Zi Collection, Page Position: Upper Radical: Lid (tóu) Character: dan Kangxi stroke count: 13 Page 89, Entry 20 Pronounced dan (falling tone). Meaning: honesty, truthfulness. Recorded in Book of Documents (Shangshu), chapter Pan Geng: "Proclaimed with truth." In Book of Odes (Shijing), Xiaoya section: "If you investigate and plan, is it truly so?" In Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial (Yili), Shiguanli section, the toast states: "The fine wine is already clear, and the excellent offerings are truly timely." Commentary interprets this as sincere. Also a surname. During the Eastern Han dynasty, there was a man named Dan Song who was skilled in temperament and the calendar. Also the name of an overseas country. Han Yu, in Preface to Sending Off Minister Zheng, mentions: "The states of Yi and Dan." Commentary notes that Yi and Dan are both names of countries. Also pronounced zhan. Refers to "tun-zhan," describing a state of difficulty in advancing or an inability to move forward. The Correcting Errors (Zheng'e) text points out that writing it as a variant form (zhun-zhan) is incorrect. Can also be used interchangeably with the character dan. In Book of Odes (Shijing), Xiaoya section: "Select the three who are capable, truly they have much hidden virtue." In History of the Former Han (Qian Hanshu), Biography of Jia Yi: "It is not merely a matter of being suspended upside down." In Biography of Yang Xiong: "Truly a waste of energy on this." Can also be used interchangeably with the characters tan and tan. In Xunzi, chapter Discussing Military Affairs: "Those who are bare and exposed." In Liu Xiang, New Order (Xinxu), it is written as lu-dan, which means to be exposed or bare. Also pronounced chan. The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) records a mountain called Danyuan. Can also be used interchangeably with the character dan. In Yang Xiong, Rhapsody on the Capital of Shu (Shudu Fu): "Towering and soaring."