The Origin of the Names of Traditional Wushu Weapons

In classical novels and traditional comments, it is often said that people with high martial arts are "proficient in all kinds of martial arts", and this ten-in-one martial arts refers to the kung fu and skills of using "ten weapons"

When did the "eighteen weapons" begin to appear? According to China's ancient books, knives, guns, bows and arrows were all made by the Yellow Emperor. The "Twenty-eight Weapons" were created by military strategists Sun Bin and Wuqi during the Warring States Period. In fact, these weapons appeared longer than Huangdi, Sun Bin and Wuqi, and they had many characters. At least in the Middle Stone Age, our ancestors began to know how to make and use wooden sticks, stone knives, axes and other primitive weapons for self-defense and hunting (which can also be said to be production tools). Arrows made of stones, animal bones and mussels have also been found in 20 Neolithic cultural sites all over China.

In the Shang Dynasty, our ancestors began to use bronze knives, guns, cymbals and other weapons. During the Warring States period, I knew that iron was used to cast weapons. In the Han Dynasty and Wei and Jin Dynasties. During the Warring States period, people's livelihood had to use iron to cast weapons. In the Han Dynasty and Wei and Jin Dynasties, due to the further development of metallurgy in southern China, steel was widely used to cast knives, guns and swords, and various important weapons began to increase. After the Northern and Southern Dynasties, bronze weapons were out of sight and replaced by steel. By the Ming dynasty, the "eighteen weapons" had basically been completely finalized.

The word "eighteen weapons" is not found in ancient books. Wuza originated in Ming Dynasty, and Jianji was won by Chu people in Qing Dynasty. Both books have only eighteen martial arts. Obviously, the word "eighteen weapons" was created by later generations. What weapons does "eighteen weapons" refer to? Due to the differences of times, regions and schools, the interpretation of "eighteen weapons" is not the same. To sum it up. There are more than ten different sayings in ancient and modern times.

According to Five Miscellaneous Notes and Sword Notes, the "ten weapons" are bows, crossbows, guns, knives, swords, spears, shields, axes, cymbals, halberds, yellow, mallets, dragoons (sticks), forks, rakes and heads. Later people called it "Little Eighteen."

Today, the general explanation of "eighteen weapons" in martial arts circles is knife, gun, sword, halberd, axe, cymbal, hook, fork, whip, mace, hammer, grab, boring, stick, crutch and meteor.

Hanwu was founded in the fourth year of Yuanfeng (BC 107). After strict selection and sorting, 18 weapons were selected: spear, boring, knife, spear, whip, mace, sword, hammer, grab, halberd, bow, cymbal, axe and so on. Sticks, guns and forks.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Lv Qian, a famous weapon appraiser, rearranged the "eighteen weapons" ordered by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty into nine long weapons and nine short weapons according to their characteristics. Nine lengths: knife, spear, halberd, spear, boring, cymbal, stick, gun and fork; Nine short: axe, walking, card, arrow, whip, sword, mace, hammer and grab.

From the above, the weapons listed in the Eighteen Martial Arts are similar, but they are very rich in form and content. There are Changle instruments and short instruments. Soft musical instrument, double musical instrument; There are hooks, barbs, sharp points, knives, bright and dark; Offensive and defensive; There are hits, kills, hits, throws and blocks.

It can be seen that the weapons listed in the Eighteen Martial Arts are all weapons of ancient masters (about 400 kinds), which are the most commonly used in actual combat.

Eighteen weapons-shovel

Shovel is an ancient weapon, a long weapon with thin body and wide blade. The shovel head is like a crescent moon, with the crescent moon facing upwards and a long handle, and the blade and handle are T-shaped. As early as the Neolithic Age, there were stone shovels, bronze shovels were cast in Shang Dynasty, and shovels were used in the late Warring States Period. In the Ming Dynasty, crescent shovel appeared. Generally speaking, blades are convex and curved, and they are all equipped with handles. Shovel later evolved into a martial arts instrument, which spread among the people. Monks often use shovels, which can usually replace shoulder poles to carry loads or open roads. The types of shovels are crescent shovel, Tian Peng, Lotus and so on, and the hitting methods are pushing, pressing, patting, rolling, shoveling, cutting and picking. A boy worships, an oolong wags his tail, and Jiro takes the mountain and goes out of the mountain gate. When practicing, you should move around more and have a unique style.

