The Different Shapes of Deer Horn Knives in Baguazhang Lineages

At Dragon Phoenix, the Moon Knives are one of the most unique weapons in Cheng Style Baguazhang. They are also called Deer Horn Knives, Crescent Moon Knives, Mandarin Duck Axes, or Ziwu Yuanyang Yue. Unlike the spear, straight sword, or broadsword, which are shared by many Chinese martial arts, these paired crescent weapons are especially associated with Baguazhang. Dragon Phoenix lists Deer Horn Knives as part of the Cheng Baguazhang weapons curriculum, along with Bagua Dao, spear, and straight sword.

One of the interesting things about Deer Horn Knives is that they do not all look exactly the same. Different Baguazhang lineages, teachers, manufacturers, and historical examples have preserved different shapes. Some are round and moon-like. Some are sharper and more antler-like. Some are compact. Some are large and dramatic. Some are closer to paired crescent axes, while others look more like hooked knives or chicken-claw weapons.

This can be confusing at first, but it also shows how alive the weapon has been inside the Baguazhang tradition.

The Basic Deer Horn Knife Shape

The most common Deer Horn Knife design is made from two steel crescents that cross through the center. The handle sits in the middle, and the crossing crescents create several curved points around the hand. One point is usually longer and functions as the main blade, while the opposite crescent protects the hand and creates hooking or trapping surfaces. General references describe Deer Horn Knives as short paired weapons made of two crossing steel crescents, normally used one in each hand.

This basic shape gives the weapon several abilities at once. It can cut, hook, trap, press, jam, redirect, and control. Because it is held close to the hand, it can move quickly with the body. Because it has multiple points and edges, the angle of the weapon matters very much.

That is why Deer Horn Knives fit Baguazhang so well. Baguazhang is not based on one straight line. It changes angles. The weapon does the same.

Rounded Moon-Shaped Knives

One common shape is the rounded crescent or moon-shaped version. These are the weapons most people think of when they hear the name Moon Knives or Double Moon Knives.

In this design, the crescents are wide, smooth, and balanced. The curves are more circular than jagged. The weapon looks like two phases of the moon crossing through each other. This is the shape that supports the Cheng Baguazhang preference for the name Moon Knives.

In Mandarin, Shuang Yue can be understood as “double axes” when written with the character 钺, meaning axe or battle axe. But yue is also a homophone for 月, meaning moon. Because the weapons look like moon phases, the poetic name Double Moon Knives has become natural in Cheng Baguazhang.

This rounded design emphasizes smooth circular movement. It encourages wrapping, turning, and close-range control. The weapon feels like an extension of the circle.

Antler-Shaped Knives

Another common design looks sharper and more antler-like. This is where the English name Deer Horn Knives comes from. The Chinese name Lu Jiao Dao is often translated as Deer Horn Knives or Deer Antler Knives.

In this shape, the points may be longer and more pronounced. The curves may look less like a smooth moon and more like branching antlers. The outer points may reach farther away from the hand, giving the weapon a more aggressive trapping and hooking shape.

This design emphasizes catching and controlling. The antler-like points can be imagined as ways to jam or catch an opponent’s weapon. Deer Horn Knives are commonly described as being used for trapping an opponent’s weapon, disarming, and close-combat applications, especially against longer weapons such as spear, sword, or broadsword.

The antler shape reminds us that these weapons are not simply for cutting. They are also for controlling space.

Mandarin Duck Axes

Another name for these weapons is Mandarin Duck Axes, or Yuanyang Yue. This name emphasizes that the weapons are a pair. Mandarin ducks traditionally symbolize a matched pair, and Deer Horn Knives are almost always trained one in each hand.

This name also points back to the older character 钺, meaning axe or battle axe. So even when the weapon looks like a moon, part of its older martial identity is connected to the axe.

Some versions called Mandarin Duck Axes look more compact and heavy. They may have thicker crescent bodies and shorter, stronger points. These versions feel less like thin slicing knives and more like small paired axes used to chop, jam, hook, and crash through close-range space.

This shape can change the feeling of the form. A lighter moon-shaped weapon may encourage speed and smooth circling. A heavier axe-like version encourages power, structure, and decisive body movement.

Chicken Claw and Rooster Knife Variations

Some Baguazhang lineages preserve weapons that are similar to Deer Horn Knives but not exactly the same. Yin Style Baguazhang, for example, lists a weapon called Zi Wu Ji Zhua Yuan Yang Yue, which can be translated as something like Meridian Chicken Claw Mandarin Duck Axes. One source notes that this weapon is similar to, but not exactly the same as, Deer Horn Knives.

This is important because it shows that not every crescent or hooked paired weapon in Baguazhang should be treated as identical. Some lineages preserved chicken-claw, rooster-knife, or hooked versions that may have different points, different guards, and different usage.

Liang Style Baguazhang is also known for a large weapons curriculum that includes Rooster Knives, Chicken Claw Knives, Mandarin Duck Knives, and Crescent Moon Knives, also called Deer Horn Knives.

That list is very interesting. It suggests that in at least some Baguazhang traditions, several related paired short weapons were preserved as distinct weapons rather than being collapsed into one category. To a casual observer, they may all look like unusual hooked blades. To a practitioner, the differences in shape change the method.

Large and Small Versions

Another difference between lineages and examples is size.

Some Deer Horn Knives are small and compact. These versions are easier to conceal and move quickly. General descriptions of the weapon note that they are relatively short and can be hidden in traditional clothing.

