A guan dao or kwan dao is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is currently used in some forms of Chinese martial arts (wushu). In Chinese it is properly called a Yanyue dao (偃月刀) which translates as reclining moon blade). Alternatively the guan dao is also known as "Chun Choi Dai Dao" or Spring Autumn Great Knife. It is an ornate version of a more plain Chinese weapon known as a pudao (long-handled sabre) or horsecutter and consists of a heavy blade mounted atop a 5-6 foot long wooden or metal pole with a pointed metal counter weight used to balance the heavy blade and for striking on the opposite end. The blade is very deep and curved on its face; this resembles a Chinese sabre or the Japanese naginata and bisento, or the European glaive and voulge. Often the edge will taper to a point on the top for thrusting. The reverse has a spike used for hooking and dismounting victims. In addition there are sometimes irregular serrations that lead the back edge of the blade to the spike. Usually a red sash or tassel is attached at the joint of the pole and blade. Variations include having rings along the length of the straight back edge as found in the nine-ring guan dao, having the tip curl into a rounded spiral as in the elephant guan dao, or featuring a more ornate design as exemplified by the Dragon head guan dao. Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; also Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) refer to one of two standard Chinese character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language, officially simplified by the government of the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Standard Mandarin – also known as Standard Chinese or Standard spoken Chinese – is the official Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Singapore. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Jyutping (sometimes spelled Jyutpin) is a romanization system for Standard Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) in 1993. ... Standard Mandarin – also known as Standard Chinese or Standard spoken Chinese – is the official Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Singapore. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Jyutping (sometimes spelled Jyutpin) is a romanization system for Standard Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) in 1993. ... A reenactor troupe armed with a variety of polearm known as a Halberd. ... Chinese martial arts describes the enormous variety of martial art styles originating in China. ... Wushu may refer to: Chinese martial arts, or fighting systems from China. ... The Chinese pudao (撲刀) was originally an infantry weapon which is now used in martial arts. ... Chinese Saber Dao (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabers), often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. ... A samurai wielding a naginata Naginata (なぎなた, 長刀 or 薙刀) is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. ... A Bisen-to is a kind of Japanese pole weapon (adopted from China, the mighty Kwan-do/Guan dao, from Kwan Gung/Guan Gong, the Chinese God of War) which greatly resembles a naginata. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A glaive is a polearm consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. ... A voulge (rarely called a pole cleaver) is a type of polearm that existed along side the similar glaive in medieval Europe. ... The Chinese dragon (spelled Long, Loong or Lung in transliteration), is a mythical Chinese creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and is also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon. ...

History

A statue of Guan Yu with a Guan Dao in his hand.

According to legend, the guan dao was invented by the famous general Guan Yu during the early 3rd century AD, hence the name. Due to his large stature, he was able to wield such an imposing weapon and developed the guan dao into a versatile tool. Guan Yu's guan dao was called "Green Dragon Crescent Blade" (青龍偃月刀) which weighed 82 Chinese jin (estimated 49 kg.) Download high resolution version (341x640, 166 KB)A statue of Guan Yu on an altar. ... Download high resolution version (341x640, 166 KB)A statue of Guan Yu on an altar. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Guan (é—œ) Guan Yu (關羽) (160–219) was a Chinese military general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. ... The Green Dragon Crescent Blade; was a weapon supposedly used by Guan Yu in the It was the traditional Kung Fu weapon, a Kwan Dao. ... The Chinese units (Chinese: 市制; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally market system) are the customary and traditional units of measure used in China. ...

However, historically speaking it is likely that Guan Yu most likely would not have used adagger-axe (ji) . While the famous novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong describes him as wielding the guan dao, this description might be an anachronistic one, as there is no proof that it was ever used prior to the Song dynasty when it was first illustrated in the military manual Wujing Zongyao. The guan dao, therefore, was likely neither invented nor ever used by Guan Yu, meaning that it is somewhat of a pop culture-derived misnomer. However, some historians believe that the guan dao was simply an uncommon, rare weapon prior to the Song dynasty and was thus not illustrated before then. The dagger-axe (Traditional Chinese: 戈; Simplified Chinese: 戈; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: ko; sometimes confusingly translated halberd) is a type of weapon that was in use from Shang dynasty until at least Han dynasty China. ... The Ji, the Chinese halberd, was used from the Shang dynasty onwards, until the Song dynasty. ... An illustration of the book Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ), written by Luó Guànzhōng in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty, and the Three Kingdoms period (220... Northern Song in 1111 AD Capital Kaifeng (960–1127) Linan (1127–1279) Language(s) Middle Chinese Religion Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Zhao Kuangyin taking over the throne of the Later Zhou Dynasty 960  - Battle of Yamen; the end of Song rule 1279 Population  - Peak est. ...

While it could be used from horseback, the guan dao could also be used by infantry as an anti-personnel and anti-cavalry weapon. It is said that Guan Yu's original guan dao weighed between 100 and 200 lb (45 and 90 kg), the modern guan dao which has been adopted by martial artists today usually weighs between 5 and 20 lb (2 and 10 kg). During the Qing dynasty some extraordinarily heavy versions of guan dao were made for use in military examinations: a candidate had to be able to wield a weapon weighing 80, 100, or 120 jin in order to pass. The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun; Mongolian: Манж Чин), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912. ...

