广义的玉,简化的定义为“湿润而有光泽的美石.”按我国民俗的传统观念讲,其中不仅包括独山玉（南阳玉）、翡翠（硬玉）、玛瑙（玉髓）、松石等,还包括水晶（石英）、岫岩玉（蛇纹石）以及寿山石、青田石（地开石）、鸡血石、巴林石等.这种情况在许多考古文献中也被采用,人们往往将那些具有工艺欣赏价值的玉器并入玉或石类器物介绍.
狭义的玉,是指法国矿物学家德穆尔所言的硬玉（翡翠）和软玉.我国考古学界权威夏如薡先生也曾主张除软玉、硬玉两类可称玉外余皆不称为玉,它们的具体名称,可用矿石名来代替.
除去这两种外,地质学界有人提出凡有工艺美术用途的岩石,统归为彩石类,而有工艺要求的矿石物则归为宝石类.
翻译：Broad-yu,simplify the definition of a "wet and shiny U.S.stone." According to China's traditional concept of folk stresses,including not only Dushan Jade (Nanyang jade),Jade (jadeite),agate (chalcedony),turquoise,etc.,also includes the Crystal (quartz),岫岩玉(serpentine) and Shoushan stone,Qingtian Stone (dickite),heliotrope,etc.巴林石.This situation in many archaeological literature has also been used,people tend to be those with a process to appreciate the value of jade into the category of jade or stone artifacts introduced.
Narrow-yu refers to the French mineralogist Moore said of jadeite (Jade) and nephrite.China's archaeological circles as the right to威夏have advocated the exception of Mr.薡nephrite,jadeite jade types of things than can be said to have not known as jade,and their specific names,can be used to replace the ore name.
Excluding these two things,geological academia where it was suggested that the use of arts and crafts rock,EC Choi Shek into categories,and technological requirements of the ore material is classified as category gemstones.
