Long or short, the sword is one
A kumdo principle: swords may be long or short, heavy or light, and a situation may be favorable or unfavorable. Advanced training builds the ability to adapt effectively, without being bound by the sword's length.
How to say it
- Korean
- 장단일미jangdan ilmi
- Spanish
- Larga o corta, la espada es una
- English
- Long or short, the sword is one
- Japanese
- 長短一味ちょうたんいちみchōtan ichimi
Jangdan ilmi (장단일미, 長短一味) is a term in the vocabulary of kumdo. The glossary of the Korea Kumdo Association (대한검도회) explains it as follows:
- Swords may be long or short, heavy or light.
- Situations may be unfavorable or favorable.
- After advanced kumdo training, a person gains the improvisational ability to deal effectively with the conditions and circumstances at hand.
- Therefore one should not be bound by the length (장단) of the sword.
Another source summarizes it as responding flexibly regardless of the sword's length or of whether the situation is favorable.
A regional kumdo association page adds an analogy: just as a master calligrapher shows skill even with a somewhat poor brush, as this level develops further one can cope even without a sword.
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