Shen Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Grass (cǎo) 蒺 Kangxi stroke count: 16 Page 1050, Entry 11 Pronounced ji (rising tone). Collected in Rhyme Dictionary of the Tang Dynasty (Tangyun), it is pronounced ji (rising tone). In the Compendium of Rhymes (Yunhui), it is a medicinal herb. According to the Materia Medica (Bencao), the name indicates that its thorns pierce people quickly and sharply.