Wu Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Grain (hé) 秆 Kangxi strokes: 12 Page 849, Entry 14 Pronounced gan (falling tone). Same as the variant form (gǎn). Commentary in Zuo Tradition (Zuozhuan), Year 27 of Duke Zhao: "Someone took a handful of grain stalks there." Note: A handful is a bundle. Stalks refer to straw. Gǎn Pronounced gan (falling tone). Same as the variant form (gān). In Extensive Records (Boya): Rice straw is called stalks. In Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen): The stalk of a grain plant. It cites the Spring and Autumn Commentary (Chunqiu Zhuan) as: "Someone threw a handful of stalks." Today, in the Zuo Tradition (Zuozhuan), Year 27 of Duke Zhao, it is written as "Someone took a handful of grain stalks."