Martial Arts Fiction and Chivalric Literature

Abstract

Martial arts spirit is a common presence in both the Eastern and Western cultures. But the Chinese expression 武侠小说 (wuxia xiaoshuo, i.e. martial arts fiction) is probably unique to Chinese literature, because one can hardly find a ready equivalent word in English for the character 侠 (xia) which has the meaning of ① “a person adept in martial arts and given to chivalrous conduct” (i.e. a chivalrous person or swordsman) or ② “chivalrous conduct,” nor such a concept in English culture. The word in close meaning (but not a ready equivalent) to “xia” may be “knight.” Based on the criterion that “a xia uses force to violate the prohibition,” a statement made by the ancient Chinese Legalist philosophers Han Feizi (280–233 BC), such Western novels depicting knights, righteous robbers and fighting scenes seem to fall into the category of martial arts fiction. In this chapter, we will make a comparison of Chinese martial arts fiction and Western chivalric literature in an effort to probe into the similarities and differences of xia culture between China and the West.