Engels said in the article "The Role of Labor in the Transformation from Ape to Man": "What are the most ancient tools? They are hunting and fishing tools, and at the same time they are weapons."

Cold weapons are a general term for weapons that do not use gunpowder such as stones, sticks, bronzes, steel, bows and arrows. Engels said in the article "The Role of Labor in the Process of Transformation from Apes to Humans": "What are the most ancient tools? They are hunting and fishing tools, and at the same time they are weapons." In primitive times, In society, tools of labor are inseparable from weapons of struggle. It begins with a struggle between man and beast, and then the weapons used to fight beasts are turned into weapons used to fight men. Tools of labor have two uses: they become tools when used in production, and weapons when used in struggle. With the development of social productivity, the surplus products of labor appeared in society, and gradually wars broke out between tribes and countries, and weapons dedicated to war were produced.

Such as stone gongs, stone knives , stone spears, etc. made of stone tools, bamboo and wooden sticks, javelins , etc. With the development of smelting technology, knives and swords made of bronze and iron have become more and more sophisticated, with more and more varieties. The story of eyebrow ruler 's revenge described by Mr. Lu Xun in " Forging Swords " shows that swords like "ganjiang" and "moye" could be forged in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of our country. The so-called and are only general distinctions, with much more subdivisions. In addition, there are projectile weapons, military vehicles, equipment for attacking and defending cities, etc.

The cold weapon stage lasted for thousands of years in our country from primitive society to feudal society, from the ancient Huangdi era to the Qing Dynasty.