Chen Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Tree (mù). Kangxi strokes: 12. Page 532, Entry 11.
Identical to the word for club. It also refers to a flail, an agricultural tool for threshing grain. In Dialects (Fangyan) by Yangzi, the region west of the pass calls it a flail. It also refers to the Heavenly Flail, the name of a constellation. In the Book of History (Shiji) section on the celestial offices, the fifth star to the right of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure is called the Heavenly Flail. In the Explanations (Suoyin), it is pronounced pi (rising tone). Also, according to the Tang Rhymes (Tangyun), it is pronounced pou (falling tone). The meaning is the same. It also refers to striking. In the Great Mystery (Taixuanjing) by Yangzi, it says to stay far from it, but if one approaches it, one strikes it. It also refers to a wooden board placed as a step at a location with a gap, whether high or low. In the Commentary of Gongyang (Gongyangzhuan) on the second year of Duke Cheng, it mentions peeking at a guest while standing on a wooden board. According to the Classified Chapters (Leipian), it is pronounced pou (rising tone). The meaning is the same. It is also the name of a type of tree. According to the Classified Chapters, it grows by clinging to trees, with branches like a net. According to the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is pronounced pei (rising tone), and according to the Tang Rhymes, it is pronounced pei (rising tone). According to the Collected Rhymes, it refers to a wooden board. According to the Tang Rhymes, it is a surname. In the Book of the Former Han (Qianhanshu) biography of Yuan Ang, it is recorded that Yuan Ang's descendant, surnamed Bang, once inquired about divination. According to the Collected Rhymes, it is pronounced bei (level tone). The meaning is the same.
Textual Research: In the Book of History (Shiji) section on the celestial offices, it states the fifth star to the right of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure is called the Heavenly Flail. We note that the original text has been corrected from three stars to five stars.
