC) born at the Chinese Hospital [2] in San Francisco in 1940 to 

his Chinese father Lee Hoi-Chuen (李海泉) and Chinese-German [3] mother Grace Lee (何金棠). Bruce's 

maternal grandmother was Chinese and his maternal grandfather was German. 

Names 

Bruce's Cantonese given name, Jun Fan (振藩; Mandarin Pinyin: 

Zhènfán), literally means "invigorate San Francisco" (三藩市). [4] At 

birth, he was given the English name "Bruce" by Dr. Mary Glover. Mrs. 

Lee had not initially planned on an American name but deemed it 

appropriate and concurred with Dr. Glover. [5] Interestingly the name 

"Bruce" was never used within his family until he enrolled in La Salle 

College, a Hong Kong high school, at 12 years of age, [4] and then again 

at another Catholic boys' school, St Francis Xavier's College, Kowloon, 

where he represented their boxing team in inter-school events. 

In addition, Lee initially had a birth name Li Yuen Kam [1] (李炫金); 

Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xuànjīn) given by his mother, as at the time Lee's 

father was away on a Chinese opera tour. After several months, when 

Lee's father returned, the name was abandoned because of a conflict with the name of Lee's grandfather. Lee 

was then renamed Jun Fan. Finally, Lee was also given a feminine name, Sai Fung (細鳳, literally "small 

phoenix"), used throughout his early childhood in keeping with a Chinese custom traditionally thought to hide 

the child from evil spirits. 

Bruce Lee's screen name was Lee Siu Lung in Cantonese and Li Xiao Long in Mandarin (李小龍; Cantonese 

pengyam: Ley 5 Siw 2 Long 4 ; Mandarin Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng) which literally means "Lee Little Dragon." These 

were first used by director 袁步雲 of the 1950 Cantonese movie 細路祥 in which Lee performed. It is 

possible that that the name "little dragon" was chosen based on his childhood name "small phoenix". In 

Chinese tradition, the Chinese dragon and phoenix come in pairs to represent the male and female genders, 

respectively. However, it is more likely that he was called Little Dragon because he was born in the Year of 

the Dragon in the Hour of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac. 

Education and family 


Screenshot from Thunderstorm, 

one of a few movies Lee Siu 

Lung starred in as a teenager. 

At age 14, Bruce Lee entered La Salle College, a high school, under the wing of Brother Henry. Then, he 

attended St Francis Xavier's College from 1957-1959. 

In 1959, Bruce got into a fight with a feared Triad gang member's son, his father became concerned about 

young Bruce's safety and as a result, he and his wife decided to send Bruce to the United States to live with an 

old friend of his father's. All he had was $100 in his pocket and the title of 1958 Crown Colony Cha Cha 

Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco, he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another 

friend of his father's. In 1959, Lee completed his high school education in Seattle and received his diploma 

from Edison Technical School. He enrolled at the University of Washington as a philosophy major. It was at 

the University of Washington that he met his future wife Linda Emery, whom he would marry in 1964. 

Bruce and Linda had two children together, Brandon Lee (born 1965) and Shannon Lee (born 1969). Brandon, 


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an actor like his father, died on a movie set while filming The Crow on March 31, 1993. 

Early acting career 

A few credits short of graduation from the University of Washington as a philosophy major, Lee headed to 

San Francisco and then Hollywood. 

In 1964 at a demonstration in Long Beach, California, the soon-to-be-famous Bruce Lee met karate black belt 

champion Chuck Norris. Lee would later introduce Norris to portray one of Lee's opponents in Return of the 

Dragon, also known as Way of the Dragon, in a famous Colosseum fight scene regarded by many as one of 

the best martial arts fights ever filmed. 

Lee went on to star as Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet, which ran from 1966 to 1967 and afterward 

opened up his own Jeet Kune Do school. Later Lee would use filmmaking to demonstrate his martial arts 

fighting techniques and theories. 

He had created the character idea for the role of Kwai-Chang-Caine for the TV Series Kung Fu, but the role 

eventually went to David Carradine instead. 

