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The jian (Mandarin Chinese:, Chinese: 劍, English approximation: / dʒ j ɛ n / jyehn, Cantonese:) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE, during the Spring and Autumn period; [1] one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.
Historically, Chinese swords are classified into two types, the jian and the dao. A Jian is a straight, double-edged sword mainly used for stabbing ; the term has been commonly translated into the English language as a longsword .
The Chinese spear and dao (liuyedao and yanmaodao) were commonly issued to infantry due to the expense of and relatively greater amount of training required for the effective use of the Chinese straight sword, or jian. Dao can often be depicted in period artwork worn by officers and infantry.
Jian (middle) depicted in Chinese military compendium Wujing Zongyao. The jian (simplified Chinese: 锏; traditional Chinese: 鐧; pinyin: jiǎn) or tie tian (鐵鐧 or 鐵簡, lit. 'iron slip'), also known as Chinese swordbreaker or Chinese truncheon, [1] is a type of quad-edged straight mace or club specifically designed to break weapons with sharp edges.
In military culture throughout history, the sword symbolised the warrior's soul. Chinese sword culture idealizes sword skill and regards swords as a virtue and a symbol of personal social and cultural accomplishment. [10] The sword embodies the spirit of the Chinese people and has been praised in art works and legends for thousands of years.
In Chinese mythology, in various sources, associated with much related mythological material, various swords are said to have been forged by Gan Jiang (who studied under Ou Yezi) and Mo Xie (also transliterated as "Kan Chiang" and "Mo Yeh"), who were a husband and wife pair and eponymous makers of paired swords [20] Gan-jiang was the male, Mo ...
Kiam is the Hokkien word for the Chinese jian or jien, a straight double-edge sword. It is one of the oldest known weapons to have been adopted from outside Southeast Asia, and is depicted on bas-reliefs in Srivijaya dating back more than one thousand years. Because it is lightweight and easily broken, the jian is hardly ever used for blocking.
The shuangshou jian is a Chinese two-handed double-edged straight sword . Historically, shuangshou jian were up to 1.6 meters (65") in length, and the two-handed grip could be used as a lever to lock the opponent's arm if necessary. Large ring pommels are prevalent in the construction of shuangshou jian.