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Carbine

A carbine ( or  ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.

The smaller size and lighter weight of carbines make them easier to handle. They are typically issued to high-mobility troops such as special operations soldiers and paratroopers, as well as to mounted, artillery, logistics, or other non-infantry personnel whose roles do not require full-sized rifles, although there is a growing tendency for carbines to be issued to front-line soldiers to offset the increasing weight of other issued equipment. An example of this is the M4 carbine, the standard issue carbine of the United States Armed Forces.

Etymology
The name comes from its first users — cavalry troopers called "carabiniers", from the French carabine, from Old French carabin (soldier armed with a musket), whose origin is unclear. One theory connects it to an "ancient engine of war" called a calabre; another connects it to Medieval Latin Calabrinus 'Calabrian'; yet another, less likely, to escarrabin, gravedigger, from the scarab beetle.

Hand cannon
In 1432, the Joseon dynasty under the reign of Sejong the Great introduced the world's first handgun, named Chongtong (총통). The chongtong has a total length of 13.8 cm, inner diameter of 0.9 cm, and outer diameter of 1.4 cm. It is held by its cheolheumja (철흠자, iron tong-handle), which allows a quick change of barrel for the next shot, and fires chase-jeon (차세전, a contemporary type of standardized arrow) with a maximum fatal range of around 250 meters. Initially, Joseon considered the gun a failure due to its short effective range, but the chongtong quickly saw use after fielding to the frontier provinces starting in June 1437. chongtong was used both by soldiers of different units and by civilians, including women and children, as a personal defense weapon. The gun was notably used by chetamja (체탐자, special reconnaissance), whose mission was to infiltrate enemy territory, and by carabiniers carrying multiple guns, who benefited from its compact size.

Carbine arquebus and musket

The carbine was originally developed for cavalry. The start of early modern warfare about the 16th century had infantry armed with firearms, prompting cavalry to do the same, even though reloading muzzle loading firearms while moving mounted was highly impractical. Some cavalry, such as the German Reiters, added one or more pistols, while other cavalry, such as harquebusiers, tried various shorter, lightened versions of the infantry arquebus weapons – the first carbines. But these weapons were still difficult to reload while mounted, and the saber often remained main weapon of such cavalry. Dragoons and other mounted infantry that dismounted for battles usually adopted standard infantry firearms, though some favored versions that were less encumbering when riding – something that could be arranged to hang clear of the rider's elbows and horse's legs.

While more portable, carbines had the general disadvantages of less accuracy and power than the longer guns of the infantry. During Napoleonic warfare, pistol and carbine-armed cavalry generally transitioned into traditional melee cavalry or dragoons. Carbines found increased use outside of standard cavalry and infantry, such as support and artillery troops, who might need to defend themselves from attack but would be hindered by keeping full-sized weapons with them continuously; a common title for many short rifles in the late 19th century was artillery carbine.

Carbine rifle
As the rifled musket replaced the smoothbore firearms for infantry in the mid 19th century, carbine versions were also developed; this was often developed separately from the infantry rifles and, in many cases, did not even use the same ammunition, which made for supply difficulties.

A notable weapon developed towards the end of the American Civil War by the Union was the Spencer carbine, one of the first breechloading, repeating weapons. It had a spring-powered, removable tube magazine in the buttstock which held seven rounds and could be reloaded by inserting spare tubes. It was intended to give the cavalry a replacement weapon which could be fired from horseback without the need for awkward reloading after each shot – although it saw service mostly with dismounted troopers, as was typical of cavalry weapons during that war.

In the late 19th century, it became common for a number of nations to make bolt-action rifles in both full-length and carbine versions. One of the most popular and recognizable carbines were the lever-action Winchester carbines, with several versions available firing revolver cartridges. This made it an ideal choice for cowboys and explorers, as well as other inhabitants of the American West, who could carry a revolver and a carbine, both using the same ammunition.

The Lee Enfield Cavalry Carbine, a shortened version of the standard British Army infantry rifle was introduced in 1896, although it did not become the standard British cavalry weapon until 1903.

World Wars

In late 1918, France developed the Chauchat-Ribeyrolles for tank crews to defend themselves. Developed from the Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917, the stock was replaced with a pistol grip, and the barrel is significantly shorter at 340 mm resulting in an overall length of 575 mm.

In the decades following World War I, the standard battle rifle used by armies around the world had been growing shorter, either by redesign or by the general issue of carbine versions instead of full-length rifles. This move was initiated by the U.S. Model 1903 Springfield, which was originally produced in 1907 with a short 610 mm barrel, providing a short rifle that was longer than a carbine but shorter than a typical rifle, so it could be issued to all troops without need for separate versions. Other nations followed suit after World War I, when they learned that their traditional long-barreled rifles provided little benefit in the trenches and merely proved a hindrance to the soldiers. Examples include the Russian Model 1891 rifle, originally with an 800 mm barrel, later shortened to 730 mm in 1930, and to 510 mm in 1938, the German Mauser Gewehr 98 rifles went from 740 mm in 1898 to 600 mm in 1935 as the Karabiner 98k (K98k or Kar98k), or "short carbine".

The barrel lengths in rifles used by the United States did not change between the bolt-action M1903 rifle of World War I and the World War II M1 Garand rifle, because the 610 mm barrel on the M1903 was still shorter than even the shortened versions of the Model 1891 and Gewehr 98. The U.S. M1 carbine was more of a traditional carbine in that it was significantly shorter and lighter, with a 450.9 mm barrel, than the M1 Garand rifle, and that it was intended for rear-area troops who could not be hindered with full-sized rifles but needed something more powerful and accurate than a Model 1911 pistol (although this did not stop soldiers from using them on the front line). Contrary to popular belief, and even what some books claim, in spite of both being designated "M1", the M1 Carbine was not a shorter version of the .30-06 M1 Garand, as is typical for most rifles and carbines, but it was a wholly different design, firing a smaller, less-powerful cartridge. The "M1" designates each as the first model in the new U.S. designation system, which no longer used the year of introduction but a sequential series of numbers starting at "1": the M1 Carbine and M1 Rifle.

The United Kingdom developed a "Jungle Carbine" version of their Lee–Enfield service rifle, featuring a shorter barrel, flash suppressor, and manufacturing modifications designed to decrease the rifle's weight Officially titled Rifle, No. 5 Mk I, it was introduced in the closing months of World War II, but it did not see widespread service until the Korean War, the Mau Mau Uprising, and the Malayan Emergency as well as the Vietnam War.

Post World War II
A shorter weapon was more convenient when riding in a truck, armored personnel carrier, helicopter, or aircraft, and also when engaged in close-range combat. Based on the combat experience of World War II, the criteria used for selecting infantry weapons began to change. Unlike previous wars, which were often fought mainly from fixed lines and trenches, World War II was a highly mobile war, often fought in cities, forests, or other areas where mobility and visibility were restricted. In addition, improvements in artillery made moving infantry in open areas even less practical than it had been.

The majority of enemy contacts were at ranges of less than 300 m, and the enemy was exposed to fire for only short periods of time as they moved from cover to cover. Most rounds fired were not aimed at an enemy combatant but instead fired in the enemy's direction to keep them from moving and from firing back. These situations did not require a heavy rifle, firing full-power rifle bullets with long-range accuracy. A less-powerful weapon would still produce casualties at the shorter ranges encountered in actual combat, and the reduced recoil would allow more shots to be fired in the short amount of time an enemy was visible. The lower-powered round would also weigh less, allowing a soldier to carry more ammunition. With no need of a long barrel to fire full-power ammunition, a shorter barrel could be used. A shorter barrel made the weapon weigh less, was easier to handle in tight spaces, and was easier to shoulder quickly to fire a shot at an unexpected target. Full-automatic fire was also considered a desirable feature, allowing the soldier to fire short bursts of three to five rounds, increasing the probability of a hit on a moving target.

The Germans had experimented with selective-fire carbines firing rifle cartridges during the early years of World War II. These were determined to be less than ideal, as the recoil of full-power rifle cartridges caused the weapon to be uncontrollable in full-automatic fire. They then developed an intermediate-power cartridge round, which was accomplished by reducing the power and the length of the standard 7.92×57mm Mauser rifle cartridge to create the 7.92×33mm kurz (short) cartridge. A selective-fire weapon was developed to fire this shorter cartridge, eventually resulting in the Sturmgewehr 44, later translated as "assault rifle" (also frequently called "machine carbines" by Allied intelligence, a quite accurate assessment, in fact). Very shortly after World War II, the USSR adopted a similar weapon, the ubiquitous AK-47, the first model in the famed Kalashnikov-series, which became the standard Soviet infantry weapon and which has been produced and exported in extremely large numbers up through the present day.

