Hai Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Fish (yú)
Character: Guan
Kangxi strokes: 21
Page 1475, Entry 12
Ancient form. Pronounced guan.
Shuowen Jiezi (Explanation of Writing and Analysis of Characters) states: A fish.
Book of Odes (Shijing), Qi Wind section: Its fish are bream and guan.
Commentary: A large fish.
Kong Congzi (Kong Family Masters' Anthology), Kangzhi Chapter: A man from Wei was fishing in the river and caught a guan fish that was large enough to fill a cart. Zisi asked him: How did you catch it? He replied: I hung a single bream as bait; the guan passed by and did not look at it. I then used half a pig, and it swallowed it.
Also, Book of Documents (Shangshu), Yao Dian chapter: There is a lonely man below, called Yu Shun.
Commentary: Someone without a wife is called a guan.
Book of Rites (Liji), Wangzhi chapter: One who is old and has no wife is called a guan.
Shiming (Explanation of Names): Guan means kun (bright). It refers to being anxious, distressed, and unable to sleep, where the eyes are constantly guan-guan (wide open and staring). Therefore, the character is composed with the fish radical, as fish eyes are constantly open.
Baihu Tong (Comprehensive Discussions in the White Tiger Hall): Guan signifies being alone and having no one to be close to; thus, such solitary individuals are few.
Also, Jiyun (Compilation of Rhymes) states: Pronounced kun. Identical to kun.
Erya (Approaching Nearness), Yushi Shu (Commentary on Explaining Fish): Guan is fish spawn. The characters for guan and kun are different, but they were likely used interchangeably in ancient times.
Also, synonymous with guan (illness).
Erya (Approaching Nearness), Shigu (Explanation of Ancient Words): Guan means to be ill.
Zheng Qiao annotation: Guan is precisely guan (illness).
Also, Guangyun (Broad Rhymes) and Jiyun (Compilation of Rhymes): Pronounced guan. The appearance of staring. Sometimes written as a variant form.
Also, rhyming with the Zhen rhyme group.
Chu Ci (Songs of Chu), Tianwen (Heavenly Questions): Shun was distressed at home, why was the father so lonely? Yao did not grant the marriage, how were the two daughters close?
