铜钱剑，道士手里那把用旧钱串成的剑

In movies, Taoist priests often hold a sword whose blade is strung together coin by coin from copper cash, tied with red rope, clattering when swung. This is the copper cash sword.

Using copper cash carries two meanings. First, ancients believed that copper cash circulated for a long time, passing through countless hands, and thus carried the human world's "yang energy", which ghosts fear. Second, copper cash is round on the outside and square on the inside, symbolizing the round heaven and square earth, containing the qi of heaven and earth.

The most commonly used cash is "Five Emperor Cash", the Tongbao of the Qing dynasty's five emperors: Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing. The reasoning is that the Qing was the last flourishing dynasty of China; these five emperors reigned for over 170 years combined, with strong national power and the heaviest "imperial qi", which the cash also carries.

When making one, the cash must be strung with red thread, tied onto a peachwood sword or an iron sword frame, then a Taoist priest must "consecrate" it, chant incantations, and burn incense, before it counts as finished.

What is it used for? To drive away evil and guard the house. Taoist priests wave it in hand during rituals; ordinary families hang it at the head of the bed, or by the door, some even above the main gate.

Some think it's superstition; others feel it's a lucky thing that brings peace of mind when hung up.

These things are now sold very cheaply online, a few dozen yuan per sword. Whether it has been consecrated or not, whether it's really old cash, you decide for yourself.

#Ghosts #网络转载 #Folklore