Eighteen weapons-cloud

Yun is one of the heavy weapons among the eighteen weapons, which are mostly used in real-time combat. In the ancient tombs of Lijiashan in Jiangchuan, Yunnan, the late Warring States Period and the early Eastern Han Dynasty were discovered. There are many kinds, complicated structures and heavy structures, which are mostly used by powerful people. Therefore, Guan Yu is almost lost in modern Wulin, and few people practice Guan Yu.

It evolved from spears and sticks. The book Zhengzitong says that "the spear is eight feet long", so the snake spear was also called "iron spear" in ancient times. In ancient times, the handle was made of solid wood, about 2 meters long and about one thick. The handle end is equipped with a rectangular hammer with six to eight rows of nails or teeth densely arranged on it, and the handle end is equipped with a triangular iron drill. Because its shape is similar to that of spike, it is also called spike. "Wu Bei Zhi" contains: "The staff has a sharp head and an inverted double hook under it, which is called a hook staff; Those who have no blade hooks are also nailed to the top with iron claws, such as nails, which are called maces; In the final analysis, the big one is a pestle, and the long, thin and heavy one is a rod and a blade. ? It may be one of the best. " Han Tao, "yum! "In the water margin, the general used jujube poles; Fan Jiang Wuli can use pure steel dates; In addition, there are fingers, palms, pairs, scales and dates.

The traditional drill routine is called "single practice", and the practice method is similar to that of broadsword. Its usage includes chopping, covering, cutting, blocking, picking, lifting, cloud belt, punching and so on. Although it is heavy, many moves can be practiced, such as "coping with Mount Tai", "chopping Huashan with a knife" and "sweeping an army".

Eighteen weapons-slingshot

Slingshot is a concealed weapon. Bows are made of bamboo, with corners lined up and ribs connected. The total length is 18 boxing for practitioners to use. Bowstring is made of silk, deer tendon silk and human hair miscellaneous silk. The hardness of an ordinary bow is two and a half, which can hurt people. There are three kinds of projectiles used for launching: (1) clay pellets: clay and glue are compacted evenly and kneaded into spheres; (2) Sophora japonica pill: made of Sophora japonica seed powder, brick surface, fine iron ore, etc. ; (3) Metal pills: made of copper, iron or lead. The use of slingshots is similar to bows and arrows. When opening the bow, stand in order, holding the bow attachment in one hand and opening the string in the other. The bow must be bent into the forearm and lifted horizontally, with the tip of the nose above and the toes below. The back hand is close to the same side between the eyes and ears, and you must hold your breath when firing. "Slingshot Spectrum" summarizes its practice points as "eight songs": "Look at the master before opening the bow, the handle before opening the bow, the undecided hand before opening the bow, the back hand before opening the bow, and the front hand after playing". Later, it developed into a martial arts instrument. There are many styles of projectile launching, such as: single phoenix sunrise, wild horse trough, swan laying eggs, dishuiya, weeding for snakes, flying geese, holding the moon and so on. Few people study this art today. Simple wire racks and slingshots with rubber strings have become children's toys.

Slingshot is a concealed weapon. Bows are made of bamboo, with corners lined up and ribs connected. The total length is 18 boxing for practitioners to use. Bowstring is made of silk, deer tendon silk and human hair miscellaneous silk. The hardness of an ordinary bow is two and a half, which can hurt people. There are three kinds of projectiles used for launching: (1) clay pellets: clay and glue are compacted evenly and kneaded into spheres; (2) Sophora japonica pill: made of Sophora japonica seed powder, brick surface, fine iron ore, etc. ; (3) Metal pills: made of copper, iron or lead. The use of slingshots is similar to bows and arrows. When opening the bow, stand in order, holding the bow attachment in one hand and opening the string in the other. The bow must be bent into the forearm and lifted horizontally, with the tip of the nose above and the toes below. The back hand is close to the same side between the eyes and ears, and you must hold your breath when firing. "Slingshot Spectrum" summarizes its practice points as "eight songs": "Look at the master before opening the bow, the handle before opening the bow, the undecided hand before opening the bow, the back hand before opening the bow, and the front hand after playing". Later, it developed into a martial arts instrument. There are many styles of projectile launching, such as: single phoenix sunrise, wild horse trough, swan laying eggs, dishuiya, weeding for snakes, flying geese, holding the moon and so on. Few people study this art today. Simple wire racks and slingshots with rubber strings have become children's toys.

