Ji (polearm)

File:Halberds.jpg

Three Chinese halberds in a vase.

The ji (Chinese: 戟), the Chinese halberd, was used as a military weapon in one form or another from at least as early as the Shang dynasty until the end of the Qing dynasty. They are still used for training purposes by many Chinese martial arts. The ji resembles a Chinese spear for the most part, with a small crescent blade attached to the head and a red horsehair tassel where the head is fixed to the shaft. It was a relatively common infantry weapon, especially in its common Bronze Age variant known as the dagger-axe, although it was used by cavalry and charioteers as well. There were several types of ji, e.g. with a rectangular, serrated blade instead of the crescent-formed one, or spear tips with two curved blades attached (see the center halberd in illustration).

They have two or three sharp points of attack, the side blade or blades and the tip, plus often a rear counter weight that could be used to strike the opponent. The way the side blades are fixed to the main spear pole differs, but usually there are empty spaces between the pole and the side blade. These "slots" could be used to trap an enemy's weapon and then the wielder of the halberd need only to jerk his weapon to disarm or even break the opponent's weapon. The wielder could strike with the shaft, with the option of then pulling the halberd back to hook with a side blade; or slap his opponent with the flat side of the halberd blade to knock him off his horse.