Chou Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Earth (tǔ) 坂 Kangxi strokes: 12 Page 224, Entry 26 Pronounced fan. A mountain slope or an inclined slope. One interpretation defines it as an embankment along marshy land. Another interpretation defines it as a mountain waist. The Annals of Emperor Wen in the History of the Former Han (Qian Han Shu) records that when Emperor Wen wanted to ride westward from Baling down a steep slope, Yuan Ang remonstrated, and he subsequently stopped. It also refers to a place name. Pu-ban is located east of Pucheng. The Records of Emperors and Kings (Diwang Shiji) states that Shun once established his capital at Ban. Furthermore, the Account of the Western Regions (Xiyu Zhuan) mentions that the route passes through the Great and Small Headache Mountains and the slope of the Red Earth Body. Also pronounced fan. The meaning is the same. Also pronounced bian. From the Third Day of the Third Month poem by Sun Chuo: Floating duckweed drifts idly, the green willow slopes. Feathers and down follow the wind as they drift, fish scales turn with the waves. Also pronounced juan. From the poem Idle Swallow Pavilion by Su Zhe: The lingering fog on the peaks recedes, vegetation is illuminated by the morning sun. Clouds emerge from the mountain in abundance, the springs flow swiftly down the slopes. According to the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is the same as the characters for slope. Sometimes written in a variant form.