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Kunlun Sect
The Kunlun School is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is usually featured as a leading orthodox school in the '' jianghu / wulin'' (martial artists' community). It is named after the place where it is based, the Kunlun Mountains in western China, near modern Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces. Due to its geographical location, it was hardly known to martial artists in the ''jianghu'' before its rise to prominence. History The school's history traces back to the Zhou dynasty during the reign of King Wu. According to legend, its founders were the semi-mythological figures Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun. The latter had 12 apprentices, who later became the Twelve Elders of Kunlun. Although Kunlun has its roots in Taoism, its members do not strictly follow Taoist customs and practices. Kunlun's rise to prominence in the '' wulin'' (martial artists' community) only came after martial artists such as He Zudao made their names through their pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wuxia
( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted for such diverse art forms as Chinese opera, manhua, television dramas, films, and video games. It forms part of popular culture in many Chinese-speaking communities around the world. The word "" is a compound composed of the elements (, literally "martial", "military", or "armed") and (, literally "chivalrous", " vigilante" or "hero"). A martial artist who follows the code of is often referred to as a (, literally "follower of ") or (, literally "wandering "). In some translations, the martial artist is referred to as a "swordsman" or "swordswoman" even though they may not necessarily wield a sword. The heroes in wuxia fiction typically do not serve a lord, wield military power, or belong to the aristocratic class. They often orig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wudang School
The Wudang Sect, sometimes also referred to as the Wu-tang Sect or Wu-Tang Clan, is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox sects in the '' wulin'' (martial artists' community). It is named after the place it is based, the Wudang Mountains. The Wudang Sect is featured most prominently in Jin Yong's novels ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' and ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' as a major power in the ''wulin'', usually alongside Shaolin. Liang Yusheng's works also depict Wudang as the leader of all orthodox sects in the ''wulin''. Most of its members are priests who follow Taoist customs and practices in addition to training in martial arts. However, unlike Shaolin's Buddhist monks, Wudang members are allowed to marry and start families. In some ''wuxia'' stories, Wudang has female members as well. History The sect was founded in the early Yuan dynasty by Zhang Sanfeng.Cha, Louis. ''T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunlunquan
Kunlunquan (昆仑拳, Kunlun Fist) is a style of Chinese martial arts popular in the province of Guangdong. As it is practiced by the minority Hakka it is considered a Kejiaquan. It was officially included among the styles nanquan, but originated in northern China. It was handed down in 1880 by Huang Huilong (黄辉龙) or feilong Huang (黄飞龙), a native of Jinan in the province of Shandong. Shuangqing Huang, a practitioner of this style today, is considered sixty seventh generation, witness to what is considered ancient style. Writing in ''Landtai World: Early Years'', Xinyang Normal University scholar Zhang Xiang said about Kunlunquan, "Its boxing characteristics are free and easy when defending, and deadly and fierce when attacking." According to the ''Guangdong Province Chronicle: Sports Chronicle'', "The characteristics of Kunlunquan: Fierce, tricky, heaving, floating and sinking, every move is to attack the vital parts. The stakes are higher, exhale, and inhale." T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hundun
Hundun () is both a "legendary faceless being" in Chinese mythology and the "primordial and central chaos" in Chinese cosmogony, comparable with the world egg. Linguistics ''Hundun'' was semantically extended from a mythic "primordial chaos; nebulous state of the universe before heaven and earth separated" to mean "unintelligible; chaotic; messy; mentally dense; innocent as a child". While ''hùndùn'' "primordial chaos" is usually written as in contemporary vernacular, it is also written as —as in the Daoist classic '' Zhuangzi''—or —as in the '' Zuozhuan''. ''Hùn'' "chaos; muddled; confused" is written either ''hùn'' () or ''hún'' (). These two are interchangeable graphic variants read as ''hún'' ( ) and ''hùn'' "nebulous; stupid" (''hùndùn'' ). ''Dùn'' ("dull; confused") is written as either ''dùn'' () or ''dūn'' (). Isabelle Robinet outlines the etymological origins of ''hundun''. Semantically, the term ''hundun'' is related to several expressions, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prunus Mume
''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting and poetry of East Asia and Vietnam, is usually called plum blossom. This distinct tree species is related to both the plum and apricot trees. Although generally referred to as a plum in English, it is more closely related to the apricot. In East Asian cuisine ( Chinese, Japanese and Korean) and Vietnamese cuisine, the fruit of the tree is used in juices, as a flavouring for alcohol, as a pickle and in sauces. It is also used in traditional medicine. The tree's flowering in late winter and early spring is highly regarded as a seasonal symbol. ''Prunus mume'' should not be confused with '' Prunus salicina'', a related species also grown in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Another tree, ''Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prajñā (Buddhism)