Other versions are larger, wider, and more dramatic. These may be more suitable for performance, strength training, or lineages that emphasize larger circular expression.

Size changes everything. A small pair moves quickly and stays close to the body. A large pair requires more waist control, shoulder relaxation, and awareness of the weapon’s path. If the student uses only the arms, large Moon Knives quickly become awkward. If the whole body is connected, the larger weapon can teach powerful circular movement.

This is one reason weapons training should come after empty-hand foundation. The weapon magnifies what is already in the body.

Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Designs

Some Deer Horn Knives are fairly symmetrical. The upper and lower crescents balance each other, and the weapon looks almost like a circle split into two moons.

Other versions are asymmetrical. One crescent may be longer than the other. The longer section becomes the main blade, while the smaller crescent acts more like a guard, hook, or secondary cutting surface. General weapon descriptions note that some variations have one crescent longer than the other, with the larger blade used as the main hand and the smaller one functioning more like the guard hand.

This design difference changes the training. A balanced weapon encourages equal circularity. An asymmetrical weapon gives the practitioner a clearer attacking side and supporting side. It may make certain cuts, hooks, and traps more obvious.

Neither is automatically better. The right shape depends on the lineage, the form, and what the teacher is trying to develop.

Cheng Baguazhang and the Double Moon Feeling

In Cheng Baguazhang, the rounded Double Moon image is especially meaningful. The weapon reflects the larger feeling of the style: turning, spiraling, changing, entering, and staying connected through the circle.

Dragon Phoenix teaches the Moon Knives as part of the Cheng Baguazhang weapons curriculum, but the foundation comes first. The student has to develop circle walking, stepping, waist turning, palm changes, and whole-body connection before the weapon can really make sense.

This is why the shape matters. The Moon Knives are not just objects. They are a way of expressing Baguazhang principles in the hands. A Cheng practitioner should not make the weapon move like ordinary short swords. The weapon should move with the circle.

The Moon Knife shape teaches:

• wrapping

• turning

• entering

• trapping

• cutting on changing angles

• using both hands together

• staying close while protecting the center

• moving from the waist instead of the shoulders

When the shape is rounded and moon-like, it reminds the student not to make the weapon too linear. The circle is still the teacher.

Why Different Shapes Survived

There are several reasons different shapes of Deer Horn Knives survived in different lineages.

First, Baguazhang itself developed through different disciples of Dong Haichuan. Cheng Style, Yin Style, Liang Style, Gao Style, and other branches preserved different training methods, forms, weapons, and preferences. General Baguazhang sources list many modern styles, including Yin, Cheng, Liang, Gao, Jiang, Song, Fu, and others.

Second, the weapons were not standardized in the way modern sport equipment is standardized. A teacher, blacksmith, or practitioner could adjust the size, weight, curve, handle, and point structure depending on the intended use.

Third, the names changed over time. Deer Horn Knives, Crescent Moon Knives, Mandarin Duck Axes, Double Moon Knives, Chicken Claw Knives, and related names may sometimes refer to overlapping weapons and sometimes to distinct ones. This creates confusion, but it also preserves clues about how different teachers understood the weapon.

Fourth, some modern versions are made for demonstration or practice rather than serious old-style martial use. A performance weapon may be lighter, shinier, and more dramatic. A training weapon may be heavier and more durable. A historical combat-oriented weapon may have different proportions entirely.

The Shape Changes the Application

The shape of the weapon changes how it wants to move.

A rounder Moon Knife wants to circle, wrap, and flow.
An antler-shaped knife wants to hook, catch, and control.
An axe-like version wants to chop, jam, and enter.
A chicken-claw version may emphasize catching, tearing, and hooked control.
A larger version trains the waist and body.
A smaller version trains speed and concealment.

This is why lineage matters. The form and the weapon should match each other. If a lineage developed a certain shape, it usually did so because that shape supported the movements and applications of that branch.

A student should not choose a weapon only because it looks impressive. The better question is: does this shape match the method I am learning?

Learning the Shape Through the Body

At Dragon Phoenix, the Moon Knives are understood through Cheng Baguazhang body method. The student first learns how to walk the circle, turn the waist, change direction, and connect the palms to the whole body. Then the weapon extends those skills.

This is the safest and most meaningful way to approach the weapon. Deer Horn Knives are complex. They have multiple points and edges. They can easily become tangled if the student does not understand the path of the movement. Even practice versions require respect.

The shape of the weapon teaches, but only if the body is ready to listen.

The Beauty of Variation

The different shapes of Deer Horn Knives show the richness of Baguazhang. Some lineages preserved Moon Knives. Some preserved Deer Horn Knives. Some preserved Mandarin Duck Axes. Some preserved chicken-claw or rooster-knife variations. Some weapons are round and elegant. Others are sharp and fierce.

All of these shapes point back to the same larger idea: Baguazhang uses the circle to change the relationship between the practitioner and the opponent.

The weapon may look like antlers.
It may look like axes.
It may look like the moon.
It may look like claws.

But when it is practiced correctly, it should still move like Baguazhang.

At Dragon Phoenix, this is why the preferred Cheng Baguazhang name Moon Knives is so fitting. The weapon carries both martial function and poetic meaning. It reminds the student of the circle, the phases of change, and the need to stay centered while moving through shifting angles.

Different shapes have survived because Baguazhang is a living tradition. The form may vary, but the principle remains.

The circle is still there.
The change is still there.
The body method is still what makes the weapon real.