Meanings
- alternativeAlternative spelling of kung pao.
While much of the nation was eating turkey and trimmings today, many of those who sell mo shu pork and kung po chicken for a living ventured to this resort city for a day of rest and relaxation.
1988 November 25, Patricia Davis, “ASIAN RESTAURANT WORKERS GIVE THANKS FOR A LITTLE RR”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Jul 20232 more examples
A recent menu began with fried dumplings (some of the dumplings had split, which shouldn't happen, but they were of good texture) and continued with subgum fried noodles (that are tender but crisp and a bit smokey‐flavored from frying) and crowned with a mélange of chicken, shrimp and pork; kung po chicken, cubed chicken with fiery‐hot red peppers; and shredded pork in hoi‐sin sauce.
1971 January 22, Craig Claiborne, “Authentic Chinese Dishes and Questionable New Orleans”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Jul 2023, page 45It’s the kind of unremarkable if serviceable place you might stumble into after a few too many drinks next door at the dive bar Nice N Sleazy, craving the restorative power of fried noodles and kung po chicken.
2022 November 10, Malcolm Jack, “Loon Fung, Glasgow, restaurant review: ‘Did I just dine at a secret police station?’”, in The Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2022, FOOD
Origin
- Cantonese宮保 /宫保
- Englishkung po
Probably from Cantonese 宮保 /宫保 (gung¹ bou²).
More words from Cantonese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
kung po. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kung%20po
“kung po.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kung%20po. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kung po,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kung%20po.
Source: kung po on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.