Martial arts training and development 

Tai Chi Chuan 

Young Bruce learned the fundamentals of Wu style Tai Chi Chuan from his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. Lee's 

Wing Chun Sifu, Yip Man, was also a colleague and friend of Hong Kong Wu family teacher Wu Ta-chi. He 

always held that the principles of Tai Chi Chuan influenced his view of martial arts all through his life as an 

actor and a martial artist. While it is obvious that the style studied by his father was the Wu style, Lee was 

seen on at least one occasion demonstrating the 108 Basic Movements of the Yang form. 

Hung Gar 

In between the learning of Tai Chi and Wing Chun, Lee also learned bits and pieces of the Kung fu style 

Hung Gar from a friend of his father. While we do not know how much he learned of this particular martial 

art, there are photographs of Bruce demonstrating animal stances and forms found within its teachings. 

Wing Chun 

Bruce Lee began his formal martial arts training at the age of 14 in Wing Chun under Hong Kong Wing Chun 

master Yip Man. Bruce was introduced to Sifu Yip Man by William Cheung, who was then a live-in student 

of Yip Man, in early 1954. Like most martial arts schools at that time, Sifu Yip Man's classes were often 

taught by the highest ranking students. One of the highest ranking students under Yip Man at the time of Lee's 

training was Wong Shun-leung, who is understood to have had the largest influence. Lee would leave before 

learning the entire Wing Chun curriculum, but Wing Chun formed a base for his later explorations of martial 

arts and development of Jeet Kune Do. 

Bruce Lee's first formal, organized bout came as a teenager at his high school in Hong Kong. He was to fight 

a young British boxer, a reigning two-time boxing champion. Bruce knocked his opponent out with repeated 

strikes, using the Wing Chun technique jik chung chuy. 

Jun Fan Gung Fu 

Main article: Jun Fan Gung Fu 



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It would not be until his arrival in the United States, however, that Lee began the process of creating his own 

system, which he would later teach at the martial arts schools he opened first in Seattle starting with judo 

practitioner Jesse Glover as his first student who later became his first assistant instructor, and the first person 

authorized by Lee to teach aspects of Bruce Lee's Gung Fu. After moving to Oakland and Los Angeles, 

California Lee opened his martial arts school named the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. 

Jeet Kune Do 

Main article: Jeet Kune Do 

Bruce Lee believed that martial arts styles were limited by their very 

nature. Instead, he emphasized what he called "the style of no style". This 

consisted of utilizing a non-formalized approach which Lee claimed was 

not indicative of traditional styles. Lee named his martial arts system Jun 

Fan Gung Fu, which consisted mostly of elements of Wing Chun, with 

elements of Western Boxing, Fencing, and other martial arts. Lee later 

expanded his personal system over time, to include elements from Indo- 

Malay Silat, Panantukan, Sikaran, Catch Wrestling, Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, 

Taekwondo, and other martial arts. Eventually Jun Fan Gung Fu 

transformed itself to what he would come to describe as Jeet Kune Do or 

the Way of the Intercepting Fist, a term he would later regret because Jeet 

Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connotate whereas the 

whole point of the system was to exist outside of parameters and 

limitations. Some confuse the Jeet Kune Do system with the personal 

version that Bruce Lee practised. Jeet Kune Do can be seen as both a 

process and a product, the latter deriving from the former. 

Lee claimed that, after arriving in San Francisco, his theories about 

martial arts and his teaching of "secret" Chinese martial arts to non-Asian 

students gave him enemies in the martial arts community. A contest was scheduled between him and Wong 

Jack Man, a practitioner of Northern Shaolin Kung fu. 

Bruce Lee's description of the fight was that Wong Jack Man challenged him to a duel over his decision to 

teach non-Chinese students. Bruce Lee accepted the challenge. Many who witnessed the fight believed Lee 

had won the duel, however Wong disputes this. Lee later took the view that the fight took "too long" because 

traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street 

fighting. Perhaps as a result of this fight, he decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, 

flexibilty, speed, and efficiency". 

Beyond Jeet Kune Do 


The Jeet Kune Do Emblem. The 

Chinese characters around the 

Taijitu symbol indicate: "Using 

no way as way" & "Having no 

limitation as limitation" The 

arrows represent the endless 

movement and change of the 

universe. 

The match with Wong influenced Lee's philosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long 

and that he had failed to live up to his potential. At this point he decided to start different methods of training 

such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which 

he constantly adapted. 

