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A Definition of Wuxia and Xia
He is honest in words, effective in action, faithful in keeping promises,
fearless in offering his own life to free the righteous from bondage. -- Sima Qian
The word wuxia is composed of two characters.
The first character, wu is used to describe things having to do
with martial arts, war, or the military. The second character, xia
refers to the type of protagonist found in wuxia fiction, and is
also a synonym for chivalry. Thus, wuxia fiction is translated as
martial-chivalric fiction. The simplest way to describe this genre to those
who are not familiar with it is to define it as Chinese swords and sorcery.
Most gamers become familiar with wuxia, through films such as A
Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman and Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain.
The word xia in its context of describing
a type of person, is more difficult to define. A variety of translations
have been used for the word. They include hero, swordsman, adventurer,
soldier of fortune, warrior, or knight [-errant]. In some respects, the
xia
is all of these things, yet these definitions neither fully nor accurately
describe the xia.
The most frequently used definitions for xia,
are knight and knight-errant. Like the knight, skill in combat was the
stock and trade of xia. However, xia were soldiers only on
rare occasion. They excelled in personal combat, and were more akin to
the renaissance duelist than the medieval knight. In addition, unlike the
European knight who was exclusively a member of the aristocracy, xia
could come from both humble or aristocratic backgrounds. The xia
were often wanderers seeking adventure, but greed and self-interest was
not always their motivation. As hired swords, xia resolved conflict
through use of force, but their actions were tempered by a personal sense
of justice and honor. Thus, what set xia apart from other men with
fighting skills had to do with their ideology and code of conduct. As a
force for good, xia have been extolled by Sima Qian. Later historians
elaborated, making the distinction between xia, and other types
of outlaw who used force without scruple for personal gain. Others saw
little difference between xia and their less principled brethren.
Han Feizi listed the xia among the five vermin of society for being
subversive vigilante, while Xun Yue took a moral stance against xia
for their rejection of Confucian values.
The traditional xia of fiction is a non-conformist
who fights for justice. He is honorable to a fault, his word is inviolable,
and his reputation is more important than life itself. Moreover, he is
a master of the martial arts who does not hesitate to use his skills in
the defense of his beliefs. This type of xia is the idealized version
of the heroic xia, and is primarily encountered in modern fiction
and cinema. A less romanticized description of xia can be drawn
from history and more traditional fiction. This xia is also a swordsman,
but one who is more dogmatic than altruistic. He is a champion for any
cause to which he has pledged his loyalty, be it benevolent or otherwise.
This definition takes into account the sometimes dubious nature of actions
performed by xia. Along these lines, in Once Upon a Time in China
all swordsmen who adhere to the principles of loyalty, reciprocity, and
duty are xia. No distinction is made between xia who are
altruistic, and those whose motives are of questionable merit.
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