Hai Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Bird (niǎo) E (goose) Kangxi stroke count: 18 Page 1490, Entry 31 Ancient form. Pronounced e (rising tone). According to the Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters), it is a type of goose. It has a long neck and is good at calling; its head is held high as if proud, which is why it is called a goose. According to the Piya (Enrichment of Refined Expressions), the neck of a goose resembles a tumor; in the Jiangdong region, it is called a ge. Li Shizhen states: The goose has green eyes, a yellow beak, and red webbed feet; it is good at swimming, and its cries at night correspond to the rhythm of the night watch drums. The Qin Jing (Classic of Birds) states: Birds with feet placed close to the tail are good at walking; geese and ducks belong to this category. When a goose sees a strange creature, it will spread its wings and call, hence it is also called domestic wild goose. It is also called shu yan (calm goose). It is also called lan lou. According to the Erya: Shi Niao (Approaching Refinements: Explaining Birds), the shu yan is the goose. Li Xun states: The wild type is called a yan (wild goose), and the domesticated type is called an e (goose). According to the Bencao Zhu (Commentary on Materia Medica), there is also a wild goose, larger than the common wild goose and resembling a domesticated grey goose, called a jia e. According to the Qin Jing (Classic of Birds), when a goose calls, the sand-flea (a mythical water-dwelling creature) sinks into the water; if geese are kept in gardens, snakes will stay away. According to the Lingnan Yiwu Zhi (Record of Strange Objects in Lingnan), the indigenous peoples collect the fine down from the goose's abdomen to make clothing and quilts. According to the Dongming Ji (Record of Penetrating the Mysterious), when the sun rises, it dances while holding its wings; this is called the joyful white goose. Also a battle formation name. According to the Zuo Zhuan (Chronicle of Zuo), in the twenty-first year of Duke Zhao, Zheng Pian wished to form a stork formation, and his charioteer wished to form a goose formation. Also a person's name. Rong Jia'e was the Great Officer Chengbo of the State of Lu. Also a plant name. Black goose. According to the Guanzi: Di Yuan Pian (Book of Master Guan: Chapter on Earth's Resources), among them are planted highland rice, black goose, and ma fu (a type of herb). Also, e bao (goose embrace) is a plant name; see the Bencao (Materia Medica).