Zhanmadao

Zhanmadao (斬馬刀)
A zhanmadao "horse butchering dao" from a Qing dynasty illustration, 1766
TypeInfantry anti-cavalry saber
Place of originHan dynasty, China
Production history
VariantsPossible changdao, miaodao, wodao, zanbatō
Specifications
LengthApprox 200 cm (79 in)+
Blade lengthApprox 150 cm (59 in)+

Blade typeSingle edged, straight for most of the length, curving in the last third.
Hilt typeTwo handed

The zhanmadao (Chinese: 斬馬刀; pinyin: zhǎnmǎdāo; Jyutping: zaam2 maa5 dou1; lit. 'horse chopping saber') was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was especially common in Song China (960–1279).