Dugu Qiubai
| Dugu Qiubai | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jin Yong |
| Appearances |
The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, The Deer and the Cauldron |
| Personal information | |
| Nickname(s) | "Sword Devil" (劍魔) |
| Gender | Male |
| Skills and abilities | |
| Unarmed combat skills | Unarmed Swordplay |
| Armed combat skills | Nine Swords of Dugu, Heavy Sword Technique |
| Weapons | (four unnamed swords) |
| Dugu Qiubai | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 獨孤求敗 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 独孤求败 | ||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Dúgū Qiúbaì |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Jyutping | Duk6-gu1 Kau4-baai6 |
Dugu Qiubai, literally "The Loner Who Seeks Defeat", is a fictional character who is mentioned by name in three wuxia novels by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). Nicknamed "Sword Devil" (劍魔) to reflect his prowess in and devotion to the practice of swordplay, he attains the philosophical level of "swordsmanship without a sword", which means that he uses swordplay techniques in combat without the physical existence of a sword.
Dugu's surname "Dugu" (獨孤) is made up of two Chinese characters that literally mean "single and lonely" when placed together. His given name "Qiubai" (求敗) literally means "to seek defeat". His full name is thus roughly translated as "The Loner Who Seeks Defeat". It represents Dugu's status as an invincible swordsman who is haunted by solitude as no one can defeat or equal him in swordplay.
Dugu never made any appearances at all in any of the three novels. He is merely mentioned by name only as he lived in an age long before the events of the novels took place. He is briefly mentioned in The Deer and the Cauldron.
In this novel, set in the late Song dynasty, Yang Guo inherits Dugu's 'Heavy Sword Technique'. Yang encounters the Condor, a giant bird-like creature that once accompanied Dugu. The Condor saves Yang after the latter lost his arm, and leads him to Dugu's Tomb of Swords. Yang learns the technique with the help of the Condor and uses the Heavy Iron Sword to practise the skill.
The Heavy Sword Technique has a rigorous requirement on inner energy. It emphasises simple swings and moves accompanied by potent inner energy exertion. Although it lacks the fancy and stylish movements of typical swordplay styles, it is more effective than the most complicated form of sword attacks. When Yang was learning this technique, he commented that average swords would be broken immediately when he channels his inner energy into the sword during fights. The sword's weight would also boost the power of his swings and thrusts. Yang mastered the inner energy technique used by Dugu and fulfilled the requirement.
Dugu's swordplay technique 'Nine Swords of Dugu' (獨孤九劍) is featured in this novel. The protagonist, Linghu Chong, learns this technique from the reclusive swordsman Feng Qingyang.
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Wikipedia