According to the Collection of Rhymes (Jiyun), it is pronounced fa (falling tone), which is the same as the sound for the character for cut or strike. It was originally written as a variant form (fa). It is sometimes also written in a variant form (fa), referring to a shield. It is mentioned in Strategies of the Warring States (Zhanguo Ce) that shields and archer's rings are used. The commentary explains that this refers to the same shields mentioned in the Book of Odes (Shijing). The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), specifically the commentary on the Biography of Su Qin, states that this character and the original form are identical, both referring to shields. The Book of Odes (Shijing), within the Odes of Qin, mentions shields with elegant designs. The commentary states that the character for shield is sometimes written as this variant, referring to the central handle of a shield. Note: These four characters are all interchangeable. The Compendium of Characters (Zihui) records the character as this variant, which is now corrected based on the Collection of Rhymes (Jiyun). This character is composed of the mouth radical and the phonetic component fa. Zi Collection, Page Position: Lower Radical: Mouth (kǒu) Page 180, Entry 05