Bruce Lee certified three instructors: Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, and James Yimm Lee (no relation to Bruce 

Lee). James Yimm Lee, a close friend of Bruce Lee, died without certifying additional students. Taky Kimura, 

to date, has certified one person in Jun Fan Gung Fu: his son and heir Andy Kimura. All other instructors are 

certified under Dan Inosanto. Prior to his death, Lee told his then only two living instructors Inosanto and 

Kimura (James Yimm Lee had died in 1972.) to dismantle his schools. Both Taky Kimura and Dan Inosanto 

were allowed to teach small classes thereafter without using the name Jeet Kune Do. Lee specifically said to 

Inosanto "Keep the numbers small and the quality high". 


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As a result of a lawsuit between the estate of Bruce Lee (also known as Concord Moon) and the Inosanto 

Academy, the name "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" was legally trademarked, and the rights were given solely to the 

Lee estate. "The name is made up of two parts: 'Jun Fan' (Bruce’s given Chinese name) and 'Jeet Kune 

Do' (the Way of the Intercepting Fist). The development of Bruce Lee’s art from 1961 until the end of his life 

was one smooth and indivisible path. In the beginning, he referred to his teachings simply as Jun Fan Gung 

Fu. Later he further refined his art as a unique Gung fu all its own – Jeet Kune Do" (from the Bruce Lee 

Foundation Web site). 

Some martial arts instructors, in an effort to promote themselves or their martial arts schools, make dubious 

claims about learning from or teaching Bruce Lee. There are only a few living people who can trace their 

lineage directly to Bruce Lee. 

1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships 

At the invitation of Ed Parker, Lee appeared in the 1964 Long Beach 

International Karate Championship (http://www.longbeachikc.com/) 

and performed repetitions of two-finger pushups (using the thumb and 

the index finger) with feet at approximately a shoulder-width apart. In 

the same Long Beach event he also performed the "One inch punch". 

The description of which is as follows: Lee stood upright, his right 

foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary 

partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist 

Bruce Lee's "One inch punch" 

approximately an inch away from the partner's chest. Without 

retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to his 

partner while largely maintaining his posture, sending the partner backwards and falling into a chair placed 

behind the partner to prevent injury, though the force of the impact caused his partner to soon after fall onto 

the floor. 

Physical fitness and nutrition 


Bruce Lee felt that many martial artists of his day did not spend 

enough time on physical conditioning. Bruce did not resort to 

traditional bodybuilding techniques to build mass; he was more 

interested in speed and power. 

The weight training program that Lee used during a stay in Hong 

Kong in 1965 indicated bicep curls of eighty pounds and eight 

repetitions [6] for endurance. This translates to an estimated one 

repetition maximum of 110 pounds, [7] placing Lee in approximately 

the 100th percentile for the 121 to 140 pound weight class. [8] 

Lee believed that the abdominal muscles were one of the most 

important muscle groups for a martial artist, since virtually every 

movement requires some degree of abdominal work. Perhaps more 

Lee flexing (1972), front 

importantly, the "abs" are like a shell, protecting the ribs and vital 

organs. Bruce Lee's washboard abs did not come from mere 

abdominal training; he was also a proponent of cardiovascular conditioning and would regularly run, jump 

rope, and ride a stationary bicycle. A typical exercise for Lee would be to run a distance of two to six miles in 

fifteen to forty-five minutes. 

Another element in Bruce Lee's quest for abdominal definition was nutrition. According to Linda Lee, soon 

after he moved to the United States, Bruce started to take nutrition seriously and developed an interest in 


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health foods and high-protein drinks. He ate lean meat sparingly and consumed large amounts of fruits and 

vegetables. 

Bruce Lee's feats 

� Bruce Lee's striking speed from 2 feet away was five hundredths of a 

second. (Glover [9] ) 

� Bruce did one-hand push ups using only 2 fingers. 

