Chen Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Death (dǎi) Character: Jian Kangxi Stroke Count: 21 Page 584, Entry 11 Ancient form. Pronounced xian. According to the Erya (Erya): Shigu (Glossary of Terms), jian means to finish or exhaust. The Xing Commentary (Xingshu) records that She Ren stated that jian means the total destruction of a multitude. In the Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu), Zhuang Year 17, it is written: The people of Qi were annihilated at Sui. The Guliang Commentary (Guliang Zhuan) states that jian means to exhaust. Du Yu commented: The garrison at Sui was negligent and lacked preparation, so the people of Sui punished them and killed them all; therefore, the scribe of that time recorded it as a total destruction. In the Book of Documents (Shujing): Yin Zheng, it is written: Exterminate their leaders. In the Book of Odes (Shijing): Qin Feng, it is written: They killed all our good men. Furthermore, in the Zuo Commentary (Zuozhuan), Year 28 of Duke Xiang, it is written: They will gather and exterminate them. The meaning is the same.