White Ape Swordplay (simplified: 白猿剑法, traditional: 白猿劍法, pinyin: Báiyuán Jiànfǎ, jyutping: baak6 jyun4 gim3 faat3) is the sword technique used by the white ape (白猿 — Bái Yuán), called “Grandpa Bai” (白爷爷 — Bái Yéye), in Jin Yong’s Sword of the Yue Maiden. The young heroine Aqing (阿青 — Ā Qīng) learns swordplay by sparring with this ape, and her skill becomes the basis of the later Yue Maiden Swordplay (越女剑法 — Yuènǚ Jiànfǎ).
Origins
In the novel, the white ape appears in the hills and repeatedly duels Aqing with a bamboo rod. Through these encounters, Aqing unconsciously absorbs the ape’s swift, natural sword method. The ape is portrayed as an almost supernatural teacher; its “White Ape Swordplay” is not a formal school but the fighting style it uses in these duels.
Relationship to Yue Maiden Swordplay
Yue Maiden Swordplay is the human tradition derived from Aqing’s experience with the white ape. Thus White Ape Swordplay is the source from which the Yue army’s sword methods are ultimately traced in the story.
In Sword of the Yue Maiden
The white ape’s attacks force Aqing to develop her reflexes and technique. When Fan Li and the Yue officers try to learn from her, they can only capture a diluted version of what she learned from the ape, which underscores the idea that her level of skill is unrepeatable.
See also
- Grandpa Bai — The white ape that uses this swordplay
- Aqing — The Yue Maiden who learned from the ape
- Yue Maiden Swordplay — The derived sword tradition
- Sword of the Yue Maiden martial arts