� Bruce was able to break a 150lb bag with a sidekick. (Coburn [9] ) 

� Bruce would ride for 45 minutes (10 Miles) on a stationary bike, 

sweating profusely afterwards. (Uhera [9] ) 

� Bruce's last movie Enter the Dragon was made for US$850,000 in 1973 

($3.74 million in 2005 currency. BLS [10] ). To date, Enter the Dragon 

has grossed over $100,000,000. (IMDB.com [11] ) 

� Bruce was able to hold a 125-pound barbell at arms length in front of 

him (with elbows locked) for several seconds. (Little [12] ) 

Quotes from Bruce Lee's friends 


Bruce Lee's two finger 

push ups 

These are some quotes from Bruce Lee's students and people who trained with him about his feats of strength: 

[9] 

� Chuck Norris 

� "Lee, pound for pound, might well have been one of the strongest men in the world, and 

certainly one of the quickest." 

� Doug Palmer 

� "Bruce was like the Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali in his prime, somebody who stood above 

everyone else. It's not that the other martial artists weren't good. It's just that this guy was great." 

� Herb Jackson 

� "The biggest problem in designing equipment for Bruce was that he'd go through it so damn fast. 

I had to reinforce his wooden dummy with automobile parts so he could train on it without 

breaking it. I had started to build him a mobile dummy that could actually attack and retreat to 

better simulate "live" combat, sadly Bruce died before the machine was built. It would have 

been strung up by big high-tension cables that I was going to connect between two posts, one on 

either side of his backyard. The reason for the machine was simply because no one could stand 

up to his full force punches and kicks, Bruce's strength and skill had evolved to a point where he 

had to fight machines." 

� "He never trained in a gym, he thought he could concentrate better at home, so he worked out on 

his patio. He had a small weight set, something like a standard 100lb cast-iron set. In addition, 

he had a 310lb Olympic barbell set, a bench press and some dumbbells, both solid and 

adjustable." 

� "Bruce used to beat all other comers at this type of wrist wrestling and even joked that he 

wanted to be world champion at it." 

� James Coburn 

� "Bruce and I were training out on my patio one day, we were using this giant bag for side kicks, 

I guess it weighed about 150lbs. Bruce looked at it and just went Bang, it shot up out into the 

lawn about 15ft in the air, it then busted in the middle. It was filled with little bits and pieces of 

rag, we were picking up bits of rag for months." 

� Jesse Glover 

� "When he could do push ups on his thumbs and push ups with 250lbs on his back, he moved on 

to other exercises." 

� "The power that Lee was capable of instantly generating was absolutely frightening to his fellow 

martial artists, especially his sparring partners, and his speed was equally intimidating. We 

timed him with an electric timer once, and Bruce's quickest movements were around five 

hundredths of a second, his slowest were around eight hundredths. This was punching from a 

relaxed position with his hands down at his sides from a distance between 18-24 inches. Not 


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only was he amazingly quick, but he could read you too. He could pick up on small subtle things 

that you were getting ready to do and then he'd just shut you down." 

� "Bruce was gravitating more and more toward weight training as he would use the weighted 

wall pulleys and do series upon series with them. He'd also grab one of the old rusty barbells 

that littered the floor at the YMCA and would roll it up and down his forearms, which is no 

small feat when you consider that the barbell weighed 70lbs." 

� Jim Kelly 

� "Bruce, well I can basically say this. I have been around a lot of great martial arts fighters. 

Worked out with them. Fought them in tournaments. In my opinion Bruce Lee was the greatest 

martial artist who ever lived. To me thats my opinion. I think Bruce Lee is the greatest martial 

artist ever. I don't think anybody is in his class." 

� Joe Lewis 

� "Bruce was incredibly strong for his size. He could take a 75lb barbell and from a standing 

position with the barbell held flush against his chest, he could slowly stick his arms out, lock 

them and hold the barbell there for 20 seconds, that's pretty damn tough for a guy who at the 

time only weighed 138lbs. I know 200lb weight lifters who can't do that." 

� " I never stood in front of another human who was as quick as him. He not only had the 

quickness but he had the inner confidence to muster the conviction to do so. I've seen others who 

had the speed but lack conviction or vice versa. He was like Ali, he had both. I stood before both 

of these men, so I know." 

� "If Bruce Lee wasn´t the greatest martial artist of all time, then certainly he is the number one 

candidate." (Source (http://www.realfighting.com/1102/JoeLewisART.html)) 

� Leo Fong 

� "Yes, I was on the receiving end of his side kick. It was like getting hit with a truck." 

� Mito Uhera 

� "Bruce always felt that if your stomach wasn't developed, then you had no business doing any 

hard sparring." 

