You Collection, Lower Volume. Radical: City (yi). Bei. Kangxi Stroke Count: 12. Page 1270, Number 03. According to the Expansion of Rhymes (Guangyun), the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), and the Collection of Rhymes (Yunhui), the pronunciation is derived from the sounds of pu and mei. In the Correct Rhymes (Zhengyun), it is derived from bu and mei. The sound is pei. An ancient city of the Shang dynasty, located north of Chaoge in the Henei region — Analytical Dictionary of Characters (Shuowen Jiezi). After King Wu conquered the Shang, the area north of Chaoge was divided and named Bei — Book of Odes (Shijing). The Jiyun also provides a pronunciation derived from bu and mei, with the sound bei, identifying it as a place name in the state of Qi. The state of Qi granted Yanzi sixty border towns, including Bei and Dian; this is a different location from the Bei of the Shang dynasty despite sharing the name — Commentary of Zuo (Zuo Zhuan). The Guangyun notes this character is the same as the variant form pronounced bei.