The term refers to the way these solitary men travelled the land using physical force or political influence to right the wrongs done to the common people by the powers that be, often judged by their personal codes of chivalry.
Various historical documents, wuxia novels and folktales describe them as being princes, government officials, poets, musicians, physicians, professional soldiers, merchants, monks and even humble farmers and butchers.
At the end of the Warring States period, former shi knights who did not transition into scholar-officials became xia as Mohist defenders of the weak.
[3] According to Dr. James J. Y. Liu (1926–1986), a professor of Chinese and comparative literature at Stanford University, it was a person's temperament and need for freedom, not their social status, that caused them to roam the land and help those in need.
[4] One good example of Youxia poetry is The Swordsman (劍客) by Jia Dao (Tang dynasty): For ten years I have been polishing this sword; Its frosty edge[a] has never been put to the test.