� James Rage 

� "I think its important for people to realize that he was not only one of history's greatest martial 

artists, but also one of the finest athletes period. His devotion to physical exercise and healthy 

lifestyle was mind-boggling." 

Death by "misadventure" 

Bruce Lee's death was officially attributed to cerebral edema. 


On July 20, 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, due to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby, 

with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Bruce met producer Raymond Chow 

at 2 P.M. at home to discuss the making of the movie Game of Death. They worked until 4 P.M. and then 

drove together to the home of Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress (claimed by some to be Lee's mistress) who 

was to have a leading role in the film. The three went over the script at her home, and then Chow left to attend 

a dinner meeting. 

A short time later, Lee complained of a headache, and Ting Pei gave him an analgesic. At around 7:30 P.M., 

he lay down for a nap. After Lee didn't turn up for the dinner, Chow came to the apartment but could not wake 

Lee up. A doctor was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive him before sending him by 

ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. However, Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital. There 

was no visible external injury; however, his brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams 

(13%). Lee was thirty-two years old. On October 15, 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee was allergic 

to Equagesic. When the doctors announced Bruce Lee's death officially, it was pronounced Death by 

Misadventure. 

However, the exact details of Lee's death are controversial. Bruce Lee's iconic status and unusual death at a 

young age led many people to develop many theories about Lee's death, such as a murder involving Triads, 

gangsters, ninjas, and so on — none of these has ever been proven. 


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Filmography 

Lee starred in a leading role in a total of five major films, two of which (Enter the Dragon, Game of Death) 

premiered after his death. 

Released # 

1971 1 

1972 2 

1972 3 

1973 4 

1979 5 

Note: The English titles for the first two films were swapped by the U.S. distributor. The title The Chinese 

Connection (a play on the then-recently-released The French Connection) was originally intended for The Big 

Boss due to the drugs theme of the story. 

Yuen Lo (Later to become action super star Jackie Chan), was a member of the Seven Little Fortunes he was a 

stunt double for the villain Mr. Suzuki in Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury. For that film, Chan made a record fall of 

15 feet without the aid of safety equipment. Also, during filming of Enter the Dragon, Chan was one of the 

henchmen disposed of in the underground lair and Chan was hit in the face by Bruce Lee's double escrima 

sticks. 

Yuen Wah, also a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, and later to become a well known actor in his own 

right (notably starring in 2005's Kung Fu Hustle), was Lee's stunt double in Lee's last few films. 

Philosophy 

Chinese 

and 

English 

title of 

original 

release 

《唐山大 

兄》 The 

Big Boss 

《精武門》 

Fist of 

Fury 

《猛龍過 

江》 Way 

of the 

Dragon 

《龍爭虎 

鬥》 Enter 

the Dragon 

《死亡遊 

戲》 Game 

of Death 

U.S. title Note 

Fists of 

Fury 

The Chinese 

Connection 

Return of 

the Dragon 

same 

same 


Plays "Cheng Chaoan". 

Fights against a 

drug lord in 

Thailand. 

Plays the character 

"Chen Jian". Fights 

against Japanese 

tyrants in Shanghai. 

Plays "Tang Long". 

Fights crime in 

Rome, Italy. 

Released after 'Enter 

the Dragon' in the 

U.S.; hence the title. 

Plays Shaolin martial 

arts master "Mr. 

Lee". Sent to fight in 

a tournament, and to 

spy on a rogue monk 

turned drug lord. 

Plays Martial arts 

master "Billy Lo". 

Bruce Lee appears in 

the last third of the 

movie, due to it 

being pieced 

together after his 

death. 


Martial artist and movie star Bruce Lee's 

sculpture in the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong 

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Although Bruce Lee is best known as a martial artist and actor, Lee majored in philosophy at the University of 

Washington. Lee's books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are well-known both for their philosophical 

assertions both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, 

though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. His influences 

include Taoism and Buddhism. 

The following are some of Bruce Lee's quotes that reflect his fighting philosophy. 

� "If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm 

lying." 

� "Be formless... shapeless like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into 

a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, and it 

can crash. Be water, my friend..." 

� "Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it." 

� "The more relaxed the muscles are, the more energy can flow through the body. Using muscular 

tensions to try to 'do' the punch or attempting to use brute force to knock someone over will only work 

to opposite effect." 

