What is "luohan"

Luohan (sometimes "lohan" in older sources) can mean:

• Luóhàn, the Chinese word for arhat, in Buddhism
• One of the Yixian glazed pottery luohans, dispersed in several Western museums
• Luohan or flowerhorn, a cichlid fish hybrid
• Luohan (martial arts), named after the Chinese word for arhat
• Luóhàn guǒ (arhat's fruit), the Chinese word for the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii
• Luóhàn zhāi (vegetarian arhat), a Chinese dish also known as Buddha's delight

Luohan quan , which means " Arhat fist", is a general name for all the styles of Chinese martial arts that are named after the Arhats. Luohan-style is the oldest and the representative style of Shaolin kung fu, so that the name Luohan quan is sometimes considered an equal name for the whole vast system of Shaolin Temple martial arts. The original roots of Luohan style date back to the early eras of Shaolin temple. In Shaolin temple, there are various Luohan styles. Besides the Shaolin Luohan styles, there are many Luohan-related styles that have been developed in many other areas of China. Shaolin Luohan 18 hands and Luohan quan are always praised as the root styles based on which most the Shaolin kung fu styles and many other non-Shaolin styles have been created.