Although the United States had developed the M2 Carbine, a selective-fire version of the M1 Carbine during WW2, the .30 Carbine cartridge was closer to a pistol round in power, making it more of a submachine gun than an assault rifle. It was also adopted only in very small numbers and issued to few troops (the semi-automatic M1 carbine was produced in a 10-to-1 ratio to the M2), while the AK47 was produced by the millions and was standard-issue to all Soviet troops, as well as those of many other nations. The U.S. was slow to follow suit, insisting on retaining a full-power, 7.62×51mm NATO rifle, the M14 (although this was selective fire).

In the 1950s, the British developed the .280 British, an intermediate cartridge, and a select-fire bullpup assault rifle to fire it, the EM-2. They pressed for the U.S. to adopt it so it could become a NATO-standard round, but the U.S. insisted on retaining a full-power, .30 caliber round. This forced NATO to adopt the 7.62×51mm NATO round (which in reality is only slightly different ballistically from the .308 Winchester), to maintain commonality. The British eventually adopted the 7.62mm FN FAL, and the U.S. adopted the 7.62mm M14 rifle. These rifles are both what is known as battle rifles and were a few inches shorter than the standard-issue rifles they replaced (22 in barrel as opposed to 24 in for the M1 Garand), although they were still full-powered rifles, with selective fire capability. These can be compared to the even shorter, less-powerful assault rifle, which might be considered the "carbine branch of weapons development", although indeed, there are now carbine variants of many of the assault rifles which had themselves seemed quite small and light when adopted.

By the 1960s, after becoming involved in war in Vietnam, the U.S. did an abrupt about-face and decided to standardize on the intermediate 5.56×45mm round (based on the .223 Remington varmint cartridge) fired from the new, lightweight M16 rifle, leaving NATO to hurry and catch up. Many of the NATO countries could not afford to re-equip so soon after the recent 7.62mm standardization, leaving them armed with full-power 7.62mm battle rifles for some decades afterwards, although by this point, the 5.56mm has been adopted by almost all NATO countries and many non-NATO nations as well. This 5.56mm NATO round was even lighter and smaller than the Soviet 7.62×39mm AK-47 cartridge but possessed higher velocity. In U.S. service, the M16 assault rifle replaced the M14 as the standard infantry weapon, although the M14 continued to be used by designated marksmen. Although at 20 in, the barrel of the M16 was shorter than that of the M14, it was still designated a "rifle" rather than a "carbine", and it was still longer than the AK-47, which used a 16 in barrel. (The SKS – an interim, semi-automatic, weapon adopted a few years before the AK-47 was put into service – was designated a carbine, even though its 20 in barrel was significantly longer than the AK series' 16.3 in. This is because of the Kalashnikov's revolutionary nature, which altered the old paradigm. Compared to previous rifles, particularly the Soviets' initial attempts at semi-automatic rifles, such as the 24 in SVT-40, the SKS was significantly shorter. The Kalashnikov altered traditional notions and ushered in a change in what was considered a "rifle" in military circles.)

In 1974, shortly after the introduction of the 5.56mm NATO, the USSR began to issue a new Kalashnikov variant, the AK-74, chambered in the small-bore 5.45×39mm cartridge, which was a standard 7.62×39mm necked down to take a smaller, lighter, faster bullet. It soon became standard issue in Soviet nations, although many of the nations with export Kalashnikovs retained the larger 7.62×39mm round. In 1995, the People's Republic of China adopted a new 5.8×42mm cartridge to match the modern trend in military ammunition, replacing the previous 7.62×39mm and 5.45×39mm round as standard.

Later, even lighter carbine variants of many of these short-barreled assault rifles came to be adopted as the standard infantry weapon. In much modern tactical thinking, only a certain number of soldiers need to retain longer-range weapons, serving as designated marksmen. The rest can carry lighter, shorter-ranged weapons for close quarters combat and suppressive fire. This is basically a more extreme extension of the idea that brought the original assault rifle. Another factor is that with the increasing weight of technology, sighting systems, ballistic armor, etc., the only way to reduce the burden on the modern soldier was to equip them with a smaller, lighter weapon. Also, modern soldiers rely a great deal on vehicles and helicopters to transport them around the battle area, and a longer weapon can be a serious hindrance to entering and exiting these vehicles. Development of lighter assault rifles continued, matched by developments in even lighter carbines. In spite of the short barrels of the new assault rifles, carbine variants like the 5.45×39mm AKS-74U and Colt Commando were being developed for use when mobility was essential and a submachine gun was not sufficiently powerful. The AKS-74U featured an extremely short 8.1 in barrel which necessitated redesigning and shortening the gas-piston and integrating front sights onto the gas tube; the Colt Commando was a bit longer, at 11.5 in. Neither was adopted as standard issue, although the U.S. did later adopt the somewhat longer M4 carbine, with a 14.5 in barrel.

Contemporary military forces

In 1994, the U.S. had adopted the M4 carbine, a derivative of the M16 family which fired the same 5.56mm cartridge but was lighter and shorter (in overall length and barrel length), resulting in marginally reduced range and power, although offering better mobility and lighter weight to offset the weight of equipment and armor that a modern soldier has to carry.

In spite of the benefits of the modern carbine, many armies are experiencing a certain backlash against the universal equipping of soldiers with carbines and lighter rifles in general, and are equipping selected soldiers, usually designated marksmen, with higher-powered rifles. Another problem comes from the loss of muzzle velocity caused by the shorter barrel, which when coupled with the typical small, lightweight bullets, causes effectiveness to be diminished; a 5.56mm gets its lethality from its high velocity, and when fired from the 14.5 in M4 carbine, its power, penetration, and range are diminished. Thus, there has been a move towards adopting a slightly more powerful cartridge tailored for high performance from both long and short barrels. The U.S. has experimented with a new, slightly larger and heavier caliber such as the 6.5mm Grendel or 6.8mm Remington SPC, which are heavier and thus retain more effectiveness at lower muzzle velocities.

While the U.S. Army adopted the M4 carbine in 1994, the U.S. Marine Corps retained their 20 in barrel M16A4 rifles long afterwards, citing the increased range and effectiveness over the carbine version; officers were required to carry an M4 carbine rather than an M9 pistol, as Army officers do. Because the Marine Corps emphasizes "every Marine a rifleman", the lighter carbine was considered a suitable compromise between a rifle and a pistol. Marines with restricted mobility such as vehicle operators, or a greater need for mobility such as squad leaders, were issued M4 carbines. In 2015, the Marine Corps approved the M4 carbine for standard issue to front-line Marines, replacing the M16A4 rifle. The rifles are issued to support troops while the carbines go to the front-line Marines, in a reversal of the traditional roles of "rifles for the front line, carbines for the rear".

Special forces
Special forces need to perform fast, decisive operations, frequently airborne or boat-mounted. A pistol, though light and quick to operate, is viewed as not having enough power, firepower, or range. A submachine gun has selective fire, but firing a pistol cartridge and having a short barrel and sight radius, it is not accurate or powerful enough at longer ranges. Submachine guns also tend to have poorer armor and cover penetration than rifles and carbines firing rifle ammunition. Consequently, carbines have gained wide acceptance among United States Special Operations Command, United Kingdom Special Forces, and other communities, having relatively light weight, large magazine capacity, selective fire, and much better range and penetration than a submachine gun.

Usage
The smaller size and relative lighter weight of carbines makes them easier to handle in close-quarter situations such as urban engagements, when deploying from military vehicles, or in any situation where space is confined. The disadvantages of carbines relative to rifles include inferior long-range accuracy and a shorter effective range. These comparisons refer to carbines (short-barreled rifles) of the same power and class as the regular full-sized rifles.

Compared to submachine guns, carbines have a greater effective range and are capable of penetrating helmets and body armor when used with armor-piercing ammunition. However, submachine guns are still used by military special forces and police SWAT teams for close quarters battle because they are "a pistol caliber weapon that's easy to control, and less likely to over-penetrate the target." Also, carbines are harder to maneuver in tight encounters where superior range and stopping power at distance are not great considerations.

Firing the same ammunition as standard-issue rifles or pistols gives carbines the advantage of standardization over those personal defense weapons that require proprietary cartridges.