� "Mere technical knowledge is only the beginning of Kung Fu. To master it, one must enter into the 

spirit of it." 

� "There are lots of guys around the world that are lazy. They have big fat guts. They talk about chi 

power and things they can do, but don't believe it." 

� "I'm not a master. I'm a student-master, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and the 

expertise of a master, but I'm still learning. So I'm a student-master. I don't believe in the word 'master.' 

I consider the master as such when they close the casket." 

� "Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and 

trapped yourself there." 

� "Jeet Kune Do: it's just a name; don't fuss over it. There's no such thing as a style if you understand the 

roots of combat." 

� "Unfortunately, now in boxing people are only allowed to punch. In Judo, people are only allowed to 

throw. I do not despise these kinds of martial arts. What I mean is, we now find rigid forms which 

create differences among clans, and the world of martial art is shattered as a result." 

� "I think the high state of martial art, in application, must have no absolute form. And, to tackle pattern 

A with pattern B may not be absolutely correct." 

� "True observation begins when one is devoid of set patterns." 

� "The other weakness is, when clans are formed, the people of a clan will hold their kind of martial art 

as the only truth and do not dare to reform or improve it. Thus they are confined in their own tiny little 

world. Their students become machines which imitate martial art forms." 

� "Some people are tall; some are short. Some are stout; some are slim. There are various different kinds 

of people. If all of them learn the same martial art form, then who does it fit?" 

� "Ultimately, martial art means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy for me to put on a show and be 

cocky so I can show you some really fancy movement. But to express oneself honestly, not lying to 

oneself, and to express myself honestly enough; that my friend is very hard to do." 

� "Use no way as way; use no limitation as limitation." 

See Wikiquotes for more quotes by Bruce Lee. 

Bruce Lee and popular culture 

Main article: Bruce Lee and popular culture 

There exists many references to Bruce Lee in popular culture, which are covered in a separate article. 

Awards and honours 


� With his ancestral roots coming from Gwan'on in Seundak, Guangdong province of China (广东顺德 


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均安, Guangdong Shunde Jun'An), a street in the village is named after him where his ancestral home 

is situated. The home is open for public access. 

� Bruce Lee was named TIME Magazine 's 100 Most Important People of the Century and as one of 

the greatest heroes & icons and among the influential martial artists of the 20th century. 

� The 1993 film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a slightly fictionalized biographical film about Bruce 

Lee. 

� On July 21, 2003, to his 30th day of death, "Things Asian" published an article: Lee´s Legend remains 

strong 30 years after his death and in the process he establish his place in martial arts as "the greatest 

martial artist of all-time". (Source (http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.2432.html)) 

� In 2004, UFC president Dana White credited Bruce Lee as the "father of mixed martial arts" [13] . 

� In September 2004, a a BBC story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3620752.stm) stated that 

the Herzegovinian city of Mostar was to honor Lee with a statue on the Spanish Square, as a symbol of 

solidarity. After many years of war and religious splits, Lee's figure is to commend his work: to 

successfully bridge culture gaps in the world. The statue, placed in the city park, was unveiled on 

November 26, 2005 (One day before the unveiling of the statue in Hong Kong, below). 

� In 2005, Lee was remembered in Hong Kong with a bronze statue to mark his sixty-fifth birthday. The 

bronze statue, unveiled on November 27, 2005, honored Lee as Chinese film's bright star of the 

century. [3] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4711947.stm) 

� Lee has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category Motion Picture, at 6933 Hollywood 

Blvd [4] (http://www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/walkoffamestarlocations.htm#L.) 

Martial arts lineage 

Sifu in Wing Chun 

Lineage in Wing Chun / Jeet Kune Do 

Yip Man (葉問) 

Other instructors Sihing Wong Shun-leung (黃惇樑) 

Notable Sparring partner Toe Dai Hawkins Cheung Note: He was Bruce Lee's friend at the time. 

