Ji (Chinese Polearm)

The ji is a Chinese polearm combining the features of a spear and a dagger-axe, originating in the Zhou dynasty and remaining in military use for roughly three thousand years until the end of the Qing dynasty. It served as a common infantry weapon in ancient China and was also carried by cavalry and chariot forces, letting a soldier stab with the spear tip, slash or hook with the side blades, or strike with the flat of the blade, tactics especially useful for unhorsing mounted opponents. By the Song dynasty later forms had developed a central spear point flanked by crescent blades on one or both sides.