The modern usage of the term carbine covers much the same scope as it always had, namely lighter weapons (generally rifles) with barrels up to 20 in in length. These weapons can be considered carbines, while rifles with barrels longer than 20 in are generally not considered carbines unless specifically named so. Conversely, many rifles have barrels shorter than 20 inches, yet are not considered carbines. The AK series rifles has an almost universal barrel length of 16.3 in, well within carbine territory, yet has always been considered a rifle, perhaps because it was designed as such and not shortened from a longer weapon. Modern carbines use ammunition ranging from that used in light pistols up to powerful rifle cartridges, with the usual exception of high-velocity magnum cartridges. In the more powerful cartridges, the short barrel of a carbine has significant disadvantages in velocity, and the high residual pressure, and frequently still-burning powder and gases, when the bullet exits the barrel results in substantially greater muzzle blast. Flash suppressors are a common, partial solution to this problem, although even the best flash suppressors are hard put to deal with the excess flash from the still-burning powder leaving the short barrel (and they also add several inches to the length of the barrel, diminishing the purpose of having a short barrel in the first place).

Pistol-caliber carbines
The typical carbine is the pistol-caliber carbine. These first appeared soon after metallic cartridges became common. These were developed as "companions" to the popular revolvers of the day, firing the same cartridge but allowing more velocity and accuracy than the revolver. These were carried by cowboys, lawmen, and others in the Old West. The classic combination would be a Winchester lever-action carbine and a Colt Single Action Army revolver in .44-40 or .38-40. During the 20th century, this trend continued with more modern and powerful smokeless revolver cartridges, in the form of Winchester and Marlin lever action carbines chambered in .38 Special/.357 Magnum and .44 Special/.44 Magnum.

Modern equivalents include the Ruger Police Carbine and Ruger PC Carbine, which uses the same magazine as the Ruger pistols of the same caliber, and the (discontinued) Marlin Camp Carbine, which, in .45 ACP, used M1911 magazines. The Ruger Model 44 and Ruger Deerfield Carbine were both carbines chambered in .44 Magnum. The Beretta Cx4 Storm shares magazines with many Beretta pistols and is designed to be complementary to the Beretta Px4 Storm pistol. The Hi-Point 995TS are popular, economical and reliable alternatives to other pistol caliber carbines in the United States, and their magazines can be used in the Hi-Point C-9 pistol. Another example is the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 series chambered in either 9mm Parabellum or .40 S&W, which can be configured to accept Glock, Beretta, S&W, or SIG pistol magazines. The SUB-2000 also has the somewhat unusual (although not unique) ability to fold in half.

The primary advantage of a carbine over a pistol using the same ammunition is controllability. The combination of firing from the shoulder, longer sight-radius, three points of contact (firing hand, support hand, and shoulder), and precision offer a significantly more user-friendly platform. Many carbines have the ability to mount optics, lights and lasers to accessory rails, which make target acquisition and engagement much easier.

The longer barrel can offer increased velocity and, with it, greater energy and effective range due to the propellant having more time to burn. However, loss in bullet velocity can happen where the propellant is utilised before the bullet reaches the muzzle, combined with the friction from the barrel on the bullet. As long guns, pistol-caliber carbines may be less legally restricted than handguns in some jurisdictions. Compared to carbines chambered in intermediate or rifle calibers, such as .223 Remington and 7.62×54mmR, pistol-caliber carbines generally experience less of an increase in external ballistic properties as a result of the propellant. The drawback is that one loses the primary benefits of a handgun, i.e. portability and concealability, resulting in a weapon almost the size of, but less accurate than, a long-gun, but not much more powerful than a pistol.

Also widely produced are semi-automatic and typically longer-barreled derivatives of select-fire submachine guns, such as the FN PS90, HK USC, KRISS Vector, Thompson carbine, CZ Scorpion S1 Carbine, and the Uzi carbine. In order to be sold legally in many countries, the barrel must meet a minimum length (16 in in the United States). So the original submachine gun is given a legal-length barrel and made into a semi-automatic firearm, transforming it into a carbine. Though less common, pistol-caliber conversions of centerfire rifles like the AR-15 are commercially available.

Land defence pistol
During the Apartheid era of South Africa and the Rhodesian Bush War/South African Border War, a semi-automatic only pistol calibre carbine based on submachine guns existed for civillian personal protection as Land Defence Pistols (LDP). Known examples were the Bell & White 84, BHS Rhogun, Cobra Mk1, GM-16, Kommando LDP, Northwood R-76, Paramax, Sanna 77 and TS III.

Shoulder-stocked handgun
Some handguns used to come from the factory with mounting lugs for a shoulder stock, notably including the "Broomhandle" Mauser C96, Luger P.08, and Browning Hi-Power. In the case of the first two, the pistol could come with a hollow wooden stock that doubled as a holster.

Carbine conversion kits are commercially available for many other pistols, including M1911, and most Glocks. These can either be simple shoulder stocks fitted to a pistol or full carbine conversion kits, which are at least 26 in long and replace the pistol's barrel with one at least 16 in long for compliance with the United States law. In the United States, fitting a shoulder stock to a handgun with a barrel less than 16 in long possibly turns said firearm into a short-barreled rifle, which may be in violation of the National Firearms Act; this is currently being adjudicated by the courts.

United States
Under the National Firearms Act, firearms with shoulder stocks or originally manufactured as a rifle and barrels less than 16 in in length are classified as short-barreled rifles. Short-barreled rifles are restricted similarly to short-barreled shotguns, requiring a $200 tax paid prior to manufacture or transfer – a process which can take several months. Because of this, firearms with barrels of less than 16 in and a shoulder stock are uncommon. A list of firearms not covered by the NFA due to their antique status may be found here or due to their Curio and Relic status may be found here; these lists includes a number of carbines with barrels less than the minimum legal length and firearms that are "primarily collector's items and are not likely to be used as weapons and, therefore, are excluded from the provisions of the National Firearms Act." Machine guns, as their own class of firearm, are not subject to requirements of other class firearms.

Distinct from simple shoulder stock kits, full carbine conversion kits are not classified as short-barreled rifles. By replacing the pistol barrel with one at least 16 in in length and having an overall length of at least 26 in, a carbine converted pistol may be treated as a standard rifle under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA). However, certain "Broomhandle" Mauser C96, Luger, and Browning Hi-Power Curio & Relic pistols with their originally issued stock attached only may retain their pistol classification.

Carbines without a stock and not originally manufactured as a rifle are not classified as rifles or short barreled rifles. A carbine manufactured under 26 in in length without a forward vertical grip will be a pistol and, state law notwithstanding, can be carried concealed without creating an unregistered Any Other Weapon. A nearly identical carbine with an overall length of 26 in or greater is simply an unclassified firearm under Title I of the Gun Control Act of 1968, as the Any Other Weapon catch-all only applies to firearms under 26 in or that have been concealed. However, a modification intending to fire from the shoulder and bypass the regulation of short-barreled rifles is considered the unlawful possession and manufacture of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

In some historical cases, the term machine carbine was the official title for submachine guns, such as the British Sten and Australian Owen guns. The semiautomatic-only version of the Sterling submachine gun was also officially called a carbine. The original Sterling semi-auto would be classed a short-barrel rifle under the U.S. National Firearms Act, but fully legal long-barrel versions of the Sterling have been made for the U.S. collector market.

title: Carbine


text:
Talk:Carbine

Definition Needed
There usually is a definition of the term that the page is named for at the beginning of every page. As this one does not have a definition, and rather jumps straight into historical background, I found the page to be less useful. It took too much time to find a basic answer.

Someone with firearms knowledge please insert a two sentance or so definition of the term in the beginning of the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.225.54.173 (talk) 18:14, 31 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree. ¿What exactly is a “carbine”? I could call an M-2 a carbine, but that doesn’t (nearly) make it so. What’s really needed is a definition- “A Carbine is a rifle of less than XX inches (YYmm) that fires a standard intermediate rifle round (5.0MM or larger).” 65.100.56.249 (talk) 18:12, 16 September 2009 (UTC) A REDDSON.

How about "A carbine is a firearm with a shoulder stock and a shorter barrel that a musket or rifle."

Or simply "A carbine is a short barrelled longarm"?

It's not simply down to the ammo - some carbines shoot pistol calibre balls or cartridges, some musket balls or rifle cartridges, and some have their very own ammo. Surely the defining factor is the size, especially the length?

I guess the complication and confusion comes from the fact that they're in between pistols and rifles - some can be regarded as long barrelled pistols with a shoulder stock, and some are essentially cut-down rifles (or muskets or shotguns, whatever)86.149.50.199 (talk) 11:36, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

Older comments
A gun that looks similar to a rifle but is slightly smaller and is designed to take the shorter and less powerful pistol cartridges.

