Chinese Terms, Honorifics And Mythologies

Glossary of Terms in Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan Novels : Part 4 (Weapons : 1)

Alchemy Terms:

Alchemy (丹道 dāndào) (外丹 wàidān) : The refining of plants, minerals, and other substances into medicinal pills & elixirs. In these novels, Alchemists (丹师) are essentially pharmacists who work with magical materials and make miracle drugs.

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Cauldrons & Pill Furnaces (鼎 dǐng) (丹炉 dānlú) : The tools alchemists use to produce medicinal pills & elixirs.

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Medicinal Pills & Elixirs (丹药 dānyào) : Miracle drugs which can have all sorts of effects. Often taken to boost cultivation, heal wounds, cure poisons, purify or strengthen the body, and much much more.

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Medicinal Plants / Herbs (药草 yàocǎo) : A generic term for any kind of plant which can be used by alchemists to make poisons or medicinal pills & elixirs. Older medicinal plants (100-year, 1000-year, etc...) are generally considered to be more potent.

• Ginseng (参) and Lingzhi Mushrooms (灵芝) appear quite often in these novels, where they're claimed to have great medicinal qualities.

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Spiritual Plants / Herbs (灵草 língcǎo) : Also called Spirit Grass. A magic plant which has absorbed spiritual energy from the natural world and is highly sought after by both cultivators and alchemists alike. Usually either eaten to absorb the spiritual energy it contains or refined into spirit medicines.

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Items & Weapons:

Magic Treasures (法宝 fǎbǎo) : Also translated as Magical Items. A generic term which encompasses all of the magic weapons/clothing/trinkets/talismans/etc... which cultivators make and use.

• Magic Tools (法器 fǎqì) & Spirit Tools (灵器 língqì) - Terms which are almost interchangeable with "Magic Treasures".

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Spirit Stones (灵石 língshí) : Translucent crystals with spiritual energy trapped within. Mainly used as currency amongst cultivators. They can also be used to cultivate (by absorbing the spiritual energy), create magical items, or power spell formations.

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Flying Sword (飞剑 fēijiàn) : A magic sword which can fly through the air and can be directed to engage in long-range attacks. Perhaps the most iconic cultivator weapon. In some novels, cultivators stand atop their flying swords and ride them as a form of transportation.

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Interspatial Ring (空间戒指 kōngjiān jièzhi) : A magic ring with a pocket dimension inside it. With a mere thought, the owner can store items inside it and retrieve them at will. Depending on the novel, there may be some restrictions - for example, the size of the storage space might be limited or the ring might only be capable of storing certain types of items.

• Storage Treasures (储物法宝 chǔwù fǎbǎo) - A generic term for items similar in function to Interspatial Rings. Some novels, for example, may have Bags, Belts, Gourds, and other objects which also have magical storage spaces inside them.

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Talisman (符 fú) : Sometimes translated as a Seal. A strip of paper with mystical diagrams & calligraphy drawn on it. In these novels, they're essentially consumable spells. (When activated, they cast a spell and will disintegrate once their magic is depleted.)