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Mandarin Duck Blades

Mandarin Duck Blades

Mandarin Duck Blades (simplified: 鸳鸯刀, traditional: 鴛鴦刀, pinyin: Yuānyāng Dāo) were a legendary pair of daos rumoured throughout the jianghu to contain the greatest secret of the wulin. The pair consisted of two blades: the longer Yuan blade (鸳刀 – yuāndāo) named after the male mandarin duck, and the shorter Yang blade (鸯刀 – yāngdāo) named after the female mandarin duck. The name reflected the mandarin duck’s symbolism as a lifelong couple in traditional Chinese culture, and the weapons were said to grant the bearer invincibility.

Overview

The Mandarin Duck Blades were a matched pair of single-edged swords, with the Yuan blade being longer than the Yang blade. When separated, the weapons functioned as ordinary daos, though of exceptional quality. However, the true secret lay hidden within their inscriptions, which could only be read when the blades were joined together.

History

Pursuit by the Qing court

The emperor had long sought the Mandarin Duck Blades, having sent trusted agents to search for them throughout the realm. After ascending to the throne, he issued a secret edict ordering all governors and commanders in the eighteen provinces to investigate their whereabouts. The weapons were eventually located in the possession of two heroes, one surnamed Yuan and the other Yang Bochong, the Great Xia of Three Xiang. When both heroes refused to surrender the blades, imperial forces executed them and imprisoned their families.

The Sichuan-Shaanxi Governor-General Liu Yuyi eventually obtained the pair and commissioned the Weixin Armed Escort to transport them to the capital under the protection of imperial guard Zhuo Tianxiong.

Recovery and revelation

Yuan Guannan and Xiao Zhonghui successfully obtained both blades, though the Yang blade that Xiao Zhonghui carried was later discovered to be a fake. The genuine Yang blade was recovered from Zhuo Tianxiong after he was captured by the Four Xias of Taiyue.

When Madam Yuan held the pair together, inscriptions previously hidden when separated were revealed: the Yuan blade bore the characters “仁者” (rénzhě, “The Benevolent”), whilst the Yang blade bore “无敌” (wúdí, “Invincible”). Together they proclaimed: “The benevolent is invincible” (仁者无敌 – rénzhě wúdí).

This philosophical revelation transformed understanding of the weapons’ legendary status. The secret to invincibility was not a martial technique or magical power, but rather a moral principle—benevolence creates true strength because those who practice compassion make allies rather than enemies.

Components

Yuan blade

The Yuan blade (鸳刀 – yuāndāo) was the longer of the two blades, named after the male mandarin duck. It bore the inscription “仁者” (The Benevolent) when joined with its companion.

Yang blade

The Yang blade (鸯刀 – yāngdāo) was the shorter of the two blades, named after the female mandarin duck. It bore the inscription “无敌” (Invincible) when joined with its companion.

Notable practitioners

  • Yuan Guannan — Wielded the Yuan blade
  • Xiao Zhonghui — Initially wielded a fake Yang blade, later the genuine weapon
  • Zhuo Tianxiong — Briefly possessed the Yang blade after confiscating it from Xiao Zhonghui
  • Great Xia Yuan — Original owner of the Yuan blade
  • Yang Bochong — Original owner of the Yang blade

Behind the scenes

The name “Mandarin Duck Blades” reflects the mandarin duck’s symbolism in Chinese culture as a symbol of marital harmony and lifelong partnership. The yuan (鸳) represents the male duck, whilst the yang (鸯) represents the female duck, together forming a pair that mates for life.

The revelation that the secret is a moral principle rather than a martial technique aligns with the novella’s philosophical themes about benevolence and true strength. The inscriptions “The Benevolent” and “Invincible” combine to form a Confucian maxim about the relationship between virtue and power.

See also