chain whip

A cloth flag is often attached at or near the dart end of the whip and a second flag may cover the whip's handle. The flag or flags adds visual appeal and produces a rushing sound as the whip swings through the air. The rushing noise also helps the user with identifying the location of the other end, since the weapon moves too fast to be normally noticed by human eyes.

There is no standard on the length of the chain whip. The typical length is also different between north and south China. The chain is shorter in the south which make it more suitable for close quarter fighting. In the north the length could be from the ground to the chin or the ground to the tip of the nose. Weight is heavier for practice and lighter for performance. The cloth flag could be either rectangular or triangular. Triangular flags look better and move faster but rectangular flags sound better and allow better control. The number of segments vary. Traditional whips have either seven or nine segments. Modern whips typically have between seven and thirteen sections. Most whips today are made from stainless steel. With good whips, there is better color and shine to the metal, segments are stylized, holes are precisely centered, the chain rotates smoothly in the swivel built into the handle, there are no sharp corners or edges, and welds are strong. In addition, the handle should be shaped to allow good grip. Leather on the handles is best for endurance, as it absorbs sweat and prevents slippage. The typical construction method for chain whips is to use a steel bolt to thread through small pieces of leather and then use a lathe to round and shape the handle. The tip should be larger than the segments and weight proportional to the handle. Shape and weight distribution should allow the chain to be easily tossed and retrieved into one hand.

According to the book Soft Weapons: Nine-Section Whip and Rope Dart, "The nine-section whip, regarded as a 'powerful hidden weapon,' was first used on the battlefield during the Jìn Dynasty (265-420) [sic.]." According to the book The Chain Whip, this may refer to the hard whip (more akin to a truncheon than a multi-section whip) due to the ambiguity in the Chinese. "Both the hard whip and the soft whip can both be referred to simply as whip (鞭) in Chinese." Different books make wildly differing claims about the history of the Chain Whip.

Jiǔjiébiān (九節鞭) – nine-section whip Qījiébiān (七節鞭) – seven–section whip Sānjiébiān (三節鞭) or měihuābiān (梅花鞭) – three-section whip or plum flower whip