Chinese Martial Arts Weapons

Traditional Chinese martial arts incorporate a wide variety of weapons. From the small and discrete to heavy implements of war, there are literally hundreds of unique weapons associated with the Chinese martial arts. Many of these, however, are variants or derived from the basic form of other weapons, and relatively few of them are well-known enough to be popular in martial arts practice today.

  1. Staff

    • The staff, called "gun" in Chinese and referred to as the "grandfather of all weapons," is considered one of the four basic Chinese martial arts weapons. It consists of a simple wooden pole, traditionally made of waxwood. Chinese staves can be any length, from short one-handed batons to over 8 feet long, but the most common length is around the height of the user. They may be tapered or straight.

    Spear

    • The spear, or "qiang," is another of the four basic weapons of Chinese martial arts and is referred to as the "king of all weapons." Chinese spears are usually at least 7 feet long and, like the staves, are traditionally made of waxwood. The spearheads are usually leaf-shaped and often feature a tassel mounted just behind the head.

    Straight Sword

    • The straight sword, "jian" in Chinese, is the third of the four basic Chinese weapons, called the "gentleman of all weapons." Chinese straight swords are double-edged and usually one-handed, although there are also larger, two-handed versions. They have small, roughly triangular hand guards. The blades usually taper very little in width and curve smoothly to the point.

    Saber

    • The saber is called "dao" and is the fourth of the basic Chinese martial arts weapons, referred to as the "marshal of all weapons." The name technically refers to any curved, single-bladed sword or knife, but single-handed sabers are most common in martial arts use. There are many types of Chinese saber, from sleek, heavily curved slashing blades to the wide chopping blades commonly known as "Chinese broadswords." Most sabers have cup-shaped hand guards and downward-curved grips.

    Hook Swords

    • Hook swords are called "shuang gou" in Chinese. They are used in pairs. Each hook sword is shaped like a straight sword with the top portion curved into a hook, a dagger point on the back end of the grip, and a crescent-shaped bladed knuckle guard instead of a hand guard. Usually, only the hook, crescent and dagger point are sharpened.

    Butterfly Swords

    • Butterfly swords, or "hu die shuang dao," are short-bladed swords used in pairs. The blades are generally wide and single-bladed and curve to a point along the blade while the spine remains straight. The blades of these swords are traditionally the same length as the user's forearm. They feature a D-shaped knuckle guard that extends into a forward-pointing prong on the back of the blade.

    Ring Daggers

    • Ring daggers are another weapon used in pairs and are called "bi shou." They have leaf-shaped blades, short cross guards, and one large ring on the back of each grip through which the user can insert a finger while holding the weapon.

    Emei Piercers

    • Emei piercers, or "emei ci," are small weapons used in pairs. A piercer consists of a thin metal rod sharpened into a point or small blade on each end, with a ring mounted in the center of the rod through which the user can insert a finger. The way the ring is mounted allows the piercers to be spun freely while the ring stays in place.

    Deer Antler Knives

    • Deer antler knives are another small double weapon, and are called "lu jiao dao" in Chinese. Each knife consists of two intersecting, opposite-facing crescents, giving the knife four points (two pointing forward, two backward) and a central enclosed area. The middle of one of the crescents is wrapped as a handle. The crescents may be of equal or unequal sizes.

    Kwan Dao

    • The kwan dao is a Chinese polearm. It has a 5- to 6-foot long wooden pole with a wide, curved short blade on one end and a pointed counterweight on the other. It is single-bladed, and there is usually a hook on the spine of the blade.

    Monk's Spade

    • Monk's spades, or "yue ya chan," are heavy double-ended Chinese polearms. They have a 5- to 6-foot long wooden pole, with a heavy shovel-shaped blade on one end and a crescent-shaped blade on the other. The shovel blade usually includes small metal rings hanging from it near where it connects to the pole.

    Three-Section Staff

    • The three-section staff is called "san jie gun" in Chinese. It consists of a full-length staff cut into three equal sections, which are joined together at the ends by short lengths of chain.