This does not sound like the U.S. Military's M1 Carbine. Does anyone have a better description? --- Jagged

 * I do have a better term; A longarm that fires pistol cartridges are sub-machineguns, not carbines (irregarless appearances). 65.100.56.249 (talk) 18:12, 16 September 2009 (UTC) A REDDSON

With all due respect to the US Military, this has been the meaning of the word "carbine" since somewhere in the 17th century. But by all means add a second description ...

There were no cartridges in the 17th century.

No, but carbines still used pistol-sized ammo. I suppose I could get snotty and go find an early example of a carbine without a rifled barrel now! But if you really need to define things in terms of your personal experience, I'll let you win this one. Be happy

Yes carbine muskets do exist and I have changed the text to reflect this. However at least during the mid-1700's they did not use pistol sized rounds (pistols used 45-50 caliber, carbines 65 caliber and muskets 65-75 caliber). ---rmhermen

Perhaps someone will incorporate the story of "Carbine" Williams before I get to it. <>< tbc

/Talk

The example is incorrect - and the mistake is one I once made myself. The confusion arises from the fact that although the weapons have the same bore diameter, they are of different caliber.

The part about carbines generally being shorter, and (in olden days) intended for use on horseback, is correct.

The M1 Carbine is a distinct weapon from the M1 Rifle. They shoot different ammunition. The cartridge fired from the M1 Carbine has a small straight sided case and light bullets, and is a relatively low powered weapon (for instance, it is not legal for hunting deer in most states). The M1 Rifle fires 30-06 ammunition (much more powerful) and typically uses heavier bullets. Often used for hunting deer and even larger animals such as moose, elk, bear, and occasionally used on large and dangerous game in Africa.

As an interesting sidelight, the M1 Carbine was initially designed by "Carbine" Williams, while he was in prison. He did the work first clandestinely, and later, when he was discovered, with the knowledge of the prison warden. He was pardoned in part so he could continue development of the weapon, which had an unconventional action design. --Anon

Incorrect the story of David "Carbine" Williams was created of whole cloth by Hollywood. The short stroke gas piston he patented was used in the design of the M1 Carbine and he worked on the project at Winchester (along with several other noted Ordnance members) not in prison.--Tweak

This is a continuation of the discussion from the Ruger Police Carbine talk page:

Well I love the analogy between a vehicle gun and a mounted cavalry gun, it's almost lyrical. But the Wikipedia entry for carbine says that firearms chambered for pistol rounds are just shoulder-fired pistols, or something like that. Do we need to change that entry, or this one, to make the two consistent? RPellessier | (Talk) 07:33, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I was thinking of doing just that. With the shortening of modern rifles down to what was formerly considered carbine sized, there's not much room between "normal" barrel lengths of 20" or so and the 16" minimum legal length (in the US).  The definitive carbine for the 2nd half of the 20th century is probably the M1 Carbine, which fires what is basically a small bore, high velocity magnum pistol round.  Even in the late 19th century the definition of the carbine began to change.  The Winchester lever action rifles came in 20" and longer barrels in traditional rifle calibers, and also in shorter barrels, down to 16", in revolver cartridges such as .44-40 and .45 Colt.  These short, pistol caliber lever actions are probably the truest ancestor of the Ruger Carbine, and in a sense they were cavalry weapons as well; the traditional cowboy or sheriff would carry a revolver on his belt, and a lever action rifle in the same caliber in a scabbard on his saddle.  I think it's the aspect of portability that really defines the carbine now; a barrel between 16" and 18", a weight of 7 lbs. or less (without optics), and a simple, practical design.  Of course, there is a wide range of different guns that fit this; hit www.ruger.com and compare and contrast the Ruger M77 Compact, the Mini-14, the standard 10/22, the Deerfield, and the Carbine.  The first two are available in full power rifle cartridges (although not magnum rounds, as they would suffer significantly from the 16" and 18" barrels); the 10/22 in .22 LR, the Deerfield in .44 Magnum, and the Carbine in 9mm and .40 S&W.  I would split those into three types of carbine; the full power ones as just "carbine", the 10/22 as a "rimfire carbine", and the Carbine and Deerflield as "pistol caliber carbines".

 * The pistol caliber carbine is distinct from an SMG in that SMGs generally have barrels under 10" and a folding stock and are designed for full auto fire (being a sub-machine gun). The original Thompson Annihilator, ancestor of all SMGs, had a 10" barrel, no buttstock, and vertical foregrip and pistol grip.  Later versions were equipped with detatchable stocks, but the barrels remained at 10" for police and military use, the 16" barrel semi-automatic version was later added to make it saleable to civilians after the 1934 machine gun restrictions were inacted.  Pistol caliber carbines often have fixed stocks, have longer barrels, and are often not selective fire (the M2 select fire variant of the M1 Carbine being a notable exception).  Pistol caliber carbines have a rather odd niche; they are often not suited for hunting, as most pistol rounds are marginal at best (and therefore usually illegal) as hunting rounds; the .44 Magnum carbines being the big exception--it's an ideal short range deer gun.  The pistol caliber carbines like the Ruger Carbine are great defensive weapons however; they are short enough to handle indoors, legal in many areas where pistols are not, they have very little recoil, and, unlike a handgun, they're easy to shoot accurately.  The pistol rounds are also far more suited for urban areas than a rifle round like the 5.56 NATO, since the slow, fat pistol bullet will drop to the ground far sooner when fired level, and is much less likely to penetrate walls and cause unintentional injury.

 * I think the carbine entry should be expanded to emphasize compactness and portability as the defining characteristics, and then mention the different caliber classes and uses of modern carbines. scot 17:52, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Another possible addtion is the concept of the "ultra carbine". In the airgun world, where NFA rules on stocks and barrel lengths do not apply, there is a trend towards rifles that have super-short barrels, or pistols that are converted into short barrelled rifles.  These generally have barrels in the range of 8 to 15 inches, and since they are almost all single shot, they are definately not SMGs.  See http://www.davegstocks.com/showroom.cfm for a few examples.  I might just have to see about rigging something like that for my Crosman 2240 pistol...   scot 19:41, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Cleanup
I've removed a lot of the garbage that was us-centric (at least in regards to the non-use or illegality of said weapons), and cleaned up formatting substantially. I have therefore removed the designation. There are some instances where additional wiki links could be added, and I will add an image for an M4 Carbine. Because of the assault weapons ban sunset, the strong language involving illegality is not pertinent. Additionally, to mention that snipers are now using .50 bmg's and longer barrels is just insipid. You don't snipe with a carbine, you snipe with a long range, heavy, long barreled rifle, like the SASR or DMR variants. Your friendly local gun nut, Avriette July 9, 2005 17:11 (UTC)

Sterling
The Sterling wasn't called a carbine. It was called a machine carbine, which is or was the British word for an SMG AllStarZ 00:34, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

 * "Another class of carbine is a semi-automatic version of a submachine gun"...so wouldn't "machine carbine" minus the "machine" part leave you with just a "carbine"? Granted, these would have been illegal in the UK for quite a while, but they are available on and off in parts of the US, depending on various state and federal legislation, and assorted executive orders banning import.  scot 02:10, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Why Carbine?
I was hoping to find out why a carbine is called a carbine. there appears to be plenty of information as to what a carbine is but none on the origin of the name, in fact to quote the Encyclopedia Britannica :

'The word, the source of which is obscure, seems to have originated in the late or mid-16th century.'

Can anyone shed any light on this apparently unknown term? Or perhaps update the article for other people trying to work this one out?

Tim.

