Functional Chinese Swords

The butterfly sword is a short dao, or single-edged blade, originally from the South of China, though it has seen use in the North. The blade length is approximately that of the forearm, for easy concealment within the sleeves or inside boots, and for greater maneuverability to spin and rotate in close-quarters fighting.

Dao is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping, often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the spear, staff, and the jian, and referred to as "The Marshal of All Weapons".

The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. Both the one- and the larger two-handed versions are used for training by many styles of Chinese martial arts. In folklore, it is known as "The Gentleman of Weapons" and is considered one of the four major weapons, along with the staff, dao, and the spear.

The sabre is similar to the Chinese Dao - a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping, although the sabre has a narrower blade then the dao.