中国剑文化：千年历史 从武化文

在距今约850年前的一个夜晚，中国南宋著名军事家、文学家辛弃疾写下了一首豪气冲天的诗词：“醉里挑灯看剑，梦回吹角连营……”因国家党派之争被皇帝冷落的他，闲居信州（今江西上饶），只能望着这把承载着自己英雄气魄和报国壮志的剑，回想曾经铁马冰河的岁月。 

One night, about 850 years ago, famous strategist and writer Xin Qiji wrote a heroic poem, “When I am drunk, I look at my sword. In my dream, I blow a corner and camp.” Due to the dispute between the state parties, he was neglected by the emperor. He lived with no official position and power in Xinzhou, now Shangrao, Jiangxi Province. He could only often gaze at the sword that carried his heroic and patriotic aspiration and recalled the bravery in numerous battles the past years.

中国剑文化是随着历史的发展而出现并逐渐丰盈的。 

Throughout history, Chinese sword culture emerged and gradually enriched with time. 

剑，被称为“短兵之祖”。中国剑在商朝大致成形，一直到中国的春秋时期，剑仍是战 场的主流兵器之一。至中国的战国末期，冶炼技术的提升和冷兵器战争的不断“试错” ，使得杀伤范围更大的刀逐渐取代了剑的战场地位。 

The sword is known as the “ancestor of short weapons.” Chinese swords took shape in the Shang Dynasty. Until China’s Spring and Autumn Period, the sword remained the mainstream weapons on the battlefield. By the end of the Warring States Period, the improvement of smelting technology and constant “trial and error” of the cold weapon war took place. From there, the sword with a broad killing range gradually replaced the position of the sword. 

而剑则更多地作为权势和尊贵的象征被古代的君王贵族所使用，他们经常相互赠送宝剑以显示友好。春秋时期，吴国季札出使鲁国途经徐国，徐国君喜爱季札的佩剑，有心索取却难于启齿。季札心中决定把剑赠送给他，但在返程时徐君已死。季札为兑现内心的许诺，便将宝剑挂在徐君墓前的树上走了。季子挂剑的故事后来成为君子守信的代表。 

The sword was a symbol of power and dignity, used by ancient kings and nobles. They often presented swords as a form of friendship. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Ji Zha, envoy of State Wu, passed State Xu on his way to Lu. The king of State Xu fell in love with Ji Zha’s sword. However, it was hard to ask for it. Ji Zha decided to gift the sword to him. But when he returned, the king of State Xu was dead. To fulfill his promise, Ji Zha hung his sword on the tree in front of the king’s tomb. Ji Zha’s story later represented a gentleman’s trustworthiness. 

同样在春秋时期，中国诞生了一个东方版的“亚瑟王与石中剑”传说，春秋时期的名剑“湛卢”，因越国战败而流落到吴国，但吴王的暴虐无道，竟使湛卢剑自行飞至当时的名君楚王身边。从此湛卢剑成为正义与仁德的象征，成为历代诗文提及最多、赞美最甚的宝剑。 

In the Spring and Autumn period, an oriental version of the legend of “King Arthur and the sword set in stone” bloomed in China. The famous sword “Zhanlu” was exiled to the state of Wu after the defeat of the state of Yue. But the tyranny of King Wu made the sword Zhanlu fly to the great king of Chu. From then on, the Zhanlu sword became the symbol of justice and benevolence. It is the most mentioned and praised sword in all dynasties’ poems and articles. 

自汉代始，文人佩剑的风气在民间渐起，他们佩戴宝剑，以舞剑为兴，显示文武双 全、德才兼备。这一现象是当时中华民族尚武重德社会价值观的体现。民间的剑客游侠同样赋予了剑特殊的社会意义。唐代诗人贾岛有诗：“十年磨一剑……谁有不平事”，剑成为了民间伸张正义、见义勇为的精神载体，成为中国人对英雄精神的诠释。 

In the Han Dynasty, swordsmanship culture among the literate gradually rose. They wore and danced to swords, and this showed their proficiency in literature and martial arts. It also showed their political integrity and talent. This phenomenon embodied the social values of the Chinese nation in that era. The swordsman Rangers gave the sword a unique, social significance. Jia Dao, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote, “sharpening a sword in ten years…and eliminate injustice with the sword” . The sword became the spiritual carrier of justice and bravery, the Chinese’ people’s interpretation of the heroic spirit. 

历史丰盈了剑文化，赋予了它勇敢、自由、修身、公平等诸多文化内涵，成为中国一种特有的文化现象。 

History enriched sword culture. It endowed it with many connotations such as bravery, freedom, self-cultivation, and fairness. This became a unique cultural phenomenon in China. 

进入现代，剑文化作为中国传统武学的一部分，虽然也面临着传承乏力的局面，但是随着近年国学文化的兴起，剑文化也再次迎来了曙光，作为中华民族的传统“名牌”之 一，发挥其武能强健体魄，文能宣扬美德的作用。 

In modern times, sword culture, as a part of Chinese traditional martial arts, faces the challenge of weak inheritance. In recent years, the rise of Chinese traditional culture ushered the new dawn of sword culture. As one of the Chinese nation’s traditional “brands,” sword culture plays a role in strengthening physical fitness and promoting virtue.

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