Mao Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Halberd (gē)
Jian; Kangxi stroke count: 14; Page 413, Entry 30
According to Tang Rhymes (Tangyun), pronounced jian (third tone). According to Collected Rhymes (Jiyun) and Rhyme Anthology (Yunhui), pronounced jian (third tone). Meaning: to exhaust. From Book of Odes (Shijing), Lesser Odes (Xiao Ya): "To give you all the good." Commentary: To give you complete excellence, so that you may receive the blessings of Heaven. It is also used interchangeably with the character meaning to clip or prune (jian). According to Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen), it means to destroy. From Book of Odes (Shijing), Eulogies of Lu (Lu Song): "They truly began to prune the Shang." The ancient version was written as jian. Wenren said: Jian and the character for prune are the same. Also, according to Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), pronounced zhi (third tone). The meaning is the same. Also, according to Collected Rhymes (Jiyun) and Classified Chapters (Leipian), pronounced jian (fourth tone). The meaning is the same. According to the account of Sun Yan.