Hai Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Fish (yú). Kangxi stroke count: 16. Page 1468, Entry 01. Pronounced bao (falling-rising tone). According to the Analytical Dictionary of Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), this refers to spoiled fish. According to the Jade Chapters (Yupian), it refers to pickled fish; today it refers to fragrant-preserved fish. According to the Explanations of Names (Shi Ming), it says: Bo fish; bo means to rot, implying it is buried and fermented to create a foul odor. According to the Commentary on the Emergency Primer (Jijiupian zhu), it is also a sea fish, salted but not dried. In the Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), section on the Officials of Heaven, specifically the Basket Official, it mentions dried meat, fish, and dried fish. The commentary states that the fish are dried in a closed room, originating from the Yangtze and Huai river regions. In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), biography on the Economics of Goods, it mentions a thousand jun (unit of weight) of these fish. The commentary notes that this refers to split fish, meaning fish that have been cut open with head and tail still connected, also known as bo. In the Discourses of Zhou (Zhouyu), it is stated that these fish are not placed upon ritual vessels. In the School Sayings of Confucius (Jiayu), it says: Living with an evil person is like entering a shop selling these fish; after a long time, one no longer notices the stench. Also a surname. In the Commentary on the Zuo Tradition (Zuo Zhuan), under the fourteenth year of Duke Zhuang, it refers to Bao Shuya, the tutor of Xiaobai. In the Discourses of Qi (Qiyu), it states that Bao Shuya was a great officer of Qi, a descendant of the Si clan. Also written as a variant form (pao) in the context of leather-working tools. In the Rites of Zhou, section on the Winter Officials, it discusses the leather-working craft, including armor and these tools. The commentary notes that this is sometimes written as the variant form (pao), as seen in the Cangjie Chapter. Pronounced pao. Name of a fish. Pronounced bao. Personal name. In the state of Chu, there was Shen Baoxu. Commonly written as the character (bao).