Historical guan dao, for the most part, were largely used by Chinese military officers. Compared to jian (sword), dao (sabre), or qiang (spear), the historical guan dao is significantly larger in size and mass, making it inconvenient for civilian use. In terms of military applications, both the guan dao and the qiang are capable of engaging cavalry and infantry alike. Qiang were cheaper to produce and required less training to be effective. Therefore, qiang were distributed to regular infantry, and guan dao became reserved for wealthy officers. Due to the exclusive and expensive nature of the guan dao, it became a symbol of military rank, and is often well decorated. Jian is also the title of a large novel by Eric Van Lustbader concerning three men at the center of an international conflict. ... Chinese Saber Dao (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabers), often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. ... 10th All China Games 10th All China Games Qiang (qīang,槍) is the Chinese term for spear. ...

Combat Uses

The guan dao is used quite frequently in the part of contemporary Wushu that is deemed to have derived from "Shaolin" form of martial arts in modern times and in popular fictional depictions. According to contemporary Wushu practice, its purpose is more to disarm an opponent and deflect his strikes rather than to attack. To that end, a large veil cloth is attached to the end to dissuade and confuse opponents. However, there is no evidence of this being an authentic aspect of the weapon's usage. Tassles and cloths are attached to numerous weapons such as jian, dao, and guan dao used in Chinese opera, one of the sources of movements found in contemporary wushu. In addition, we do not see these tassles and cloths attached to weaponry in other cultures, so we can assume this feature would have been of little consequence - if confusion was a great element surely they would be found in later European dueling-type swords and we would perhaps see it filtered into modern day fencing. There is a notch located on the back side of the blade used to grasp opposing weapons. Moreover, the long range of the guan dao allows the wielder to keep his distance. In modern training, the proper wielding of a guan dao resembles an intricate dance. It however shares design similarities with some European polearms - as both a heavy and a long weapon it is doubtful that theatrical techniques could have been practically employed. Forms utilizing the weapon in styles such as Hung Ga Kuen, emphasize strong slashing movements and momentum to keep the heavy blade moving through a series of spinning cuts. The considerable weight of the weapon also makes guan dao forms good for training the overall strength of the body. Ever since 1669, when Huang Zongxi first described Chinese martial arts in terms of a Shaolin or external school versus a Wudang or internal school,[1] Shaolin has been used as a synonym for external Chinese martial arts regardless of whether or not the particular style in question has any... Jian is also the title of a large novel by Eric Van Lustbader concerning three men at the center of an international conflict. ... DAO and Dao may refer to: ...

Guan dao in media

• In the animated series Xiaolin Showdown, a character named Master Monk Guan uses a Guan Dao-like weapon named "The Spear of Guan"
• In the Shonen Jump manga and animé Shaman King, the character Tao Ren uses a Guan Dao
• In the Mortal Kombat video game series, the character Sindel uses a Guan Dao as her weapon (in the game is called "Kwan Dao").
• In the video game Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst, there is a rare weapon called the Yunchang which is quite similar to the Guan Dao.
• In the MMORPG Maplestory, you can buy a Guan Yu Polearm from the Cash Shop. In MapleSEA, it is a findable item.
• In the film Curse of the Golden Flower, Prince Jai wields a Guan Dao towards the end of the story.
• In the popular manga One Piece, Whitebeard wields a massive Guan Dao when seen fighting Shanks.
• In the video game Soul Calibur, Seong-Mina uses a Guan Dao like weapon with many variations such as a Halberd or a feather broom
• In the Shonen Jump manga and animé Bleach, the character Madarame Ikkaku uses a Guan Dao that splits into three sections.
• In the OEL manga OMFG!, Li Xiao Hû (a.k.a. Super Sensei) is given a fire-emitting guan dao from his grandfather.

Xiaolin Showdown was an American animated television series about Omi, a young orphaned monk-in-training from the Xiaolin Temple (a name based on the real-life Shaolin Temple), street-smart Raimundo Pedrosa from Brazil, high-tech focused Kimiko Tohomiko from Japan, and cowboy Clay Bailey from Texas who have... Shaman King (シャーマンキング Shāman Kingu) is both an anime series and a manga series by Hiroyuki Takei. ... Mortal Kombat (arcade game) Mortal Kombat (film) For the documentary on video game violence, see Moral Kombat Mortal Kombat (commonly abbreviated MK) is a popular series of fighting games created originally by the Midway Manufacturing Company. ... Sindel (or Queen Sindel by title) is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... MapleStory (Korean: 메이플스토리) is a free, 2D, side-scrolling Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game developed by the Korean company Wizet. ... Curse of the Golden Flower (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known literally as When Golden Armor Covers The Entire City, is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 Chinese historical drama film directed by Zhang Yimou. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump Monthly Shonen Jump BANZAI! Original run August 4, 1997 – (ongoing) No. ... Soul Calibur is the second game in the Soul series of fighting games developed and produced by Namco, consisting of Soul Edge (Soul Blade in the US), Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II, and Soul Calibur III. Originally an arcade game, Soul Calibur was ported and released for the Sega Dreamcast... Swedish halberds from the 16th century Halberdiers from a modern day reenactor troupe. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump Original run August 2001 – (ongoing) No. ... Ikkaku Madarame ) is a character in the manga and anime series Bleach. ... Original English-language manga or OEL manga are comic books or graphic novels whose language of original publication is English and which are created by comic artists and writers influenced by Japanese anime and manga. ...

See also

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

• Dadao

Image File history File links Zhongwen. ... 漢字 / 汉字 Chinese character in Hanzi, Kanji, Hanja, Hán Tự. Red in Simplified Chinese. ... The Dadao (大刀) (big knife), one of the varieties of dao or Chinese saber, is also known as the Chinese great sword. ...

References