Eighteen weapons-dagger

Dagger, dagger, is a kind of short weapon which is mainly stabbing and chopping. Shaped like a sword, but not as long as a sword. Stone knives that began in primitive society. After Shang and Zhou Dynasties, it was made of bronze or steel, which was used for melee self-defense. Some people use poison to sharpen their blades and stab them to death. Daggers and swords were used together in the Han Dynasty, especially knights. The head of the Jin Dynasty sword is ring-shaped, shaped like a gauze cap, with a downward grid, a wide and flat handle and a long handle near the blade, which is obviously different from that in the pre-Qin period. Zhang Zai in the Jin Dynasty once wrote "The dagger inscription": "When setting a dagger, you should use it as soon as possible, that is, you should not be unprepared or careless. The benefits are obvious, and the merits are hidden. " Daggers prevailed in the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai's poem "Chivalry" said: "Young people learn fencing, daggers are inserted into Wu Hong, and a hundred people are brave, and this life is full of glory." After the Song Dynasty, daggers, as one of the martial arts instruments, have been passed down to this day. Its usage includes beating, stabbing, picking, cutting, belt and so on. There are two forms of "single knife" and "double knife" during the drill. In modern martial arts routines, most of them practice with a dagger in each hand. Duets include Dagger Into Gun, Take Dagger, Double Dagger Into Gun, Three People, Double Dagger, High-quality Brand, Single Knife.

Eighteen weapons-bow

Bow is a weapon that uses elastic force to shoot arrows on strings and kill distant enemies. 28,000 years ago, primitive humans obtained food for hunting by bending branches, metal rods and ropes. It has become one of the main weapons since the war. By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the shape of materials had been greatly improved. The length of King Bow and Arc Bow is131.4cm, which is used for hunting and shooting birds in the wild. Tang bow and big bow are 1 19.46 cm long and used for shooting. In the Han Dynasty, there were tiger bows, Zhou people's bows, horn bows and Xinjiang bows, all of which were decorated with bronze or jade ornaments. The Tang Dynasty was divided into long bow, angular bow, pointed bow and lattice bow, which were used by infantry, cavalry and imperial soldiers respectively. In Song Dynasty, there were yellow birch, white birch and black lacquer bow. In the Yuan Dynasty, there were big bows such as "Mai Da" and "Chang Man". In the Ming Dynasty, there were bows such as Kaiyuan and Xiaoshou. There were birch bows in Qing Dynasty. By the middle of19th century, it was replaced by shotguns.

Meteor hammer with eighteen weapons

Meteor hammer is a kind of hidden weapons. One end of a rope is tied to the hammer body, and the other end is held in the hand, and it is thrown at the target hard. Now it belongs to the category of soft weapons. Also known as flying hammer, flying hammer and meteor hammer. Meteor hammer is developed from the ancient hunting tool "meteor rope" and later used as a weapon in combat. During the warring States period, there were images of shooting stars with both hands to attack the enemy on the land and water attack map. Folk artists in the Qing Dynasty often used meteor hammers to "beat the field". The meteor hammer can not only entangle each other, but also hit each other. There is a popular folk song in Sichuan: "Meteor, meteor, only hit the nose, not the eyes".

Meteor hammer is divided into three parts: hammer body, flexible cord and handle. There are different hammers such as round head, melon shape and spindle shape. The hammer is as big as a rice bowl, and its weight depends on the physical strength of the user, usually 4 to 5 kilograms. There is an elephant trunk eye at the tail of the hammer, and a soft rope made of silk, human hair and deer tendon is tied to the iron ring, which is as thick as a finger and more than 800 cm long. Exercise methods include winding, throwing, swinging and sweeping. In the process of exercise, you can skillfully wrap the rope around your waist, chest, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, thighs and calves, and then shake your hands and let go.

