

The Chinese weapon known as the pudao (朴刀, literally: celtis sabre or simple sabre) was originally an edged infantry weapon which is still used for training in many Chinese martial arts. The pudao is also known as the horse-cutter sword since it was used to slice the legs out from under a horse during battle. The blade of a pudao is shaped like a Chinese broadsword, but the weapon has a longer handle usually around one and a half to two meters (about four to six feet) which is circular in cross section. It looks somewhat similar to a guandao but the difference is that a podao has a lighter and longer blade with a ring at the other end and is an infantryman's weapon while a guandao has a heavier blade with a longer haft, a pointed tip at the other end and is usually a cavalryman's weapon.

