Jiao Li (角力) and Shoubo (手搏) are often discussed together in modern scholarship because they appear within the same historical framework of early Chinese unarmed combat. Researchers such as Stanley Henning note that both terms are tied to martial skills practiced by trained fighters and that both appear in periods where physical combat played an important role in military preparation. However, any comparison must remain cautious. The surviving sources are limited, and the available descriptions often use general terms that require interpretation rather than offering detailed technical accounts.
Jiao Li appears earlier in the historical record. References associated with the Zhou era describe it as a physical practice used by soldiers and nobles. These accounts emphasize contests or strength trials. Early texts mention gripping, lifting, and throwing. Archaeological materials from the Warring States period show human figures locked in holds or off-balancing positions. Researchers point out that such imagery supports the existence of structured grappling, but it does not provide technical manuals. Because of this, descriptions of Jiao Li as wrestling are based on broad contextual clues from texts and imagery; there is no direct evidence of striking being part of Jiao Li.
Shoubo appears in some Han-period writings, but these texts do not explain its methods. The Zhouli refers to physical training but does not mention Shoubo. The Hanshu describes unarmed contests but does not use the term. Because of this, the exact methods of Shoubo remain unknown.
Some Han texts refer to seizing, holding, or striking within the context of physical training or military preparation. These references are brief, but they use a wider range of terminology than the earlier descriptions of Jiao Li. This has led historians to describe Shoubo as a broader system that includes grappling, joint manipulation, and striking. However, researchers emphasize that these labels are based on interpretive analysis. The terms used in early Chinese writing often carried multiple meanings, and the surviving material does not present structured methods.
A key distinction between the two systems is their documented purpose. Jiao Li appears mainly in descriptions of contests or trials. Shoubo appears in military-related contexts in Han-period texts, suggesting it may have been linked to practical combat training, though no text explicitly mentions candidate examinations. This suggests that Shoubo may have been linked to more formal state training. Several scholars note that this formal role could explain the broader range of skills implied by the textual terminology. But it is important to state that the sources do not outline a direct developmental path and do not explicitly identify Shoubo as an expansion of Jiao Li. The connection is based on similarities in purpose, time period, and functional needs, not on uninterrupted documentary evidence.
Another factor to consider is
