Chou Collection, Middle Volume. Radical: Earth (tǔ). Kangxi stroke count: 8. Page 227, Entry 10. Pronounced che. To split or crack. Book of Rites (Liji), Monthly Ordinances: In the middle of winter, the earth begins to crack. History of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu), Annals of Emperor An: In Rinan, the earth cracked for over one hundred li. History of Jin (Jinshu), Treatise on Astronomy: During the reign of Emperor Hui, Zhang Hua served as Minister of Works, and the Three Terrace stars split apart. Also, the initial opening of a seed pod. Book of Changes (Yijing), Commentary on the Judgments of the Explanation Hexagram: When thunder and rain arise, all fruits, grasses, and trees sprout and split their husks. Also, refers to a difficult birth. Book of Odes (Shijing), Greater Odes: Giving birth to the firstborn was like passing through a barrier, without tearing or splitting. Commentary: This refers to the ease with which Jiang Yuan gave birth to Hou Ji. Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), House of Chu: The wife of Lu Zhong, Nü Kui, gave birth to six sons; she was split open to deliver them. Also, turtle-shell cracking. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Spring Offices: The official historians interpret ink divination, and the diviners interpret the cracks. In the regions of the Yangtze and Huai rivers today, when fields crack during a drought, it is also called turtle cracking. Also, sometimes written in a variant form (zhai). Yang Xiong, Rhapsody on the Capital of Shu: A hundred fruits sprout and open. Shuowen Jiezi: The original form was written with a different character. Nine Classics Character Exemplar (Jiujing Ziyang): The characters for crack and split are synonymous. The original character was composed of the elements for earth and a cliff.