Themiaodao (苗刀) is a Chinese two-handeddao orsaber, with a narrow blade, longhilt, and an overall length of 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) or longer. The name means "sprout saber", presumably referring to a likeness between the weapon and a newly sprouted plant. An early reference, in Jin Yiming'sSingle Defense-Saber, makes a connection between themiaodao and theQing-erawodao, as well as mentioning both single and two-handed versions of themiaodao, suggesting that the name originally described the shape only, without any connotations of size. While themiaodao is a recent weapon, the name has come to be applied to a variety of earlier Chinese long sabers, such as thezhanmadao andchangdao. Along with thedadao,miaodao were used by some Chinese troops during theSecond Sino-Japanese War.
While themiaodao is rarely practiced in modern Chinese martial arts, some schools ofPiguaquan andTongbeiquan (in the Guo Changsheng lineage) andXingyiquan train with the weapon. Themiaodao is also often mistakenly claimed to have been one of the weapons taught at the Central Military Academy in Nanjing; the weapon in question was actually a European-style officer's saber, though some later schools may have basedmiaodao techniques on this form.
Despite being written the same way (苗), the "miao" ofmiaodao should not be confused with theMiao ethnic group, who are not associated with this weapon.
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