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.

Professional jian practitioners are referred to as jianke (Chinese: 劍客; pinyin: jiànkè; lit.

Guard shapes varied, but often had short wings or lobes pointing either forward or backward, the latter sometimes having an "ace of spades" appearance.

From the Song and Ming periods onward, guards could feature zoomorphic shapes, or have crossbars and quillons.

Two-handed jiàn of up to 1.6 meters (63 inches) in length, known as shuangshou jian, existed but were not as common as the one-handed version.

The central plate protrudes slightly from its surrounding pieces, allowing for a sharp edge, while the softer spine protects the brittle core.

[9] Bronze jian were often made in a somewhat similar manner: in this case an alloy with a high copper content would be used to make a resilient core and spine, while the edge would be made from a high-tin-content alloy for sharpness and welded onto the rest of the blade.

Before schools were a formal way of passing on sword knowledge, students may have begun with a simple wooden stick when training with their teacher.

Contemporary jian are often forged (shaped with heat and hammer) and assembled by mostly traditional methods for training of practitioners of Chinese martial arts around the world.

Though there is significant variation in length, balance, and weight of the jian from different periods, within any given period the general purpose of the jian is to be a multipurpose cut and thrust weapon capable of stabbing as well as making both precise cuts and slashes, as opposed to specializing in one form of use.

Among the Terracotta warriors in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, figures representing officers were originally armed with jian made from an alloy of copper, tin, and other elements including nickel, magnesium, and cobalt.

Several double-edged bronze swords have been recovered by modern archaeologists, but most were stolen centuries ago along with the polearms and bows of the enlisted men.

[13] Historical jian wielders would engage in test cutting called shizhan, practicing their skills on targets known as caoren, or "grass men".

These swords have extremely thin blades or a high degree of flexibility compared to historical battlefield quality jian, properties intended to add auditory and visual appeal to a wushu performance.

The trainings are less on the physical form of the weapon and more on gaining greater balance and coordination through performing the slow movements.

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (Ch: 文殊 Wénshū) is often depicted holding a jian, which is then referred to as the "sword of wisdom".