 * http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=carbine and http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/Ca/Carbine.html have divergent etymologies, and http://personal.monm.edu/JRIVERS/carabiner.htm traces the term forward to "carabiner". scot 22:06, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

 * Yes, we can shed some light, if certain Albanian users are not objecting (see carabinier discussion). The rifle is named after the soldiers, not the other way around. The soldiers "carabins" in 16th c. France were mercenaries from Greece and other parts of the Balkans. The word "carabin" literally means "seaman" in medieval Greek and comes from the Greek word "caravi" (boat, ship), since these soldiers were also seamen and were transported by ships (The "Marines" of that time). Reference: Sathas K. (1885) Greek stratiotai in the West and the revival of Greek tactics, in "Estia", vol. 19, No 492, p. 371, in Greek language.--Euzen (talk) 19:15, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

 * Euzen please don't use outdated Greek authors that weren't even scholars.-- — ZjarriRrethues — talk 09:02, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

 * See my comments on Talk:Carabinier. Sathas' hypothesis is not reflected in modern sources and appears to be implausible and/or outdated. There are several other, competing etymologies. Fut.Perf. ☼ 10:11, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

 * "Outdated" eh? Then give us the "modern" etymology. Especially the Albanian one.--Euzen (talk) 18:04, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

Browning Hi-Power a carbine?
I don't see how the Browning Hi-Power is a carbine, so I'm commenting out the picture for now. --RavenStorm 01:14, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

 * It's pointed out in the text. Many Hi-Powers were, like that one, made with provisions for a detachable stock, which would turn it into a carbine--ditto for the Luger, Mauser Broomhandle, and a number of other military pistols.  Even a number of revovlers dating back to the black powder era were available with detatchable stocks.  If you attach a stock, it's no longer a pistol, and it's shorter than a rifle, so it becomes a carbine.  scot 14:06, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

 * Alright, makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. --RavenStorm 16:51, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

 * Not a problem--I also altered the caption for the image to make it a bit more clear why a picture of what is typically considered a pistol is in the middle of a carbine article. scot 17:16, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Rifle implying Rifling?
A Carbine is a gun that does not require rifling. Does this definition work for anyone else?

Designated marksman
In the "Contemporary military forces" section, there's a paragraph that's completely devoted to the designated marksman concept....and I don't think that should be there. It veers way too far off-topic, better to cut and paste the paragraph to the designated marksman article or just delete it outright —Masterblooregard (talk) 01:27, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Steyr images?
I know there's a desire to keep the picture selections diverse, but would it not be better to either find an image much more illustrative of the size differences between the two Steyrs or replace it with a pair of weapons where the size difference is much more clear like the M-4/M-16?67.142.178.25 (talk) 06:58, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Slower ammunition?
"Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length." This doesn’t make any sense. The same ammunition is going to have the same velocity (even muzzle velocity) because the shortened barrel isn’t enough to prevent the bullet from reaching maximum velocity by the end of the barrel. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.50.255.30 (talk) 20:28, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

mobility
"They are typically issued to high-mobility troops such as special-operations soldiers and paratroopers, as well as to mounted, supply, or other non-infantry personnel whose roles do not require full-sized rifles."

I think the link between shorter barrel length and high-mobility should be made more explicitly, and especially why some roles *require* full-sized rifles should be explained, and the distinction between roles where carbines are used and long rifles. I think this intro paragraph is explaining the tradeoffs between accuracy and mobility, but also assuming the reader already knows about them? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.143.141.227 (talk) 04:16, 23 February 2014 (UTC)

US Civil War text
"Prior to, and during the American Civil War, a large number of carbines were developed, and used by the armies of both North and South. These carbines may be divided into categories, based on the types of ammunition which they used (paper cartridge, metallic rimfire, rubber cartridge), their action (lever action, breech-loading, muzzle-loading, and even one bolt action), or their caliber.

Metallic cartridge rimfire carbines used during the war include the .50 caliber Ball lever action carbine, the .52 caliber Joslyn Model 1862 and 1864 carbines, the .44 caliber Lee single shot carbine, the .54 caliber Palmer bolt action carbine, the .50 caliber Peabody carbine, the .52 caliber Sharps & Hankins Model 1862 carbine, the .52 caliber Spencer Repeating carbine, the .50 caliber Spencer Model 1865 carbine, the .52 caliber Starr Cartridge carbine, the .50 caliber Triplett & Scott carbine, various calibers of the New Haven Volcanic Rifle, the .50 caliber Warner carbine, and the .44 caliber Frank Wesson Military carbine.

Paper cartridge carbines used during the war include the (Confederate) .54 caliber Bilharz, Hall & Company rising breech carbine, the .36, .44 or .56 caliber Colt model 1855 revolving carbine, the .54 caliber Burnside carbine, the (Confederate) .58 caliber Cook and Brother carbine, the .52 caliber Cosmopolitan carbine, the British .577 caliber Enfield Pattern 1853 Cavalry carbine, the .50 caliber Gallager carbine, the .52 caliber Gibbs carbine, the .54 caliber Green carbine, the .52 caliber Gwyn & Campbell carbine, the .52 caliber Hall-North carbine, the .54 caliber Jenks "Mule Ear" carbine, the .58 caliber Lindner carbine, the .35 add .50 caliber Maynard carbines, the .54 caliber Merrill carbine, the (Confederate) .52 caliber Robinson Sharps carbine, the .52 caliber Sharps 1852 Saddle Ring carbine, the .52 caliber Sharps New Model carbine, and the .54 caliber Starr Percussion carbine.

The .50 caliber Smith carbine was unique, in using a rubber or metal cartridge in combination with a percussion cap. In contrast with the rimfire cartridge carbines listed above, the Smith cartridge did not include a primer."

I've moved this text from the article. It doesn't provide the average reader with any useful information. It might be better suited to an article specializing in weapons of the American Civil War. Rezin (talk) 03:57, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Carbines vs Submachine guns vs PDWs
It sounds like both SMGs and PDWs are types of carbines, while the text in this article (top) tries to contrast carbines with them. "Carbine" really just refers to the length of the barrel so they can be automatic, semi-automatic, or even single shot, and can fire any type of bullet cartridge (as opposed to a shotgun). Does that sound right? Rezin (talk) 22:29, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Larger than a submachine gun, [carbines] are harder to maneuver in tight encounters where superior range and stopping power at distance are not great considerations. Firing the same ammunition as rifles gives carbines the advantage of standardization over those personal defense weapons (PDWs) that require proprietary cartridges.
 * A submachine gun (SMG) is an air-cooled, magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire pistol cartridges.  Submachine gun
 * A personal defense weapon (PDW) is a compact select-fire firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun. Most PDWs fire a small caliber, high velocity bottleneck cartridge, resembling a small or short rifle round. This gives the PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges. The class of weapon as it exists today evolved as a hybrid between a submachine gun and a carbine, retaining the compact size and ammunition capacity of the former while adding the power, accuracy and penetration of the latter. Personal defense weapon

CCU
Carbine Conversion Units (CCU) for semi-automatic pistols do exist these days - Why not to have a notion of them in PCC section? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.163.159.72 (talk) 08:10, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Early carbines
Some of the information on early carbines and their use is badly phrased or just plain wrong. I will attempt to correct and expand this section. For example, early mounted-users of long-guns (as opposed to pistols) were petronells and harquebusiers (16th-17th centuries). These, and later cavalry, were given shorter-barrelled firearms because they could be loaded on horseback. They were fired from horseback, early dragoons carried full-sized muskets precisely because they dismounted to fire, other mounted troops of the time were expected to be able to shoot while mounted. French cavalry of the 17th century were expected to give a volley of carbine fire just before closing on the enemy with the sword when charging. At the time of the Napoleonic wars cavalrymen could not dismount in action without a direct order from an officer, thus the majority of cavalry of this period did not act as mounted infantry. By c. 1700 virtually all cavalry had abandoned the use of carbine fire in the charge, but mounted carbine fire was still employed by skirmishers. Indeed only the very heaviest cavalry, cuirassiers etc., were sometimes exempted from carrying carbines, except for some men in each troop for guard duties, precisely because they would not be called upon to engage in skirmishing. Even so, carbine fire was still used in larger-scale clashes in the Napoleonic era. At the Battle of Sahagun in the Peninsular War, two regiments of French cavalry tried to halt a charge of British Hussars with mounted carbine fire; it failed and the French were routed, but it was employed. Urselius (talk) 12:30, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

Please create a separate page for Pistol-caliber carbine
Please Jku456 (talk) 17:48, 7 December 2019 (UTC)

 * If the section now labeled "Pistol-caliber carbine" gets large, it can be moved to a new, separate article. Showing multiple sources using this specific term repeatedly, as a distinct subject, would help.  --A D Monroe III(talk)  02:20, 8 December 2019 (UTC)

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Lost in Translation?
"It soon became standard issue in Soviet nations, although many of the nations with export Kalashnikovs retained the larger 7.62×39mm round." Would it make more sense if it said, "that export Kalashnikovs"? "with imported Kalashnikovs"? Not sure what is trying to be said here.

"Also, carbines are harder to maneuver in tight encounters where superior range and stopping power at distance are not great considerations." Wouldn't carbines be easier to maneuver in tight encounters? Especially since later on, "The smaller size and relative lighter weight of carbines makes them easier to handle in close-quarter situations such as urban engagements, when deploying from military vehicles, or in any situation where space is confined." Crowless (talk) 05:16, 7 May 2023 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Carbine


text:
Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine comprises cuisines originating from China, as well as from Chinese people from other parts of the world. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has profoundly influenced many other cuisines in Asia and beyond, with modifications made to cater to local palates. Chinese food staples such as rice, soy sauce, noodles, tea, chili oil, and tofu, and utensils such as chopsticks and the wok, can now be found worldwide.

