These are martial arts that appear in Mandarin Duck Blades. The skills are grouped by styles in the main Jin Yong martial arts page.
The novel features a unique approach to martial arts where techniques reflect the philosophical themes of the story, particularly the balance between mercy and strength.
Wedded Blades Style
The Wedded Blades Style (夫妻刀法 – Fūqī Dāofǎ) represented a unique paired martial art consisting of 72 moves that required perfect emotional and spiritual harmony between two practitioners. The technique was designed to wound rather than kill, reflecting its creators’ merciful nature and philosophical approach to combat.
Each move deliberately left an opening for opponents to escape, demonstrating the technique’s defensive rather than aggressive nature. The martial art featured poetically named moves such as “Clear Wind Guides Down from Jade Tower” and “Bright Moon Illuminates the Golden Chamber”, which reflected both the aesthetic sensibility and philosophical depth of the style.
Huyan Eighteen Whip
The Eighteen Whips of Huyan (呼延十八鞭 – Hūyán Shíbā Biān) was a technique attributed to Northern Song general Huyan Zan. Although called “Eighteen Whip,” only seventeen moves had been passed down through the generations. The most powerful move within this technique was “One Whip Breaks Ten Spears” (一鞭断十枪), which earned its name from Huyan Zan’s legendary feat of breaking ten spears with a single whip strike.
Hunyuan Qi
Hunyuan Qi (混元气 – Hùnyuán Qì) was a rare neigong technique that could only be practised by unmarried practitioners. This technique required virginity to practise and was lost upon marriage, making it an exceptionally restrictive martial art. Only a few martial artists in the jianghu had mastered this technique due to its stringent requirements.
Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms
The Thirty Heaven-shaking Palms (震天三十掌 – Zhèntiān Sānshí Zhǎng) was the signature martial art of Zhuo Tianxiong. This technique could only be countered by the Hunyuan Qi technique, making it particularly formidable against most opponents. Zhuo Tianxiong employed this technique when fighting Xiao Yi for possession of the Mandarin Duck Blades.