About the Dao (Saber)

The dao is one of the four major weapons of ancient China along with the Jian (sword), the Gun (staff), and the Qiang (spear). In fact, the dao is referred to as "The General of All Weapons". Dao is a single-edged, broader blade sword for cutting or slicing.

Characteristics of the Dao (Saber)

The design of the saber has had many variations over its lifespan but mostly it has been designed as a single-handed sword of the Ming period and later.  The saber blade is typically slightly curved with a single-edge. Many times a few inches of the back edge of the blade is also sharpened and combined with the slight curve of the blade allows it to be used in thrusting attacks as well as chopping and slicing attacks.  The hilt is typically offset and curved in the opposite direction as the blade improving handling in cuts and thrusts. Often cord is usually wrapped over the wood of the handle and the hilt is sometimes pierced similar to the jian to allow for adding a lanyard. Today most of these, like the jian utilize tassels or scarves for performance purposes rather than lanyards. The guard is typically disc or cup-shaped to prevent water from getting into the sheath, and to prevent blood from dripping down to the handle. Additionally, some guards are metal  s-curves to protecting the user's knuckles.

There are four main types of sabers

The Goose-quill saber: This is a primarily straight blade with a curve appearing at the center of the striking area near the blade's tip. This enables easier thrusting attacks and handling similar the jian, while preserving blade's strength in cutting and slashing.

The Willow leaf saber: This is the most common Chinese saber that features a moderate curve along the length of the blade. This saber was the standard sword for both Chinese cavalry and infantry. It is also the saber originally used by many schools of Chinese martial arts.

The Slashing saber: This is a deeply curved blade designed for slashing and draw-cutting and bears a strong resemblance to a scimitar.

The Oxtail saber: This is a very heavy bladed weapon with a characteristic flaring tip, and is typically seen in most of the kung fu movies today.

Determining the proper length for you

Hold the hilt in your hand with the tip pointing toward the top of your head. The tip of the blade should be at your brow. Another way to measure, the length of the sword should be from the middle of your throat along the length of your outstretched arm.