The world's earliest eating establishments recognizable as restaurants in the modern sense first emerged in Song dynasty China during the 11th and 12th centuries. Street food became an integral aspect of Chinese food culture during the Tang dynasty, and the street food culture of much of Southeast Asia was established by workers imported from China during the late 19th century.

The preferences for seasoning and cooking techniques of Chinese provinces depend on differences in social class, religion, historical background, and ethnic groups. Geographic features including mountains, rivers, forests, and deserts also have a strong effect on the local available ingredients, considering that the climate of China varies from tropical in the south to subarctic in the northeast. Imperial royal and noble preference also plays a role in the change of Chinese cuisine. Because of imperial expansion, immigration, and trading, ingredients and cooking techniques from other cultures have been integrated into Chinese cuisines over time and Chinese culinary influences have spread worldwide.

There are numerous regional, religious, and ethnic styles of Chinese cuisine found within China and abroad. Chinese cuisine is highly diverse and most frequently categorised into provincial divisions, although these province-level classifications consist of many more styles within themselves. During the Qing dynasty, the most praised Four Great Traditions in Chinese cuisine were Chuan, Lu, Yue, and Huaiyang, representing cuisines of West, North, South, and East China, respectively. In 1980, a modern grouping from Chinese journalist Wang Shaoquan's article published in the People's Daily newspaper identified the Eight Cuisines of China as Anhui, Guangdong , Fujian , Hunan , Jiangsu , Shandong , Sichuan , and Zhejiang. Chinese cuisine is deeply intertwined with traditional Chinese medicine, such as in the practise of Chinese food therapy. Color, scent and taste are the three traditional aspects used to describe Chinese food, as well as the meaning, appearance, and nutrition of the food. Cooking should be appraised with respect to the ingredients used, knife work, cooking time, and seasoning.

Pre-Tang dynasty

Chinese society greatly valued gastronomy, and developed an extensive study of the subject based on its traditional medical beliefs. Chinese culture initially centered around the North China Plain. The first domesticated crops seem to have been the foxtail and broomcorn varieties of millet, while rice was cultivated in the south. By 2000 BC, wheat had arrived from western Asia. These grains were typically served as warm noodle soups instead of baked into bread as in Europe. Nobles hunted various wild game and consumed mutton, pork and dog as these animals were domesticated. Grain was stored against famine and flood and meat was preserved with salt, vinegar, curing, and fermenting. The flavor of the meat was enhanced by cooking it in animal fats though this practice was mostly restricted to the wealthy.

By the time of Confucius in the late Zhou, gastronomy had become a high art. Confucius discussed the principles of dining: "The rice would never be too white, the meat would never be too finely cut... When it was not cooked right, man would not eat. When it was cooked bad, man would not eat. When the meat was not cut properly, man would not eat. When the food was not prepared with the right sauce, man would not eat. Although there are plenty of meats, they should not be cooked more than staple food. There is no limit for alcohol, before a man gets drunk." The Lüshi chunqiu notes: "Only if one is chosen as the Son of Heaven will the tastiest delicacies be prepared [for him]."

The Zhaohun (4-3rd c. BC) gives some examples: turtle ragout, honey cakes and beer (chilled with ice).

During Shi Huangdi's Qin dynasty, the empire expanded into the south. By the time of the Han dynasty, the different regions and cuisines of China's people were linked by major canals and leading to greater complexity in the different regional cuisines. Not only is food seen as giving "qi", energy, but the food is also about maintaining yin and yang. The philosophy behind it was rooted in the I Ching and Chinese traditional medicine: food was judged for color, aroma, taste, and texture and a good meal was expected to balance the Four Natures ('hot', warm, cool, and 'cold') and the Five Tastes (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty). Salt was used as a preservative from early times, but in cooking was added in the form of soy sauce, and not at the table.

By the Later Han period (2nd century), writers frequently complained of lazy aristocrats who did nothing but sit around all day eating smoked meats and roasts.

During the Han dynasty, the Chinese developed methods of food preservation for military rations during campaigns such as drying meat into jerky and cooking, roasting, and drying grain. Chinese legends claim that the roasted, flat bread shaobing was brought back from the Xiyu (the Western Regions, a name for Central Asia) by the Han dynasty General Ban Chao, and that it was originally known as hubing (胡餅, lit. "barbarian bread"). The shaobing is believed to be descended from the hubing. Shaobing is believed to be related to the Persian nan and Central Asian nan, as well as the Middle Eastern pita. Foreign westerners made and sold sesame cakes in China during the Tang dynasty.

During the Southern and Northern dynasties non-Han people like the Xianbei of Northern Wei introduced their cuisine to northern China, and these influences continued up to the Tang dynasty, popularizing meat like mutton and dairy products like goat milk, yogurts, and Kumis among even Han people. It was during the Song dynasty that Han Chinese developed an aversion to dairy products and abandoned the dairy foods introduced earlier.

The Han Chinese rebel Wang Su who received asylum in the Xianbei Northern Wei after fleeing from Southern Qi, at first could not stand eating dairy products like goat's milk and meat like mutton and had to consume tea and fish instead, but after a few years he was able to eat yogurt and lamb, and the Xianbei Emperor asked him which of the foods of China (Zhongguo) he preferred, fish vs mutton and tea vs yogurt.

Post-Tang dynasty
The great migration of Chinese people south during the invasions preceding and during the Song dynasty increased the relative importance of southern Chinese staples such as rice and congee. Su Dongpo has improved the red braised pork as Dongpo pork. The dietary and culinary habits also changed greatly during this period, with many ingredients such as soy sauce and Central Asian influenced foods becoming widespread and the creation of important cookbooks such as the Shanjia Qinggong and the Wushi Zhongkuilu  showing the respective esoteric foods and common household cuisine of the time.

The Yuan and Qing dynasties introduced Mongolian and Manchu cuisine, warm northern dishes that popularized hot pot cooking. During the Yuan dynasty many Muslim communities emerged in China, who practiced a porkless cuisine now preserved by Hui restaurants throughout the country. Yunnan cuisine is unique in China for its cheeses like Rubing and Rushan cheese made by the Bai people, and its yogurt, the yogurt may have been due to a combination of Mongolian influence during the Yuan dynasty, the Central Asian settlement in Yunnan, and the proximity and influence of India and Tibet on Yunnan.

As part of the last leg of the Columbian Exchange, Spanish and Portuguese traders began introducing foods from the New World to China through the port cities of Canton and Macau. Mexican chili peppers became essential ingredients in Sichuan cuisine and calorically dense potatoes and corn became staple foods across the northern plains.

During the Qing dynasty, Chinese gastronomes such as Yuan Mei focused upon the primary goal of extracting the maximum flavour of each ingredient. As noted in his culinary work the Suiyuan shidan, however, the fashions of cuisine at the time were quite varied and in some cases were flamboyantly ostentatious, especially when the display served also a formal ceremonial purpose, as in the case of the Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

As the pace of life increases in modern China, fast food like fried noodles, fried rice and gaifan (dish over rice) become more and more popular.

Regional cuisines
There are a variety of styles of cooking in China, but most Chinese chefs classified eight regional cuisines according to their distinct tastes and local characteristics. A number of different styles contribute to Chinese cuisine but perhaps the best known and most influential are Cantonese cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine (specifically Huaiyang cuisine) and Sichuan cuisine. These styles are distinctive from one another due to factors such as availability of resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and lifestyle. One style may favour the use of garlic and shallots over chili and spices, while another may favour preparing seafood over other meats and fowl. Jiangsu cuisine favours cooking techniques such as braising and stewing, while Sichuan cuisine employs baking. Zhejiang cuisine focuses more on serving fresh food and shares some traits in common with Japanese food. Fujian cuisine is famous for its seafood and soups and the use of spices. Hunan cuisine is famous for its hot and sour taste. Anhui cuisine incorporates wild food for an unusual taste and is wilder than Fujian cuisine.

Based on the raw materials and ingredients used, the method of preparation and cultural differences, a variety of foods with different flavors and textures are prepared in different regions of the country. Many traditional regional cuisines rely on basic methods of preservation such as drying, salting, pickling and fermentation.

In addition, the "rice theory" attempts to describe cultural differences between north and south China; in the north, noodles are more consumed due to wheat being widely grown whereas in the south, rice is more preferred as it has historically been more cultivated there.

