Confucian compared the 11 Virtues of Jade as a models for human behaviour. He equated the stone with intelligence, truth, loyalty, justice, purity and humanity,  and he used the stone to symbolise the idea of Junzi, the noble or superior man. Taoist Alchemists mixed up elixirs with powdered Jade that they hoped would make them immortal.

A disciple of Confucius once asked him why men valued Jade more than Serpentine. “Is it because Jade is scarce and Serpentine is abundant?”

Confucius replied: “It is because men of olden days regarded it as a Symbol of the Virtues. Its gentle, smooth, glossy appearance suggests charity of Heart; its fine close texture and hardness suggests Wisdom; it is firm and yet does not wound, suggesting Duty to one’s neighbour; it hangs down as though sinking, suggesting Ceremony; when struck, it gives a clear note, long drawn out, dying gradually away and suggesting Music; its flaws do not hide its excellences, nor do its excellences hide its flaws, suggesting Loyalty; it gains our confidence, suggesting Truth; its spirituality is like the bright rainbow, suggesting the Heavens above; its energy is manifested in hill and stream, suggesting the Earth below; as articles of regalia it suggests that there is nothing in the world of equal value, and thereby Jade is valuable.”