archery, horsemanship, spearmanship, and swordsmanship; martial arts in general
A classical four-character compound listing the traditional martial skills of a samurai. Often used to evoke the ideal of the complete warrior or to refer to martial arts collectively.
He was a commander excelling in archery, horsemanship, spearmanship, and swordsmanship.
This dojo values the spirit of the traditional martial arts.
武芸 is the common modern term for martial arts in general, while 弓馬槍剣 is a literary, historical compound specifically listing four classical skills.
弓馬 refers only to archery and horsemanship, whereas 弓馬槍剣 adds spearmanship and swordsmanship to cover the full range of samurai martial arts.
A compound of 弓 (archery), 馬 (horsemanship), 槍 (spearmanship), and 剣 (swordsmanship), listing the four classical martial arts of the samurai. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it is a traditional set phrase.