The butterfly sword (simplified Chinese: 蝴蝶双刀; traditional Chinese: 蝴蝶雙刀; pinyin: húdié shuāng dāo) is a short dāo, or single-edged blade, originally from the South of China, though it has seen use in the North.
The blade of a butterfly sword is roughly as long as a human forearm, which allows for easy concealment inside loose sleeves or boots, and allows greater maneuverability when spinning and rotating during close-quarters fighting. Butterfly swords are usually wielded in pairs. A pair of swords will often be carried side by side within the same scabbard, so as to give the appearance of a single weapon.
The butterfly sword has a small crossguard to protect the hands of the wielder, similar to that of a sai, which can also be used to block or hook an opponent's weapon. In some versions of tis crossguard is enlargened offering a second handhold, held in this position the swords can be manipulated in a manner akin to a pair of tonfa. They may also be used as a knuckle duster when non-lethal application of the weapon is desired.
Traditionally, the blade of a butterfly sword is only sharpened along half of its edge - from the middle of the blade to the tip; this can be seen in all vintage specimens from the Qing Dynasty. The blade from the midpoint down is left blunt so that it can be used to deliver non-lethal strikes and to block without damaging the sharpened edge. Butterflies were generally commissioned for individual martial artists, not mass produced, so every set of swords is different, however and average blade today is about 11½" long with a 6" handle.
Butterfly swords are usually translated as 'butterfly knives' in English but should not be confused with the folding Balisong (knife) which is commonly mistaken for the Butterfly Knife as, the true Butterfly Knife is commonly referred to as a sword. The Chinese word dāo being used to designate any blade whose primary function is to cut and slash regardless of length. In some branches of Kung Fu, such as Wing Chun and Wing Tsun, butterfly knives are known as Baat Jaam Do (named after the Systems form, literally 'Eight Chopping/Slashing Knives' in Cantonese).
Butterfly swords are used in several Chinese martial arts, notably Wing Chun, Lau Gar and Hung Gar. In Wing Chun, one notable aspect of butterfly sword combat is that its principles are the basis for all other weaponry. In theory, any object that can be held in the hands of a Wing Chun practitioner will follow the same basic principles of movement as the butterfly swords. This is because the use of butterfly swords is simply an extension of empty-handed combat.
Butterfly swords are regarded by many Chinese martial artists to hold the most versatility and balance of offensive and defensive capabilities of any other Chinese weapon, with many more capabilities than just a weapon. In some Wing Chun mobs, the Knives are regarded as the Golden Jewellery of the system.
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