Staple foods
Chinese ancestors successfully planted millet, rice, and other grains about 8,000 to 9,000 years ago. Wheat, another staple, took another three or four thousand years. For the first time, grains provided people with a steady supply of food. Because of the lack of various foods, Chinese people had to adapt to new eating habits. Meat was scarce, and so people cooked with small amounts of meat and rice or noodles.

Rice
Rice is a primary staple food for people from rice farming areas in southern China. Steamed rice, usually white rice, is the most commonly eaten form. People in South China also like to use rice to make congee as breakfast. Rice is also used to produce beer, baijiu and vinegar. Glutinous rice ("sticky rice") is a variety of rice used in special dishes such as lotus leaf rice and glutinous rice balls.

Wheat
In wheat-farming areas in Northern China, people largely rely on flour-based food, such as noodles, bing (bread), jiaozi (a kind of Chinese dumplings), and mantou (a type of steamed buns). Wheat likely "appeared in the lower Yellow River around 2600 Before Common Era (BCE), followed by Gansu and Xinjiang around 1900 BCE and finally occurred in the middle Yellow River and Tibet regions by 1600 BCE".

Noodles
Chinese noodles come dry or fresh in a variety of sizes, shapes and textures and are often served in soups or fried as toppings. Some varieties, such as Shou Mian (寿面, literally noodles of longevity), is an avatar of long life and good health according to Chinese traditions. Noodles can be served hot or cold with different toppings, with broth, and occasionally dry (as is the case with mi-fen). Noodles are commonly made with rice flour or wheat flour, but other flours such as soybean are also used in minor groups. Some noodles names describe their methods of creation, such as the hand-pulled noodle.

Soybean products
Tofu is made of soybeans and is another popular food product that supplies protein. The production process of tofu varies from region to region, resulting in different kinds of tofu with a wide range of texture and taste. Other products such as soy milk, soy paste, soy oil, and fermented soy sauce are also important in Chinese cooking.

There are many kinds of soybean products, including tofu skin, smoked tofu, dried tofu, and fried tofu.

Stinky tofu is fermented tofu. Like blue cheese or durian, it has a very distinct, potent and strong smell, and is an acquired taste. Hard stinky tofu is often deep-fried and paired with soy sauce or salty spice. Soft stinky tofu is usually used as a spread on steamed buns.

Doufuru is another type of fermented tofu that has a salty taste. Doufuru can be pickled together with soy beans, red yeast rice or chili to create different color and flavor. This is more of a pickled type of tofu and is not as strongly scented as stinky tofu. Doufuru has the consistency of slightly soft blue cheese, and a taste similar to Japanese miso paste, but less salty. Doufuru can be used as a spread on steamed buns, or paired with rice congee.

Sufu is one other type of fermented tofu that goes through ageing process. The color (red, white, green) and flavor profile can determine the type of sufu it is. This kind of tofu is usually eaten alongside breakfast rice.

Soybean milk is soybean-based milk. It is a morning beverage, and it has many benefits to human health.

Vegetables
Apart from vegetables that can be commonly seen, some unique vegetables used in Chinese cuisine include baby corn, bok choy, snow peas, Chinese eggplant, Chinese broccoli, and straw mushrooms. Other vegetables, including bean sprouts, pea vine tips, watercress, lotus roots, chestnuts, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots, are also used in different cuisines of China.

Because of different climate and soil conditions, cultivars of green beans, peas, and mushrooms can be found in rich variety.

A variety of dried or pickled vegetables are also processed, especially in drier or colder regions where fresh vegetables were hard to get out of season.

Herbs and seasonings
Seasonings such as fresh ginger root, garlic, scallion, cilantro and sesame are widely used in many regional cuisines. Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cloves and white peppers and smart weed are also used in different regions.

To add extra flavor to the dishes, many Chinese cuisines also contain dried Chinese mushrooms, dried baby shrimp, dried tangerine peel, and dried Sichuan chillies.

When it comes to sauces, China is home to soy sauce, which is made from fermented soybeans and wheat. A number of sauces are also based on fermented soybeans, including hoisin sauce, ground bean sauce and yellow bean sauce. There are also different sauces preferred by regional cuisines, oyster sauce, fish sauce and furu (fermented tofu) are also widely used. Vinegar also has a variety with different flavors: clear rice vinegar, Chinkiang black rice vinegar, Shanxi vinegar, Henghe vinegar etc.

Meat
As of at least 2024, China is the second largest beef consuming market in the world. Steakhouses and hot pot restaurants serving beef are becoming increasingly popular in urban China. Chinese consumers particularly value freshly slaughtered beef.

Desserts and snacks
Generally, seasonal fruits serve as the most common form of dessert consumed after dinner.

Dim sum (点心), originally means a small portion of food, can refer to dessert, or pastries. Later to avoid disambiguation, tian dian (甜点) and gao dian (糕点) are used to describe desserts and pastries.

Traditionally, Chinese desserts are sweet foods and dishes that are served with tea, usually during the meal, or at the end of meals in Chinese cuisine.

Besides being served as dim sum along with tea, pastries are used for celebration of traditional festivals. The most famous one is moon cake, used to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

A wide variety of Chinese desserts are available, mainly including steamed and boiled sweet snacks. Bing is an umbrella term for all breads in Chinese, also including pastries and sweets. These are baked wheat-flour-based confections, with different stuffings including red bean paste, jujube, and a variety of others. Su (酥) is another kind of pastry made with more amount of oil, making the confection more friable. Chinese candies and sweets, called táng (糖) are usually made with cane sugar, malt sugar, honey, nuts, and fruit. Gao or Guo are rice-based snacks that are typically steamed and may be made from glutinous or normal rice.

Another cold dessert is called baobing, which is shaved ice with sweet syrup. Chinese jellies are known collectively in the language as ices. Many jelly desserts are traditionally set with agar and are flavoured with fruits, known as guodong (果冻), though gelatine based jellies are also common in contemporary desserts.

Chinese dessert soups are typically sweet and served hot.

European pastries are also seen in China, like mille-feuille, crème brûlée, and cheesecake, but they are generally not as popular because the Chinese preference of dessert is mildly sweet and less oily. Many types of street foods, which vary from region to region, can be eaten as snacks or light dinner. Prawn crackers are an often-consumed snack in Southeast China.

Dairy products
Chinese in earlier dynasties evidently drank milk and ate dairy products, although not necessarily from cows, but perhaps kumis (fermented mare's milk) or goat's milk.

Historically, many Chinese chefs tried not to use milk, because of the high rate of lactose intolerance among the Chinese population. However, today, dairy products are increasingly used in Chinese cuisine, such as the "double skin milk" dessert in Guangdong Province, the Rubing (milk cake) cheese in Yunnan, and yoghurt in Qinghai and Xinjiang. China has a wide variety of dairy desserts that are very popular.

Cold dishes
Cold dishes are usually served before the main meal. Besides salad and pickles as appetizers, they can range from jelly, beancurd, noodle salad, cooked meat, and sausages to jellyfish or cold soups.

Chinese sausages vary from region to region. The most common sausage is made of pork and pork fat. The flavor is generally salty-sweet in Southern China. In other parts of China, sausages are salted to be preserved. Chinese sausage is prepared in many different ways, including oven-roasting, stir-frying, and steaming.

Soups

In some part of South China, soups are served between the cold dishes and the main dishes. In other parts of China, soups are served between the main dish and staple foods, before desserts or fruit salad. There are many traditional Chinese soups, such as wonton soup, herbal chicken soup, hot and sour soup, winter melon soup, and so on.

Drinks
Tea plays an important role in Chinese dining culture. In China, there are two main types of tea, one is made from dried tea leaves, the other one is made by extracts from tea leaves. Baijiu and huangjiu as strong alcoholic beverages are preferred by many people as well. Wine is not so popular as other drinks in China that are consumed whilst dining, although they are usually available in the menu.

Tea

As well as with dim sum, many Chinese drink their tea with snacks such as nuts, plums, dried fruit (in particular jujube), small sweets, melon seeds, and waxberry. China was the earliest country to cultivate and drink tea, which is enjoyed by people from all social classes. Tea processing began after the Qin and Han dynasties.

The different types of Chinese tea include black, white, green, yellow, oolong, and dark tea. Chinese tea is often classified into several different categories according to the species of plant from which it is sourced, the region in which it is grown, and the method of production used. Some of these types are green tea, oolong tea, black tea, scented tea, white tea, and compressed tea. There are four major tea plantation regions: Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Huanan and the southwestern region. Well known types of green tea include Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Bilochun, Putuofeng Cha, and Liu'an Guapian. China is the world's largest exporter of green tea.

