Guan Yu’s Halberd (关羽戟 Guān Yǔ Jǐ) is an alternate name for the weapon more commonly known as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade (青龙偃月刀 Qīnglóng Yǎnyuè Dāo). The term ‘halberd’ (戟 jǐ) refers to a class of long-handled polearms used in ancient China, though the specific weapon associated with Guan Yu is more accurately a form of 偃月刀 yǎnyuè dāo or ‘reclining-moon blade’.
Historical record
The historical Records of the Three Kingdoms (SGZ) do not name Guan Yu’s weapon, nor do they describe it as a halberd. The term 关羽戟 appears in later literary and folk traditions as a shorthand reference to Guan Yu’s iconic weapon. Like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade itself, this name is a cultural and literary attribution rather than a historical one.
In Romance and folklore
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu’s weapon is most often called the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. However, the alternate name Guan Yu’s Halberd appears in later retellings, operas, and regional folklore. The weapon is described as extraordinarily heavy (traditionally 82 jin, approximately 49 kilograms) and is wielded with supernatural skill by Guan Yu in his famous battles, including the duel with Hua Xiong and the charge at Baima.
The halberd name reflects the weapon’s classification as a polearm, though it differs from the standard 戟 (ji) halberd of the Han dynasty. The confusion or conflation of terms is common in later Ming and Qing dynasty sources, where the specific weapon types were less distinguished than in earlier periods.
Cultural impact
Guan Yu’s Halberd, like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, has become a symbol of martial prowess and loyalty in Chinese culture. Statues of Guan Yu in temples often depict him holding a crescent-bladed polearm, and the weapon appears frequently in video games, films, and other media about the Three Kingdoms period.
The alternate name is sometimes used interchangeably with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in modern translations and adaptations, though scholars and enthusiasts typically prefer the more specific traditional name. Both names refer to the same legendary weapon that has become inseparable from Guan Yu’s image as a god of war and a symbol of righteousness.