Great Bow

The Thunderous Siege Longbow: The Great Bow

The Colossal Armor-Piercing Warbow of Legendary Heavy Archers

In Luo Guanzhong’s (罗贯中, La Quán Trung) immortal historical epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义, Sān Guó Yǎn Yì, Tam Quốc Diễn Nghĩa), missile warfare encompassed a profound spectrum of craftsmanship—from agile personal weapons like the Short Bow and Pellet Bow to supreme instruments of mass kinetic destruction. Standing at the peak of heavy ranged engineering was the Great Bow (大弓, Dà Gōng, Đại Cung)—a colossal, reinforced composite warbow requiring the extraordinary physical power of a giant to draw and capable of driving heavy steel-tipped war shafts through iron shields, breastplates, and fortress barricades from hundreds of paces away.

“The bow measured eight feet in length, strung with braided ox tendon; when loosed, its roar sounded like rolling thunder, cleaving through shields and armor like dried bamboo.”

(大弓开八石，箭落透重铠 – Dà gōng kāi bā dàn, jiàn luò tòu zhòng kǎi – Đại cung khai bát thạch, tiễn lạc thấu trùng khải)

Celebrated throughout ancient Chinese military annals including the Zhouli (周礼) and Wujing Zongyao (武经总要), and immortalized in Koei Tecmo’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms (ROTK) video game series as a formidable hidden relic treasure, the Great Bow embodies immense kinetic devastation, unyielding martial power, and the terrifying majesty of long-range battlefield supremacy.

1. Etymology and Weapon Classification

The name Da Gong (大弓) carries deep ritual and military distinction across Chinese antiquity:

• Dà (大): Meaning “Great,” “Colossal,” or “Supreme.” It designates heavy longbows exceeding standard military dimensions, designed specifically for heavy infantry siege defense and vanguard line-breaking.
• Gōng (弓): Denotes the composite reflex bow, engineered through layered organic laminates to accumulate maximum mechanical potential energy.

According to the Rites of Zhou (Zhouli: Kaogongji), ancient Chinese bows were classified into six types (六弓), among which the Wang Gong (王弓) and Hu Gong (弧弓) were categorized as Great Bows (大弓)—massive weapons tailored for launching heavy armor-piercing arrows over extreme ballistic trajectories to destroy chariots, horses, and armored captains.

2. Engineering and Physical Metallurgy

Forging a true Great Bow was a monumental undertaking that could require up to three years of patient, seasonal craftsmanship:

• Colossal Stave Dimensions: Measuring between 160 and 180 centimeters in total unstrung length, constructed from aged mountain cudrania (Zhe wood / 柘木) or dense northern elm timber seasoned over many winters to prevent warping.
• Heavy Multi-Layered Laminates: Reinforced along the belly with thick slabs of northern water buffalo horn and bound along the back with multiple dense layers of boiled deer and ox tendons bound by sturgeon fish-skin glue.
• Immense Draw Weight: Ranging from 80 pounds up to an astounding 120–150 pounds (equivalent to 8 to 10 shi / 石 in ancient Han measures), requiring a warrior possessing superhuman muscular conditioning and specialized thumb-ring (Bānzhǐ / 扳指) drawing technique.
• Heavy War Shafts (Da Pi / 大披): Fired heavy, thick-spined arrows tipped with heavy chisel-shaped forged steel bodkin heads (Tòujiǎ Zhuī / 透甲锥) weighing two to three times more than standard hunting arrows, delivering devastating armor-shattering kinetic momentum.

3. Tactical Combat Versatility

On the chaotic battlefields of the Three Kingdoms, the Great Bow fulfilled terrifying battlefield roles:

1. Siege Wall Interdiction: Mounted on fortress parapets during sieges (such as Hefei, Chencang, or Xiangyang), archers wielding Great Bows could out-range attacking siege ladders and battering rams, picking off enemy captains before they reached the moat.
2. Armor-Crushing Line Breaker: While ordinary bows failed to penetrate heavy iron lamellar armor and lacquered ox-hide shields, a war shaft loosed from a Great Bow could punch clean through a wooden shield and pin the bearer’s arm behind it.
3. Anti-Cavalry Ballistics: A single volley of heavy arrows from Great Bows could penetrate the unarmored chests of charging warhorses, collapsing enemy cavalry lines and throwing vanguards into panic.

4. Legendary Three Kingdoms Marksmen and the Great Bow Tradition

Wielding a Great Bow was the ultimate badge of martial strength in the Three Kingdoms, where elite generals were renowned for their ability to bend bows of immense poundage:

The Veteran Tiger: Huang Zhong at Mount Dingjun

The iconic hero of Shu Han, Huang Zhong (黄忠, Hoàng Trung), was famous throughout the realm for bending bows of two stone (two hundred catties) with ease. While his personal prized weapon was the celebrated Li Guang Bow, his legendary marksmanship against Guan Yu (关羽, Quan Vũ) at Changsha and his decisive charge at Mount Dingjun against Xiahou Yuan (夏侯渊, Hạ Hầu Uyên) established the gold standard for heavy archers throughout history.

Taishi Ci: The Iron-Spined Hero of Donghai

Eastern Wu’s peerless champion Taishi Ci (太史慈, Thái Sử Từ) was celebrated across the Southland for carrying a massive bow that none of his subordinates could draw. When an enemy rebel commander mocked the Wu army from atop the fortress walls of Wanling, Taishi Ci drew his Great Bow to full draw and loosed a single thunderous shaft that pinned the commander’s left palm completely through the heavy wooden city battlement, proving the terrifying penetration power of the Great Bow.

The Flying General of Wei: Xiahou Yuan

Cao Wei’s supreme western vanguard Xiahou Yuan (夏侯渊, Hạ Hầu Uyên) was celebrated for his ability to cover five hundred li in three days and his lethal archery prowess. In the harsh frontier campaigns of Liangzhou against Qiang and Di nomadic tribes, Xiahou Yuan deployed heavy archers armed with Great Bows to neutralize nomadic horse archers from outside their effective composite bow range.

5. The Great Bow in Video Games (ROTK Strategy Series)

In Koei Tecmo’s acclaimed Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国志) video game franchise, the Great Bow appears as an esteemed hidden treasure item:

• Item Attributes: Typically boosts the wielder’s War (+2 to +4 War) and significantly increases ranged attack damage, critical strike probability, and defensive counter-fire in castle defense scenarios.
• Discovery: Found through deep exploration in major military armory capitals (such as Chang’an, Luoyang, Xiangyang, or Chengdu) or awarded by warlords to top-tier military generals.
• Tactical Advantage: Units commanded by an officer equipped with the Great Bow gain extended firing range and enhanced siege defense, reflecting the historic heavy ballistic role of the weapon.

Summary of Profile Details

Comparison with Other Famous Three Kingdoms Ranged Weapons

Cultural and Martial Legacy

The Great Bow embodies the ultimate union of ancient engineering and superhuman physical virtue. Drawing a heavy bow of eight to ten stone was not merely an act of warfare; it was the supreme demonstration of an officer’s discipline, breath control, and raw warrior spirit. In the grand tapestry of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the thunderous release of a Great Bow across a embattled plain echoed the timeless clash of heroes vying for the mandate of heaven.

Explore more legendary armaments in our comprehensive Famous Items Collection.