Xiu Jian (袖箭)

Xiu Jian (袖箭, lit. 'Sleeve arrow')

Drawing of a Xiu Jian (highlighted), from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

A Xiu Jian was a simple dart with weighted arrowhead. It was usually kept hidden inside its user's sleeves (traditional Chinese clothing had long and broad sleeves), hence its namesake. Although Xiu Jian could also be thrown like a normal throwing dart, it was presumably launched directly from the sleeve with so-called gunslinger throw method. Unlike later models, Ming-style Xiu Jian did not come with spring-loaded launch tube.

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