Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - Is there a big deal about bows and arrows? Talking about those titles for bows and arrows

Is there a big deal about bows and arrows? Talking about those titles for bows and arrows

The bow and arrow also has a big question?

The shape of the Chinese bow and arrow was basically established in the pre-Qin period. Later generations of bows and arrows had their own distinctive features, but in general they didn't change much. The traditional Chinese bow is a compound recurve bow made of a combination of sinew and horn. When the bow is loosened, it is in the shape of a "C", and when the string is swept, it is in the shape of a recurve. In modern times, however, both recurve and compound bows refer to certain types of modern bows. This type of compound bow, which combines a bull bar and a bull horn, is generally referred to as a "traditional bow," and this article is no exception. The other type of bow is the straight bow, but it is not the dominant one. This type of bow was featured in the Qingming Shanghe Tu. The remains of a pine bow, a traditional bow, were excavated from the late Yinxu horse and cart pits. Both oracle bone inscriptions and gold inscriptions have the character for "bow," and both resemble traditional bows.

China has specialized names for different parts of the bow. When an archer picks up a bow, the side facing him is the front of the bow, and the other side is the back. The handle of the bow is called the "bow" or "warm target" and the end of the bow arm is called the "xiao" or "shao". The arm of the bow between Yan and Xiao is called "Yuan", which was changed to "Shoulder" after the Han Dynasty. The xiao has the character "Mi" on it, and there is a string groove on it, which is used for tying the strings. The string groove is called "nock", also known as "qi". In order to eliminate the elasticity of the bowstring after archery, the later bows were equipped with two small pieces of antlers called "string pads".

The arrow consists of three parts: the arrowhead, the shaft and the feather. The two sides of the arrowhead are called "wings" and can be divided into two or three wings. The bottom end is the "back front". Most arrowheads have a raised or "ridged" center. There are two types of arrowheads: collar arrowheads and arrowheads. The part of the collar of a collared arrowhead that is attached to the bottom of the wing is called the "hon".

The shafts of arrows were made of bamboo, wood, and reeds, etc. In order to strengthen and waterproof, the surface of the shafts was usually wrapped in silk and painted. Bundles of bamboo arrow shafts were unearthed in the north and east chambers of Zenghouyi Tomb, and bamboo arrow shafts from the early Warring States period were also unearthed in Houchuan, Shanxian County. Fragments of wooden arrows were unearthed in Sanmenxia Guo Cemetery. The arrow shafts are coated with black lacquer, and the black lacquer is coated with vermillion. M2010 of the Guo State Cemetery unearthed arrows with wei poles as arrow shafts. Twenty-eight arrows were excavated from this tomb, all of which were straight arrows with a straight back. There was a Wei pole with a diameter of 0.8cm of the arrow shaft. Arrow shafts in later times were mostly made of bamboo and wood, those in the Ming Dynasty were mostly made of bamboo, willow and birch, and those in the Qing Dynasty were usually made of poplar or birch.

The arrow feather should be installed at the back of the arrow shaft. Arrow feathers are broken bird feathers that are glued to the arrow shaft. Usually three pieces need to be glued, but with a crossbow, it is possible that only two pieces need to be glued. There is a notch at the end of the shaft to make it easier to string the arrow. This notch is called a "bik", and in the Ming Dynasty it was called a "shovel mouth". Arrow shafts unearthed in the Shang Dynasty have a jib at the end of the shaft. Since both shafts and feathers are perishable, not many complete arrows have survived. Remains of arrows were unearthed in Yinxu and Zaochengtai. Although the wooden arrow shafts and feathers have rotted, we can still infer the length of the Shang Dynasty arrows from the traces left on the soil. It is estimated that the arrows found in Yinxu were 87 centimeters long and 1 centimeter in diameter, and the length of the arrow feathers was about one-fifth of the total length. The arrows unearthed at Zangchengtai were 85 centimeters long and 20 centimeters in length. These arrows had wooden shafts and feathers made from bird feathers.

Juyan unearthed a complete Han Dynasty arrow, 67 centimeters long, with a three-pronged arrowhead, lacquer wrapped around the surface of the shaft, and three tail feathers, one of which bears the inscription, "Made in Suiyang in the sixth year. Year". In addition to these arrows, there are also various types of Qing Dynasty arrows that are highly stocked in China. Most of the Qing Dynasty arrows are made of birch or poplar shafts. Fitted with corresponding iron arrowheads.