Dadao March

The Dadao March (simplified Chinese: 大刀进行曲; traditional Chinese: 大刀進行曲; pinyin: Dàdāo Jìnxíngqǔ) is a patriotic song sung in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War when Japan invaded China in 1937. It is also commonly known as Cut the devil's head off with the Dadao (simplified Chinese: 大刀向鬼子的头上砍去; traditional Chinese: 大刀向鬼子的頭上砍去; pinyin: Dàdāo xiàng guǐzi men de tóu shàng kǎn qù), where the term devil commonly referred to the Japanese invaders. The line "Cut the devil's head off with the Dadao" was a metaphor of Chinese people's indignation and the determination to driving Japanese invaders off.

History

Mai Xin wrote the song and lyrics to honor the courageous efforts of the NRA 29th Army in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, whose standard weapons were only a rifle and a Dadao. This song became the de facto army marching song for the NRA, as shown in the movie Lust, Caution and The Children of Huang Shi.

Lyrics

Simplified	Traditional	Pinyin	English translation
大刀向鬼子们的头上砍去！	大刀向鬼子們的頭上砍去！	Dàdāo xiàng guǐzi men de tóu shàng kǎn qù!	Cut the devil's head off with the Dàdāo!
全国武装的弟兄们！	全國武裝的弟兄們！	Quánguó wǔzhuāng de dìxiongmen!	Armed brothers across the nation!
抗战的一天来到了，	抗戰的一天來到了，	Kàngzhàn de yītiān láidào liǎo,	The day of war has come,
抗战的一天来到了！	抗戰的一天來到了！	Kàngzhàn de yītiān láidào liǎo,	The day of war has come,
前面有东北的义勇军，	前面有東北的義勇軍，	Qiánmian yǒu dōngběi de yìyǒngjūn,	The Volunteers are fighting on the northeast front,
后面有全国的老百姓，	後面有全國的老百姓，	Hòumian yǒu quánguó de lǎobǎixìng,	The country's people support them in the back,
咱们中国军队勇敢前进，	咱們中國軍隊勇敢前進，	Zánmen Zhōngguó jūnduì yǒnggǎn qiánjìn,	March bravely, our Chinese army,
看准那敌人！	看準那敵人！	Kàn zhǔn nà dírén!	Aim straight at the enemy!
把他消灭，把他消灭！	把他消滅，把他消滅！	Bǎ tā xiāomiè, bǎ tā xiāomiè!	Destroy them, destroy them!
冲啊！	衝啊！	Chōng a!	Charge!
大刀向鬼子们的头上砍去，	大刀向鬼子們的頭上砍去，	Dàdāo xiàng guǐzi men de tóu shàng kǎn qù!	Cut the devil's head off with the Dàdāo!
杀！	殺！	Shā!	Kill!

External links

• 1963 music video from the opera Revolutionary History Song Performance