Piandao

This article is about the Chinese sword. For the Avatar: The Last Airbender character, see List of Avatar: The Last Airbender characters § The White Lotus.

The piandao (片刀) is a type of Chinese sabre (dao) used during the late Ming dynasty and through the Qing dynasty. A deeply curved dao meant for slashing and draw-cutting, it bore a strong resemblance to the Persian shamshir. A fairly uncommon weapon, it was generally used by skirmishers in conjunction with a shield.

Two antique Qing swords: The top sabre scabbard shows curvature suggesting a piandao. A Jian below

See also

• Dao (sword)
• Dadao
• Oxtail Dao
• Yanmaodao
• Liuyedao