This paper discusses an important kind of Gongfu thinking in traditional Chinese thought. In the Late Han Dynasty, “Gongfu” was brought into translations of Buddhist scriptures, and was defined as a method for reaching a disciplinary goal. In terms of Buddhism, Gongfu, the method of discipline, is usually referred to as meditation. However, after Mahayana Buddhism was introduced into China, some Buddhists suspected that meditation was not prerequisite for attaining awakening. They renounced the kind of Gongfu dimmed useless, calling it wangyong gongfu (using Gongfu to no avail). This doctrine developed in Chan/Zen, and contributed a different strategy, that is, practicing Gongfu when there is no method to set about it. Zenist explained this way is just like releasing your hand while hanging on a cliff. This thinking of Gongfu is not only appeared in Zenist’s thought, but also in Wang Yangming’s（王陽明）. Yangming put forth a conception “Jiou-Jing Gongfu”, which pointed to a Gongfu thinking without a set of methods. Yangming also used it to distinguish his thinking from Jhu-si（朱熹）, whose Gongfu thinking is “Sia ShouGongfu”. Through examining these Gongfu thinking of different religion and thinkers, this study will lead to a comprehensive and theoretical understanding of Gongfu theory in ancient China.