Eighteen weapons-halberd

Ji is a musical instrument, which began in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. It evolved from ancient weapons. Ji has the saying of "a dragon", that is, the dragon head, the dragon mouth, the dragon body, the dragon four claws and the dragon tail. Its head can be saved, its mouth can be sharp, its body can lean against it, its claws can be grasped and its tail can be wagged. There are the following formulas: explore the dragon's claws, the black dragon enters the hole, the lazy dragon turns over, and the oolong wags its tail. Ji can be divided into immediate Ji and retreat Ji. Hold it in both hands, or you can hold a pole in one hand and an iron beam in the crescent moon in the other. The halberd pole is longer than the broadsword and can dance flowers. As the saying goes, "the sword has no head, and the halberd has no flowers." The halberd handle can be used by changing from left to right, and it looks like a poke stick. Therefore, there are many differences between different schools of halberds, and the six-way halberd method is the best. The basic usage of halberd is to stick, lean, split, cut, hook, hold and lift.

Euphorbia Euphorbia is divided into long-handled single halberd and short-handled double halberd. The halberd is divided into Fang Tianji (the halberd has two crescent moons on its head and a halberd shape on its rod, which is decorated with figures and vermicelli, hence the name painted halberd. There are also colored silks tied with money, which is called the colorful flag of money), Qinglong Ji (a single crescent with a dragon painted on its pole and decorated with cinnabar, with colorful cymbals called leopard's tail), snake Ji (the Ji is snake-shaped, and the rest are the same as Qinglong Ji), crescent Ji, Oriental Ji, protective Ji and Ji Lian, and Changsheng Ji. Double halberd with short handle is divided into single crescent (more practitioners) and double crescent. There are colorful tassels, and today they are all red tassels.

Halberd was originally used as a weapon, but later it was deepened into an article for etiquette and decoration. If the emperor drives an avant-garde horse and stands with a halberd. Yu Qian, a national hero in the Ming Dynasty, wrote two sentences at the end of the poem "Wandering on a Wall": "There is no halberd in front of the door, and the people are mistaken." The halberd is a symbol of rank. The rich man put a silver halberd in an ancient bottle, which is homophonic with "give", symbolizing wealth and self-sufficiency. There is a picture of halberd hanging on the wall, with a double crescent dragon halberd in the middle and a single crescent dragon halberd obliquely inserted on both sides.

Eighteen weapons-hook

Hook is a multi-edged weapon, which evolved from the ancient weapon Ge. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Ge, Gou and Ji were used together. Judging from the bronze hooks unearthed from Wei's tomb, the hooks are shaped like halberds, but the halberds are sharp-edged and the hooks are line hooks, hence the name "hooks". Yan Shigu's note: "Hook is also a weapon, bending like a sword, so it kills people." Many people used hooks in ancient battlefields. In the Jin Dynasty, Ran Min, who was brave and good at fighting, held a double-edged spear in his left hand and a hook halberd in his right hand to attack the Yan soldiers and beheaded them for more than 300 ranks. The hooks used in Wushu include single hook, double hook, staghorn hook, tiger head hook, hand guard hook and so on. Techniques include pushing hook, dropping hook, tearing hook, lifting hook, palladium hook, leaving hook, hook, walking hook, cloud hook, supporting hook and offering sacrifices to the moon. The drill needs ups and downs, so there is a saying of "Goulang".

Axe and graupel

Axes and graupels are rare weapons. In ancient times, an axe was indistinguishable from a graupel. This long-handled axe, also known as the axe, is 2.66 meters long. "Notes on Ancient and Modern Times" contains: "Huang Yue, the golden axe, and Xuanyue, the iron axe, have broken three generations." However, due to the different methods of use, there are still differences between axes and shotguns. Whoever has a hook on the back of his axe and a spear on his axe is the graupel.

Long-handled axe cymbals are mostly heavy weapons used immediately in ancient times, including "Xuanhua axe", "Mountain axe", "Crescent axe", "Golden cymbals", "Mountain cymbals" and so on. The hatchet can be divided into single axe and double axe, which was used by ancient infantry. The hatchet with short handle is also called "hatchet with short handle" because its shape is flat and wide. Black whirlwind Li Kui jy used two axes.