One of the most ubiquitous accessories in modern China, after a wallet or purse and an umbrella, is a double-walled insulated glass thermos with tea leaves in the top behind a strainer.

Alcoholic beverages
The importance of baijiu ( lit. "white liquor") in China (99.5% of its alcoholic market) makes it the most-consumed alcoholic spirit in the world. It dates back to the introduction of distilling during the Song dynasty; can be made from wheat, corn, or rice; and is usually around 120 proof (60% ABV). The most ubiquitous brand is the cheap Er guo tou, but Mao Tai is the premium baijiu. Other popular brands include Kang, Lu Zhou Te Qu, and Wu Liang Ye. Huangjiu ( lit. "yellow liquor") is not distilled and is a strong rice wine (10–15% ABV). Popular brands include Shaoxing Lao Jiu, Shaoxing Hua Diao, and Te Jia Fan.

While fermented grain beverages have been brewed in China for over 9,000 years, it has been long overshadowed by stronger alcohol like Baijiu and Huangjiu.

Herbal drinks
Chinese herb tea, also known as medicinal herbal tea, is a kind of tea made from Chinese medicinal herbs.

Other beverages
Soy milk, almond milk, walnut milk and coconut milk are also drunk during the meal in different regions. In some parts of China, hawthorn and jujube juice are preferred. A small shot of fruit vinegar is served as an appetizer in Shanxi.

Outside China
Where there are historical immigrant Chinese populations, the style of food has evolved and been adapted to local tastes and ingredients, and modified by the local cuisine, to greater or lesser extents. This has resulted in a deep Chinese influence on other national cuisines such as Cambodian cuisine, Filipino cuisine, Singaporean cuisine, Thai cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine.

Chinatowns across the world have been instrumental in shaping the national cuisines of their respective countries, such as the introduction of a street food culture to Thailand in Bangkok Chinatown. There are also a large number of forms of fusion cuisine, often popular in the country in question. Some, such as ramen (Japanese Chinese cuisine), which originated in Yokohama Chinatown, have become popular internationally.

Deep-fried meat combined with sweet and sour sauce as a cooking style receives an enormous preference outside of China. Therefore, many similar international Chinese cuisines are invented based on sweet and sour sauce, including Sweet and sour chicken (Europe and North America), Manchurian chicken (India) or tangsuyuk (South Korea). The Hawaiian pizza was inspired by Chinese sweet and sour flavors. Apart from the host country, the dishes developed in overseas Chinese cuisines are heavily dependent on the cuisines derived from the origin of the Chinese immigrants. In Korean Chinese cuisine, the dishes derive primarily from Shandong cuisine while Filipino Chinese cuisine is strongly influenced by Fujian cuisine. American Chinese cuisine has distinctive dishes (such as chop suey) originally based on Cantonese cuisine, which are more popular among non-Chinese Americans than with Chinese Americans themselves.

Dining etiquette

Youths should not begin eating before their elders do. When eating from a bowl, one should not hold it with its bottom part, because it resembles the act of begging. Chopsticks are the main eating utensils for Chinese food, which can be used to cut and pick up food. When someone is taking a break from eating at the table, they should not put the chopstick into the rice vertically, because it resembles the Chinese traditional funeral tribute, which involves putting chopsticks inside a bowl of rice vertically. It is considered inappropriate to use knives on the dining table. Chopsticks should not be waved around in the air or played with. Food should first be taken from the plate in front. It is considered impolite to stare at a plate. Watching TV, using mobile phones or doing other activities while eating is considered in poor taste. If an older person puts food in a younger person's bowl, the younger person should thank them.

Chinese culture has guidelines in how and when food are eaten. Chinese people typically eat three meals a day, consisting of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is served around 6–9am, lunch is served around 12–2pm, and dinner is served around 6–9pm. A late night, fourth meal of the day is known as siu yeh and served from 9pm-4am, which is similar to the Western concept of supper. Within the Chinese culture, families do follow different traditions. In some families, the elderly members and youngsters get their meal first, then the mother and father, and then the children and teenagers. Other families have the male and female eat separately at different seating area. Whatever tradition the family decide to follow, it is intended to show respect to members of the family.

Relation to Chinese philosophy and religion
Food plays various roles in social and cultural life. In Chinese folk religion, ancestor veneration is conducted by offering food to ancestors and Chinese festivals involve the consumption and preparation of specific foods which have symbolic meanings attached to them. Specific religions in China have their own cuisines such as the Taoist diet, Buddhist cuisine and Chinese Islamic Cuisine.

The Kaifeng Jews in Henan province once had their own Chinese Jewish cuisine but the community has largely died out in the modern era and not much is known about the specifics of their cuisine but they did influence foods eaten in their region and some of their dishes remain. Chinese dishes with purported Kaifeng Jewish roots include Kaifeng xiao long bao, Mayuxing bucket-shaped chicken, Chrysanthemum hot pot, and Four Treasures.

Food also plays a role in daily life. The formality of the meal setting can signify what kind of relationship people have with one another, and the type of food can indicate ones' social status and their country of origin. In a formal setting, up to sixteen of any combination of hot and cold dishes would be served to respect the guests. On the other hand, in a casual setting, people would eat inexpensive meals such as at food stalls or homemade food. The typical disparity in food in the Chinese society between the wealthy and everyone below that group lies in the rarity and cost of the food or ingredient, such as shark fins and bear paws.

Depending on whether one chooses to have rice or a meal that is made of wheat flour such as bread or noodles as their main source of food, people within a similar culture or of a different background can make an assumption of the other's country of origin from the south or north of China. Different foods have different symbolic meanings. Mooncakes and dumplings are symbolic of the Mid-autumn festival and the Spring Festival, respectively. Pear symbolizes bad luck due to its similarity in pronunciation of 'away' in the native language and noodle means living a long life for its length.

In Chinese philosophy, food frequently conveys a message. A Chinese philosophy I Ching says, "Gentlemen use eating as a way to attain happiness. They should be aware of what they say, and refrain from eating too much."

History

 * David R. Knechtges, "A Literary Feast: Food in Early Chinese Literature," Journal of the American Oriental Society 106.1 (1986):  49–63.
 * Sterckx, Roel. Food, Sacrifice, and Sagehood in Early China. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011 (2015).
 * Sterckx, Roel. Chinese Thought. From Confucius to Cook Ding. London: Penguin, 2019.
 * Endymion Wilkinson, "Chinese Culinary History (Feature Review)," China Review International 8.2 (Fall 2001):  285–302.
 * Sterckx, Roel. Food, Sacrifice, and Sagehood in Early China. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011 (2015).
 * Sterckx, Roel. Chinese Thought. From Confucius to Cook Ding. London: Penguin, 2019.
 * Endymion Wilkinson, "Chinese Culinary History (Feature Review)," China Review International 8.2 (Fall 2001):  285–302.
 * Endymion Wilkinson, "Chinese Culinary History (Feature Review)," China Review International 8.2 (Fall 2001):  285–302.
 * Endymion Wilkinson, "Chinese Culinary History (Feature Review)," China Review International 8.2 (Fall 2001):  285–302.
 * Endymion Wilkinson, "Chinese Culinary History (Feature Review)," China Review International 8.2 (Fall 2001):  285–302.

Cookbooks

 * Buwei Yang Chao. How to Cook and Eat in Chinese. (New York: John Day, 1945; revisions and reprints).
 * Fuchsia Dunlop. Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking. (New York: Norton, 2003). ISBN 0393051773.
 * Fuchsia Dunlop. Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province. (New York: Norton, 2007). ISBN 0393062228.
 * Fuchsia Dunlop. Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China. (New York: Norton, 2008). ISBN 9780393066579.
 * Fuchsia Dunlop. Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking (2012). ISBN 9781408802526
 * Emily Hahn, Recipes, The Cooking of China. (Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books, Foods of the World, 1981).
 * Hsiang-Ju Lin and Tsuifeng Lin. Chinese Gastronomy. (London: Nelson, 1969; rpr.). ISBN 0171470575.
 * Yan-Kit So. Classic Food of China. (London: Macmillan, rpr 1994, 1992). ISBN 9780333576717.
 * Martin Yan. Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking: 200 Traditional Recipes from 11 Chinatowns around the World. (New York: Morrow, 2002). ISBN 0060084758.
 * Georgina Freedman. Cooking South of The Clouds: Recipes and Stories From China's Yunnan Province. (Octopus; Kyle, 2018). ISBN 9780857834980.

title: Chinese cuisine