Zi Collection, Page Position: Lower. Radical: Eight (bā). Eight. Kangxi Dictionary Stroke Count: 2. Page 126, Column 26. Tang Rhymes (Tangyun) records the fanqie pronunciation as bo-ba-qie. Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), Rhyme Assembly (Yunhui), and Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun) all record the fanqie pronunciation as bu-ba-qie. It is pronounced like the character ba. Explaining Simple and Analyzing Compound Characters (Shuowen Jiezi) defines it as to divide or separate. The character shape resembles things being split apart and facing away from each other. Xu Kai's commentary notes that for the number eight, the two strokes face away from each other, representing separation. It belongs to the Lesser Yin numbers and is the symbolic number for Wood. Jade Chapters (Yupian) defines it as a numeral. Also, Collected Rhymes gives the fanqie pronunciation bu-nei-qie, pronounced like the character bei. In The Original Meaning of the Six Scripts (Liushu Benyi), Zhao Guze states that eight is pronounced like bei, meaning to separate or differ. The character shape resembles things being split and facing away. Later, the pronunciation shifted to bu-ba-qie to serve as the Lesser Yin number. Also, Rhyme Supplement (Yunbu) provides a rhyming pronunciation bi-bie-qie. Rhapsody on Dancing (Wu Fu) by Zhang Heng: The musical sounds transform in harmony and interweave, echoing and surging to form a rhythm. As the melody ends and they return to their positions, they coordinate with the two-by-eight rows of dancers. Also, Rhyme Supplement provides a rhyming pronunciation bi-yi-qie, pronounced like the character bi. Rhapsody on the Western Capital (Xijing Fu) by Zhang Heng: Spears and halberds thrust and cross within the thicket, and hand-to-hand combat involves intense striking. Before the sun has even moved, seven or eight out of ten enemies have been annihilated. Also: Eight-eight (ba-ba). General Refinement (Tongya) records that eight-eight is a transliteration of the foreign term ba-ba. In the Biography of Li Huaiguang in the Book of Tang (Tang Shu), Emperor Dezong of Tang designated Li Huaiguang's grandson, Yan Baba, as his descendant. Research Note: In Rhapsody on the Western Capital by Zhang Heng, the term for hand-to-hand combat tu-bo has been corrected based on the original text.