Axe cymbals have a long history. 1972, a bronze weapon was unearthed in Taixi Village, Gaocheng County, Hebei Province, indicating that China used bronze weapons as early as 3,000 years ago. The "Moon" of the Qin Dynasty unearthed in Shaanxi is quite exquisite in workmanship, with a blade and a back, and a pattern cast on it. Axe cymbals dance, graceful posture, rough and unrestrained style. Use methods include chopping, chopping, hugging, rubbing, clouds, slices, etc. There are thorns and hooked cymbals have thorns and hooks. Because the practice of axe cymbals is complicated, and many traditional routines have been lost and endangered, it is rare in Wulin now.

Forks and flying forks

The fork is one of the ancient long-thorn weapons, belonging to eighteen kinds of weapons. The fork was originally a production tool. According to ancient records, most people use forks when hunting and fishing. In Water Margin, Jie Zhen and Jeb used steel forks to fight tigers. There is also a kind of "horse fork" in the Ming Dynasty's military book "Wu Beizhi", which forks people above and horses below. Forks can be divided into: horn fork (commonly known as tiger fork), three-beard fork, triangle fork, dragon-beard fork (commonly known as two-legged fork) and so on. The fork is about five or six feet long, and there are iron plates or colored silks between the fork seats.

Forks have a unique style in practice and can be used with fork heads and handles. It is said that there are as many as 32 usages such as blocking, crossing, covering, patting, pulling and picking. The practice of fork in Wulin is rare. Traditional famous routines include Taibao fork, Flying Tiger fork and Dragon beard fork. Flying fork, commonly known as "clearing the way", evolved from fork. When people throw big fish with a harpoon, they tie a rope to the handle of the harpoon, throw it out when they use it, and then grab the rope and get it back. If the pitch is missed, it takes some skill to catch the harpoon flying in the air when the rope is closed, so the skill of flying harpoon is developed on the basis of catching the harpoon. In addition, the fork is not only a production tool, but also a fighting weapon, which is closely related to people's lives. In our country, whenever the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival or temple fair and popular "going out" activities, the flying fork performance with cold light and sonorous voice always walks in front of various entertainment programs and shoulders the task of "opening the way". The organization of folk flying fork practice is also called "meeting"

The performance of the flying fork is very skillful. You can't hold a fork in your hand and let it turn around on your arms, legs and back. This requires using the tension or relaxation of your muscles to control the lifting, falling, turning and closing of the flying fork to adjust the center of gravity and speed of the flying fork. You can also make many tricks, such as swinging high, kicking high, "holding the moon" and "crossing the bridge".

There are many famous people who are good at flying forks in Wulin. The late famous martial artist Zheng Huaixian was good at flying forks. As a member of 1936 China Wushu Team, he performed the flying fork when he went to Berlin to participate in 1 1 Olympic Games. Liu Zhongshan, a famous Shandong folk artist, is the "flying fork king" with unique skills. Moreover, he is also good at "Tanmen".

The heads of a hundred soldiers-sticks

In northern China, sticks were called "sticks" or "white sticks", while in ancient times, sticks were called "sticks" or "sticks". Although the name is different, it is actually the same thing. Clubs are weapons without blades, and are known as "the first of a hundred soldiers".

Walking stick has a long history, which is one of the main production tools in primitive society and one of the earliest weapons used in war. When Mencius occupied the country, he once said, "If the king is kind to the people ... he can control the shackles and punish Qin Chubing." Yu's Sword Sutra is a masterpiece.

There were many schools of cudgel in ancient China. In the Ming Dynasty, Shaolin, Wei Zi, Zhangjia, Qingtian, Zhao Taizu made snakes, Hetu hooks, Niu Jia, Ba Zi, Yu, and so on. In the forty years of Jiajing, famous anti-Japanese soldiers were ordered to go south and visit Shaolin Temple via Henan. After observing Shaolin's stick technique, Yu thought that "the ancients' truth has been lost" and all the monks "wanted to be taught", so they both entered Yu's army to study. Three years later, they returned to the temple and taught as many as 100 people, making Shaolin stick technique famous all over the world. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Zhongdou, a famous martial artist in Xiuning County, Anhui Province, studied in Shaolin Temple and published his Shaolin stick skills in words. This is a book "Explanation of Shaolin Clutching Sect", which provides valuable information for studying the evolution and development of ancient clubbing.