Chou Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Earth (tǔ) Kangxi stroke count: 6 Page 224, Entry 06 Ancient forms include the following variants. Pronounced di (falling tone). Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Single-component Characters and Analyzing Compound Characters): When primordial energy first separated, the heavy and turbid yin became Earth, which is where all things are arrayed. Baihu Tong (Comprehensive Discussions in the White Tiger Hall): Earth means change. It refers to the nourishment of all things, embracing, bearing, and undergoing transformative changes. Shiming (Explanations of Names): Earth is the bottom; its substance is at the bottom, bearing all things. Book of Changes (Yijing), Discussion of the Trigrams: The Kun trigram represents Earth. Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor): Qibo said, Earth is below man, in the midst of the Great Void. The Yellow Emperor asked, Does it rest on something? Qibo replied, The great atmosphere holds it up. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Offices of Earth: The Earth Instructor manages the maps of the land to advise on matters concerning the land, to guide against evil spirits of the land, to distinguish the products of the land, to trace their origins, and to advise on the requirements of the land. Bowuzhi (Record of Things): Earth uses famous mountains as support, stones as its bones, rivers as its veins, plants and trees as its hair, and soil as its flesh. Also denotes order, and denotes only. History of the Former Han Dynasty (Qian Hanshu), Biography of Bing Ji: Bing Ji of the Western Office endured it. Also rhymes with tuo (rising tone). Qu Yuan, Ode to the Orange: Closing my eyes, I am cautious with myself, never losing my integrity. Holding onto virtue without selfishness, I am in harmony with Heaven and Earth. Yang Xiong, Rhapsody on the Imperial Hunt: Birds cannot fly away, beasts cannot escape; the army is shocked, the forces are terrified, scraping the wilderness and sweeping the ground. Note: Wu Yu categorized Earth under the ge rhyme, pronounced sui (rising tone), then guo could be read as written; tuo and sui are merely differences between the level and departing tones. Originally written as a variant character.