Podao or pudao () is a Chinese single-edged infantry weapon that is still used primarily for training in various

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. Th ...

. The blade of the weapon is shaped like a Chinese

broadsword The basket-hilted sword is a sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. In mod ...

, but the weapon has a longer handle, usually around one to two meters (about three to six feet) which is circular in cross-section. It looks somewhat similar to the

guandao A ''guandao'' is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, it is properly called a yanyuedao (偃月刀; lit. "reclining moon blade"), the name under which it always appears in texts from the ...

. The pudao is sometimes called a "horse-cutter sword" since it is speculated to have been used to slice the legs out from under a horse during battle (like the

zhanmadao The ''zhanmadao'' () was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was especially common in Song China (960–1279). General characteristics The zhanmadao is a single-edged sabre ...

). It is somewhat analogous to the Japanese

nagamaki The is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihontō'') with an extra long handle, used by the samurai class of feudal Japan.Friday 2004, p. 88. History It is possible that nagamaki were first produced during the Heian period (794 to ...

, although the nagamaki sword may have been developed independently. The pudao also resembles the Korean

hyeopdo The Hyeopdo (Modern South Korean pronunciation: /çʌp.do/) was a polearm used in Korea. It was also called ''micheomdo'' (), which could be translated as "eyebrow sword" because the curved blade resembled an eyebrow.Ehwa University Press 2008, S ...

Popular culture

* ''

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film ...

'' features locations in

Ta Lo The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many fictional elements including locations, weapons, and artifacts. While many of these features are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books publishe ...

as well as

Razor Fist Razor Fist is the name of three fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Razor Fist was killed off in the comic books many years ago. The next two characters to take the title were brothe ...

using podaos of

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

scales to fight the

Dweller-in-Darkness The Dweller-in-Darkness is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a demon, one of the Fear Lords, who has clashed with Doctor Strange. The character made its film debut in the 2021 Marvel Cine ...

. Blade weapons Chinese melee weapons Chinese swords Polearms Weapons of China {{China-hist-stub