What is a sword?

Like other places in the world, ancient Chinese people defined sword (for appearance) as a straight and double-bladed weapon, and usually one-handed. But Chinese swords are different from the swords of Western knights; Chinese people forged their swords as a kind of both rigid and flexile weapons, based on the requirements of Chinese martial arts. Rigid quality ensures the sharpness of the sword, and flexile body makes the sword hard to break.
These two features perfectly fit the definition of an ancient Chinese gentleman �? diligence and fortitude.