[7] Although minor variations occur in size and hilt, they are common enough in design across five centuries that individual blades are difficult to date when discovered without other context.

These swords measured between 75 and 100 centimetres (30–39 in) in blade length and bore a gentle curve, leading to a pointed tip useful for thrusting.

Just after this, the hand guard on the forte of the blade, called a tūnkǒu (吞口) in Chinese, lay a feature typically of copper or iron.

With the Mongol invasion of China in the early 13th century and the formation of the Yuan dynasty, the curved steppe saber became a greater influence on Chinese sword designs.

[13] The Ottomans continued to use curved swords, developing them further until they distinguished a distinct heavy-bladed version which would become the kilij in the first half of the 15th century.