But a sword put away in its case indicates that only memories remain. Lin believes that writers and knights-errant see themselves in their swords. The jian is not just a tool; it is their life. Person and sword are one, as is made clear by the saying, "If the sword exists, so too the person; if the sword dies, so too the person."
林保淳指出，劍與人生合一，因此文人俠客看劍，其實是看著自己，劍不只是工具，而是生命的全體，「劍在人在，劍亡人亡」，也就是此意。