Language: Mandarin Chinese
Source: Period dictionary
Description
Gōng xián (弓弦) literally means "bowstring".
Chinese bowstrings were often made of silk. On war and strength bows, deer rawhide was commonly used. On some strength bows, gut strings are seen.
Qing bowstrings were typically very thick, and so often consisted of different segments that could be folded for easier transport and storage.
A late Qing dynasty silk bowstring.
Knot in a Qing dynasty bowstring.
Death by bowstring
In the Qing, members of the elite were sometimes sentenced to death by strangulation with a bowstring.* Considered a more noble death than decapitation, because it allowed the body to stay intact.
This execution method was also practiced in Persia and the Ottoman empire.
*See: Arthur W. Hummel; Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. Ch'eng Wen Publishing Company, Taipei, 1970. Page 195.
Other terms
|
# |
English |
Chinese |
Pinyin transliteration |
| Bow | 弓 | Gōng | |
| 1. | Bow grip | 弓弝 | Gōngbà |
| 2. | Sides of bow grip | 弓弝膀子 | Gōng bà bǎngzi |
| 3. | Arrow slipping spot | 箭溜子 | Jiàn liūzi |
| 4. | Bow ear | 弓弰 | Gōng shāo |
| 5. | Tip | 弰頭 | Shāo tóu |
| 6. | String notch | 扣子 | Kòuzi |
| 7. | String bridge | 弓墊子 | Gōng diànzi |
| 8. | Bow knee (lit. "brain") | 弓腦 | Gōng nǎo |
| 9. | Painted birch bark | 畫樺皮 | Huà huà pí |
| 10. | Bow face | 弓面 | Gōng miàn |
| 11. | Bowstring | 弓弦 | Gōng xián |
| 12. | Bowstring knot | 弦挌搭 | Xián gé dā |
Notes
All terms are from the Wuti Qingwen Jian (五體清文鑑)or "Five Languages Mirror", a Qing imperial dictionary in Manchu, Mongolian, Uighur, Tibetan and Chinese of circa 1790. Commissioned by and published under the Qianlong emperor.
