The Monkey Fist was named for its imitation of various movements of monkeys. Monkeys are lively, active, nimble and versatile. People began imitating monkeys a long time ago. Monkey Dance and Monkey Fist were already there in the Western Han Dynasty (206  B.C.- 25 A.D.). In the silk painting of Chart of Dao Yin from the Western Han Dynasty, unearthed from the tomb at Mawangdui in Changsha, the item name and images of Mu Hou Guan (Monkey Bathing) precisely depicted the actions of a monkey. Written records of the Monkey Fist first appeared in Quan Jing (Book of Fists) of Qi Jiguang’s New Book Recording Effective Techniques in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In Zheng Ruoceng’s Jiang Nan Management and Plans, records associated with the drill works of Monkey Fist were also documented. The Shaolin Temple also has the Monkey Fist in its martial arts techniques.

The drill work (Tao Lu), or forms, of the Monkey Fist are composed of a series of basic monkey actions, including getting out of the cave, peeping, spotting peaches, climbing, peach plucking, jumping on branches, scrambling, hiding peaches, squatting, eating peaches, happiness, startled rush, and entering the cave. Monkey Fist also imitates the body movements of monkeys, such as shrugging shoulders, withdrawing the neck, arching the back, contracting the body, bending elbows, drooped wrists, and bending knees. Monkey’s manners are also borrowed and summarized as being Gang (strong), Rou (soft), Qing (light), Ling (nimble), Mian (sustained), Qiao (delicate), Duo (hidden), Shan (dodging), Shen (alert), and Shu (restrained). Hand skills of the Monkey Fist include Zhua (catch), Shuai (throw), Cai (pluck), Qie (cut), Diao (trick), Na (take), Kou (clasp), Ding (prop) and so forth. Footwork includes bounding, treading, kicking, and springing. Weapon forms include the Monkey Staff and the Monkey Sword.

The Monkey Fist is complicated in content and differs greatly in the south and the north. The Southern Style emphasizes short punches in continuous attacks, while the Northern Style is more stressed in long crafty strikes. However, the common feature that both share is their agility, light movements, combination of soft and tough forces, clean shot in speed and power, weight dodging, and sideway approach. The sequence of the moves is compact and intense. The practice of Money Fist generally does not take the initiative to launch the offense. It avoids direct confrontation with the opponent. Instead, it makes use of nimble and spirited evasive techniques to look for a proper chance to strike the opponent.