Weapon
Shuanggujian 雙股劍
About this item
The Shuanggujian (paired swords) are the swords Liu Bei uses in the Romance. In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Liu Bei, having sworn brotherhood, has a skilled smith make the Shuanggujian from the gold, silver and steel given by Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, great merchants of Zhongshan, while Guan Yu has the Green Dragon Crescent Blade made and Zhang Fei an eighteen-foot steel-pointed spear. Liu Bei draws these swords to fight Lü Bu at Hulao Pass, drives back Yu Jin on the way to Xu Province, and holds them as he follows Zhao Yun while fleeing from Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 1 §23–24Romance, Ch. 5 §49Romance, Ch. 11 §27Romance, Ch. 31 §28
The Shuanggujian appear neither in Chen Shou's text nor in Pei Songzhi's commentary. The Biography of the First Sovereign in Records of Shu 2 says only that Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and others gave Liu Bei much gold and wealth, so that he was able to gather followers. The Romance mentions the Shuanggujian in Chapters 1, 5, 11 and 31. Records, Shu 2 §5Romance, Ch. 1 §24Romance, Ch. 5 §49Romance, Ch. 11 §27Romance, Ch. 31 §28
In the Romance
In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, having sworn brotherhood in the peach garden, are worried that they have no horses to ride, when Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, great merchants of Zhongshan who went north every year to sell horses, give them fifty fine horses, 500 liang (taels) of gold and silver and 1,000 jin (catties) of steel. After parting from the two guests, Liu Bei has a skilled smith make the Shuanggujian, Guan Yu has the 82-jin Green Dragon Crescent Blade made and Zhang Fei an eighteen-foot steel-pointed spear, and each provides himself with full-body armor. Romance, Ch. 1 §22–24
At Hulao Pass in Chapter 5, when Zhang Fei and Guan Yu attack Lü Bu together and fight thirty bouts without bringing him down, Liu Bei draws the Shuanggujian, spurs his yellow-maned horse and charges in from the side to join the fight. Surrounded by the three men, Lü Bu makes a feint thrust at Liu Bei's face and flees. The verse at this point sings that "the bold hero Xuande drew his twin blades." Romance, Ch. 5 §49–50 · 53
In Chapter 11, Liu Bei, having set out for Xu Province with Zhao Yun with Gongsun Zan's permission, charges into Cao Cao's camp with Zhang Fei, and while Zhang Fei fights Yu Jin for a few bouts, Liu Bei draws the Shuanggujian, directs his troops in a great advance and puts Yu Jin to flight. In Chapter 31, caught in Cao Cao's ambush and looking for a way to escape, he draws the Shuanggujian and follows Zhao Yun, who levels his spear and cuts a path. Romance, Ch. 11 §23 · 25–27Romance, Ch. 31 §27–28
Where the Romance differs
Where the money for the weapons came from: In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang give fifty horses, 500 liang of gold and silver and 1,000 jin of steel, and Liu Bei makes the Shuanggujian from that steel. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records says only that Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and others, who traveled around Zhuo Commandery selling horses, thought Liu Bei extraordinary and gave him much gold and wealth, with which he gathered followers; the making of weapons does not appear. Romance, Ch. 1 §23–24Records, Shu 2 §5
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Ownership history
| Owner | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Liu Bei | 184~ | Romance 「玄德謝別二客，便命良匠打造雙股劍」 · 「中平元年」 |
Ownership is checked against the source texts (3KDEX) — each entry rests on the passage where the item changes hands. Owners not in the People index are not shown.