Classification of Chinese Weapons in Martial Arts

In ancient China, weapons varied greatly. These variations arose from differences in: 1) the terrain from one province to another; 2) physical traits of martial artists; 3) local culture and lifestyles; and 4) the special purposes of each weapon. To be a knowledgeable martial artist, one must understand these differences in addition to knowing the Chinese weapons themselves.

At one time, the Chinese word for "weapons" was Bingqi, which translates into "soldier instruments." Later, it was shortened to just Bing. Thus, Chang Bing means "long weapons" and Duan Bing means "short weapons." Another term commonly used by Chinese is Wuqi, which literally translates as "martial instruments" or "martial weapons."

During the 5,000-year history of Bingqi, styles, shapes, materials and fabrication techniques have changed from one dynasty to the next. Within the period of one dynasty, some of which have lasted 800 years, countless numbers of Chinese weapons evolved. To characterize this multitude of arms, eighteen kinds of weapons including long, short, very short, soft and projectile were chosen. A martial artist proficient with all of these types was said to have mastered the Shi Ba Ban Wuyi or "eighteen kinds of martial techniques." Click to learn how Chinese medicine treats Seminal Vesiculitis.

Problems arise in trying to present a relatively simple classification of Chinese weapons. First, the same weapon can have a different name in different dynasties, e.g., Shu (twelve-chi tapered rod) in the Han Dynasty (206-220 B.C.,) is identical to Zhang Er in the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1644-1911). Second, a weapon with a very minor design change often received a new name. The flat-headed halberd of the Shang Dynasty (1751-1111 B.C.) was called Ge, but the sharp-headed, yet otherwise identical halberd of Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period (722--222 B.C.,) was called the Ji.

Finally, many weapons are known from history but their exact structures remain mysteries. For example, the Fa of the Han Dynasty (201 B.C.-A.D. 220) was considered one of the eighteen weapons; but Fa probably meant "battle strategy" rather than an actual weapon. Jue was some kind of spear-like pierc-ing weapon, but it does not exist today. Huan translates as "ring," but it belongs in the class of long weapons. Ben, which derived from the tool "adze," was used by carpenters, but the details of its structure remain unclear.