wu·xia

(wo͞o′shyä′)

A genre of Chinese fiction or other narrative work characterized by chivalrous heroes, martial arts, swordplay, and sometimes elements of fantasy, often in a historical setting.

[Mandarin wǔxiá : wǔ, military, martial (from Middle Chinese ʋuə̆´, from Old Chinese *m(r)aʔ; akin to Tibetan dmag, army, and Burmese mak, soldier) + xiá, chivalrous hero, knight errant (from Middle Chinese xɦjiap, from Old Chinese *gêp).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

wuxia

(ˈwuːˌʃiːˈɑː)

1. (Film) a genre of Chinese fiction and film, concerning the adventures of sword-wielding chivalrous heroes

2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a genre of Chinese fiction and film, concerning the adventures of sword-wielding chivalrous heroes

[from Chinese: martial-chivalric]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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