Known students in Jun Fan 

Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do 

Famous students taught 

Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do 

List of people influential to Bruce Lee 

� Chuck Norris 

� Dan Inosanto 

� Ed Parker 

� Gene LeBell 

Bruce Lee (李小龍) 

Creator of Jeet Kune Do 

Jesse Glover 

Steve Golden 

Dan Inosanto 

Taky Kimura 

Jerry Poteet 

Ted Wong 

James Yimm Lee 

Numerous others... 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

James Coburn 

Joe Lewis 

Roman Polanski 

Lee Marvin 

Steve McQueen 

Chuck Norris 

Numerous others... 



08.07.2006


� James Coburn 

� Jhoon Rhee 

� Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

� Muhammad Ali 

� Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest 

� Wong Jack Man 

� Wong Shun-leung 

� Yip Man 

Books authored 

� Bruce Lee's Fighting Method 1-5 

� Chinese Gung-Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self Defense 

� The Tao of Jeet Kune Do 

Books about Bruce Lee and/or JKD 

� Absorb What Is Useful - written by Dan Inosanto mostly about JKD training practices. 

� Bruce Lee Between Wing Chun and JKD - written by Jesse Glover 

� Bruce Lee: Dynamic Becoming - a book about Bruce Lee's philosophy 

� Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit - a biography by Bruce Thomas 

� Striking Thoughts - thoughts and quotes of Bruce Lee 

� The Tao of Bruce Lee - written by Davis Miller mostly about Bruce Lee. 

Bruce Lee documentaries 

� Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey - Documentary by John Little based on his book by the same name. 

� Bruce Lee: The Curse of the Dragon - Includes interviews with Bruce Lee's students, and cast and crew 

members. 

� Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon - Documentary from the Biography Channel 

� Jeet Kune Do - Documentary by Wah Chan. More about JKD but contains many Bruce Lee footages. 

References 


1. ^ a b "Bruce Lee King of Kung-Fu", Dennis, Felix & Atyeo, Don, Straight Arrow Books, U.S. (1974) First 

Printing, ISBN 0-87932-088-5 

2. ^ Chinese Hospital [1] (http://www.chinesehospital-sf.org/) - Radiology 845 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 

94133. 

3. ^ Yang, Jeff, et all. Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture. Boston/New York: 

Meridian/Houghton Mifflin, 1997. 

4. ^ a b "The Bruce Lee Story", Lee, Linda & Bleecker, Tom, OHRA PUBLICATIONS INC., U.S. (1989) First 

Printing, ISBN 0-89750-121-7 

5. ^ "Bruce Lee The Untold Story", Lee, Grace & Unique Pub. Editors, CFW Enterprise UNIQUE 

PUBLICATIONS, U.S. (1980) First Printing, ISBN 0865680094 

6. ^ Lee, Linda. 1989. The Bruce Lee Story Ohara Publications, California. (p.70) 

7. ^ Wathen, Dan. 1994. Load Assignment. In Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Human Kinetics, 

Illinois. (p.436) 

8. ^ Hatfield, Fredrick C., Ph. D. 1993. Fitness: The Complete Guide. International Sport Sciences Association, 

California. (p.119) 

9. ^ a b c d Bruce Lee The Divine Wind. Facts \ Feats (http://www.bruceleedivinewind.com/feats.html) The accuracy 

of this source has been disputed: see here. 

10. ^ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation Calculator (http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl) 

11. ^ Internet Movie Database. [2] (http://imdb.com/title/tt0070034/business) 

12. ^ John Little. Warm Marble (http://www.mikementzer.com/blee.html) 

13. ^ Wickert, Marc. 2004. Dana White and the future of UFC. kucklepit.com. See Wikiquotes 

(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dana_White) for the text. 


08.07.2006


See also 

� Bruce Lee and popular culture 

� Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey 

� Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 

� The Tao of Jeet Kune Do 

External links 

� Bruce Lee (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000045/) 

at the Internet Movie Database 

� The Bruce Lee Foundation 

(http://www.bruceleefoundation.com/) 

� TIME 100: Bruce Lee 

(http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/lee01.html) 

� Bruce Lee's Gung Fu Essays (http://www.bruceleedivinewind.com/gungfu.html) 

� Bruce Lee speed demonstration (http://www.maniacworld.com/bruce_lee_6.htm) 

� Watch Bruce Lee in Chinese Connection (http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php? 

channel=717&format=movie&theme=guide) 

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee" 

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Batman actors | Chinese-American actors | Chinese Wing 

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� This page was last modified 03:36, 7 July 2006. 

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