The Four Great Weapons are as follows:
⦁ The Saber 刀
⦁ The Spear 槍
⦁ The Sword 劍
⦁ The Staff 棍
Each weapon has its own special standing in Chinese Kung Fu and each has a title that has been spoken so often among practitioners, they have become common expressions in Chinese.
The Saber is known as the "General of Weapons" (百兵之帥)
Made to cut with power, the Saber is a weapon to be reckoned with. Introduced to the Chinese by the Xiongnu cavalry (aka. The Mongols) during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E), The Chinese army saw that it's straight, double-edged swords were clearly outmatched by the sheer cutting power of the saber. This led to the introduction of the saber into China's weapons arsenal. Soon the saber became so popular that even the Qianlong emperor (1711-1799 C.E. 乾隆帝) had a collection of special decorative sabers made for him to wear at his side, while traveling or at home in the forbidden city.
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| Qianlong Imperial Sabers |
The Saber's shape evolved over time. The first Chinese sabers in the Han Dynasty were mostly straight, and closely resembled the double-edged sword. The sabers made in the Tang dynasty (618-906 C.E.) perfected the straight design, and even influenced the rise of the Japanese Katana. Gradually, the Chinese saber began to adopt curves that resembled those of Persian, and Middle Eastern sabers. One of the most common types of Ming dynasty Chinese saber was the Liǔyè dāo (柳葉刀) or "Willow Leaf Saber". The saber most commonly seen in martial arts today however, is the Niúwěi dāo (牛尾刀) or "Oxtail Saber"
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| From the top: 1.) Heavy Persian influenced Saber, 2.) Yàn máo dāo (雁毛刀) "Goose Feather Saber", 3.) Liǔyè dāo (柳葉刀) or "Willow Leaf Saber" 4.) Niúwěi dāo (牛尾刀) or "Oxtail Saber" |
The Spear holds the title, "King of Weapons" (百兵之王)
For thousands of years, the Spear was the mainstay of the Chinese army. it was relatively light and easy to carry. It could be easily maintained. It could be used by any type of soldier, cavalry or infantry, and most importantly, it had reach. The length and materials used to make Chinese spears differed greatly by purpose, time and place. Ancient Chinese spearheads were made of bronze, while later spearheads were made from iron and then steel. The shaft was made of hard, but slightly flexible wood. Martial artists often tied a horsehair tassel just behind the spearhead.
The Sword is the "Gentleman of Weapons" (百兵之君)
Or rather it is the "Gentleman's weapon". Straight and double-edged, it is a weapon of speed and finesse, not brute strength. In Chinese history, the sword was both a symbol of nobility and martial righteousness. King's swords were of the highest renown in both fact and myth. This did not change when the sword was replaced by the saber in the Chinese army. Instead it found a new niche in the society of Scholars, who were the epitome of "gentlemanly" Confucian virtues. If there ever was a weapon that was romanticized within Chinese lore and legend, it was the sword. In short, there is no weapon that has drawn more attention in history, literature, or cultural significance, than the sword.
The Staff is the "Lord of Weapons" (百兵之主) sometimes mistakenly called the "grandfather of weapons" To a historian, the staff is the primeval makeshift weapon of both thieving bandits and peasant mobs. But to a martial artist the staff is the first step into the world of weapons. It is simple, rudimentary, adaptive, and relatively safe for beginners. It is the gateway to learning all other kinds of weapons. A balance between flexibility and strength, the staff epitomizes principles that all martial artists desire to achieve. Usually around head height or longer, depending on style, techniques, etc. For example, some were eyebrow height, known as Qí méi gùn 齐眉棍) and some were shorter, These shorter kinds of staves were called Bàng (棒).
The four great weapons were the foundations of armed combat training for soldier and martial artist alike, for hundreds of years. It was only in the final years of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912 C.E.) that firearms truly replaced the "cold weapons" (non-firearm weapons 冷兵器) of the past. Now they survive only in museums and collections, and in the declining tradition of Chinese martial arts.