Prajñā (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञा) or paññā (Pāli: पञ्ञा), is a Buddhist term often translated as "wisdom", "intelligence", or "understanding". It is described in Buddhist texts as the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. In the context of Buddhist meditation, it is the ability to understand the three characteristics of all things: ''anicca'' ("impermanence"), '' dukkha'' ("dissatisfaction" or "suffering"), and ''anattā'' ("non-self"). Mahāyāna texts describe it as the understanding of ''śūnyatā'' ("emptiness"). It is part of the Threefold Training in Buddhism, and is one of the ten '' pāramīs'' of Theravāda Buddhism and one of the six Mahāyāna ''pāramitās''. Etymology ''Prajñā'' () is often translated as "wisdom", but according to Buddhist bioethics scholar Damien Keown, it is closer in meaning to "insight", "non-discriminating knowledge", or "intuitive apprehension". * ''jñā'' () can be translated as "consciousness", "knowl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajra
The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab. The vajra is the weapon of Indra, the Vedic king of the devas and heaven. It is used symbolically by the dharmic traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, often to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power. According to Hinduism, the vajra is considered one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. The use of the vajra as a symbolic and ritual tool spread from Hinduism to other religions in India and other parts of Asia. Etymology According to Asko Parpola, the Sanskrit () and Avestan both refer to a weapon of the Godhead, and are possibly from the Proto-Indo-European root ''*weg'-'' which means "to be(come) powerful". It is related to Proto- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qinggong
Qinggong is a training technique for jumping off vertical surfaces from the Chinese martial art Baguazhang. The practitioner runs up a plank supported against a wall. The gradient of the plank is increased gradually over time as the training progresses. Etymology Puns play a significant role in creating Chinese terminology. While the characters used for this skill are 輕功 \ 轻功 (Trad.\ Simp.), where the meaning of the first character is ''light n weight easy; soft; gentle'', and the second means ''achievement; effort; skill; good result'', since the training involves incrementally changing the slope or incline of a plank of wood used as a platform, there's a suggested pun with substituting 傾 \ 倾 (Trad.\ Simp.) for the first character, where its meaning is ''to overturn; to collapse; to lean; to incline''. Note that both 輕 \ 轻 and 傾 \ 倾 are pronounced identically, with the same tone. Popu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Heaven Sword And Dragon Saber
''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (), also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the third and final installment in the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and ''The Return of the Condor Heroes''. It was first serialised from 6 July 1961 to 2 September 1963 in the Hong Kong newspaper ''Ming Pao''. Jin Yong revised the novel in 1979 with a number of amendments and additions. A second revision was published in early 2005, incorporating later thoughts and a lengthier conclusion. It also introduced many changes to the plot and cleared up some ambiguities in the second edition, such as the origin of the ''Nine Yang Manual''. As is typical of some of his other novels, Jin Yong included elements of Chinese history in the story, such as featuring historical figures like Hongwu Emperor, Chen Youliang, Chang Yuchun and Zhang Sanfeng. The political and ethnic clash between the Han Chinese rebels ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jin Yong
Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong daily newspaper ''Ming Pao'' in 1959 and served as its first editor-in-chief. He was Hong Kong's most famous writer, and is named along with Gu Long and Liang Yusheng as the "Three Legs of the Tripod of Wuxia". His wuxia novels have a widespread following in Chinese communities worldwide. His 15 works written between 1955 and 1972 earned him a reputation as one of the greatest and most popular wuxia writers ever. By the time of his death he was the best-selling Chinese author, and over 100 million copies of his works have been sold worldwide (not including an unknown number of pirated copies). According to ''The Oxford Guide to Contemporary World Literature'', Jin Yong's novels are considered to be of very high quality and are able to appea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quanzhen School
The Quanzhen School (全真: ''Quánzhēn''), also known as Completion of Authenticity, Complete Reality, and Complete Perfection is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Taoism in mainland China. It originated in Northern China in 1170 under the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). One of its founders was the Taoist Wang Chongyang, who lived in the early Jin. When the Mongols invaded the Song dynasty (960–1279) in 1254, the Quanzhen Taoists exerted great effort in keeping the peace, thus saving thousands of lives, particularly among those of Han Chinese descent. Foundation principles The meaning of Quanzhen can be translated literally to "''All True''" and for this reason, it is often called the "''All Truth Religion''" or the "''Way of Completeness and Truth.''" In some texts, it is also referred to as the "''Way of Complete Perfection.''" Kunyu mountain in Shandong province Weihai city is the birthplace of Quan Zhen Taoism. With strong Taoist roots, the Quanzhen Sch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jianghu
''Jianghu'' () is a term that generally refers to the milieu, environment, or sub-community in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set. The term is used flexibly, and can be used to describe a fictionalized version of Historical China (usually using loose influences from across the ~1000 BCE–280 AD period); a setting of feuding martial arts clans and the people of that community; a secret and possibly criminal underworld; a general sense of the "mythic world" where fantastical stories happen; or some combination thereof. Background In modern Chinese culture, ''jianghu'' is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set. Unlike the normal world, in the ''jianghu'' '' xia'' (wanderers, knight-errants) are free to act on their own initiative, including with violence, to punish evil and foes, and to reward goodness and allies. While the term literally means "rivers and lakes", it is br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
