Gan Jiang and Mo Ye

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Gan Jiang (Chinese: 干將; pinyin: Gān Jiàng) and Mo Ye (Chinese: 莫邪; pinyin: Mò Yé) was the name of a famous swordsmith couple in the Spring and Autumn Period of China, and also the name of the famed twin blades named after the two. The yang sword is "Gan Jiang" while the yin counterpart is "Mo Ye".

According to the Wuyue Chunqiu (吳越春秋), King Helü of Wu ordered Gan Jiang, who studied with another famous blacksmith Ou Yezi, to craft two swords for him. However, Gan Jiang found that his blast furnace failed to melt the iron. His wife, Mo Ye, suggested that there weren't enough human qi in the furnace so the couple cut off their hair and nails and cast them into the furnace while 300 children blew air into the bellows. The resulting two swords were called "Gan Jiang" and "Mo Ye" after the two blacksmiths who forged them. Gan Jiang liked the swords so much that he kept "Gan Jiang" for himself and presented "Mo Ye" to the king, who was delighted with the result.

In later interpretations of the tale, Mo Ye was said to have sacrificed herself so that the sword could be forged.