To fight is to kiss.

© Wong Kar Wai | The Grandmaster, 2013

The actor trained for four years before shooting, working with Duncan Leung, who met Ip Man through Bruce Lee, and his son Darren. "I used to think kung fu was just fighting techniques, defense, things like that," [Tony] Leung says. "But it's very much like meditation, how to have a mind free from emotion and desire. It's about training your mind to achieve harmony with your opponent. You don't anticipate, you don't expect, you don't decide anything, you just follow your opponent's movements."

Wong [Kar Wai] quotes a Chinese saying, "To fight is to kiss." You have to get very close, you have to be confident, your whole body is pressed against your opponent. And there is this stillness—it's easy to trick the audience when you are moving, dancing around. The most difficult part is the pose, it has to be flawless. You move your hand like this," he says, demonstrating, "and it has to be flawless."

Daniel Eagan, in Lessons from 'The Grandmaster': Wong Kar Wai chronicles life of legendary martial artist Ip Man, aqui.