The chu-ko-nu, or repeating crossbow, is a Chinese weapon that used a gravity-fed magazine holding a stack of bolts above the stock, allowing an operator to fire and reload rapidly by working a lever that recocked the bow and dropped the next bolt into place, without the slower single-shot reload of a conventional crossbow. Traditionally associated with the Three Kingdoms-era strategist Zhuge Liang, though earlier prototypes existed before his time, the weapon traded range and penetrating power for a high rate of fire, making it useful for close-range volleys and for repelling assaults on fortifications. Chinese forces continued using repeating crossbows for centuries afterward, into the Qing dynasty, valued for the volleys of bolts a small unit of operators could put out from prepared defensive ground even after gunpowder weapons had made it largely obsolete on the open battlefield.
Facts
Disputed
Introduced YearArchaeological evidence (Tomb 47, Qinjiazui, Hubei Province) dates repeating crossbows to the 4th century BC, during the Warring States period; the name Chu-ko-nu specifically references the later Three Kingdoms-era strategist Zhuge Liang (181-234 AD), traditionally credited with improving the design, so the entity name and the earliest archaeological date point to two different centuries. Classification
Service Status Weapon Class Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Connections
Associated With
The chu-ko-nu repeating crossbow, capable of rapid fire volleys, was fielded in early Chinese warfare including by the Han Dynasty Army
Used In
Source Wikipedia: Chu-ko-nu
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Chu-ko-nu
WikipediaOpening definition, end of first sentence (predicate clause after the name/etymology parenthetical)
is a crossbow invented during the Warring States period in China that combined the bow spanning, bolt placing, and shooting actions into one motion.
History section, paragraph on the Wu-Yue Chunqiu account and the Qinjiazui excavation
This is corroborated by the earliest archaeological evidence of repeating crossbows, which was excavated from a Chu burial site at Tomb 47 at Qinjiazui, Hubei Province, and has been dated to the 4th century BC, during the Warring States Period (475 - 220 BC).
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
- Introduced circa -350 per the entity's own sourced description text; no pre-1900 weapon system remains in current active military service.
Lead
Although the repeating crossbow was in use throughout most of Chinese history until the late Qing dynasty, it was generally regarded as a non-military weapon suited for women, defending households against robbers when used as a handheld weapon.
Used In: Imjin War, Lead section
According to the Wu-Yue Chunqiu (history of the Wu-Yue War), written in the Eastern Han dynasty, the repeating crossbow was invented during the Warring States Period by a Mr.
In Group: Medieval Bows and Crossbows, Lead sentence
The repeating crossbow (Chinese: 連弩; pinyin: Lián Nǔ), also known as the repeater crossbow, and the Zhuge crossbow (Chinese: 諸葛弩; pinyin: Zhūgě nǔ, also romanized Chu-ko-nu) due to its association with the Three Kingdoms-era strategist Zhuge Liang (181-234 AD), is a crossbow invented during the Warring States period in China that combined the bow spanning, bolt placing, and shooting actions into one motion.
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