Liuyedao

The liuyedao or "willow-leaf saber" is a type of dao that was commonly used as a military sidearm for both cavalry and infantry during the Ming and Qing dynasties. A descendant of the earlier Mongol sabre the liuyedao remained the most popular type of single handed sabre during the Ming dynasty, replacing the role of the jian in the military. Many schools of Chinese martial arts originally trained with this weapon.

Liuyedao
A 17th–18th century liuyedao with gilt iron fittings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Traditional Chinese	柳葉刀
Simplified Chinese	柳叶刀
Literal meaning	willow leaf knife
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin liǔyèdāo Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization láuhyihpdōu Jyutping lau5 jip6 dou1

This weapon features a moderate curve along the length of the blade. This reduces thrusting ability (though it is still fairly effective at same) while increasing the power of cuts and slashes. The hilts are typically straight, but can be re-curved downward starting in the 18th century. It weighs from 2 to 3 lb (0.91 to 1.36 kg), and is 36 to 39 in (91 to 99 cm) long.

Many examples will often have a decorated collar at the throat of the blade called a tunkou, which are stylistic holdovers from the preceding designs.

References

Sources

• Tom, Philip M. W. (2001). "Some Notable Sabers of the Qing Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art". Metropolitan Museum Journal. 36: 11, 207–222. doi:10.2307/1513063. JSTOR 1513063. S2CID 191359442.
• Tom, Philip with Scott M. Rodell (February 2005). "An Introduction to Chinese Single-Edged Hilt Weapons (Dao) and Their Use in the Ming and Qing Dynasties". Kung Fu Tai Chi, pp. 76–85

• Dekker, Peter. Liǔyèdāo (柳葉刀) glossary article. First published 2019. https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/liuyedao