Chou Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Big (dà) Kangxi strokes: 14 Page 254, Entry 01 Pronounced jiang (rising tone). According to Extensive Dictionary of Sounds (Guangyun), Collected Rimes (Jiyun), and Collection of Rimes (Yunhui), the pronunciation is the same as the word for oar. The meaning is to help, to encourage, or to praise. In the Commentary of Zuo (Zuo Zhuan), Year 11 of Duke Xiang, it is written: To share likes and dislikes and to support the royal house. In the Zhu Commentary (Zhu Zhuan), it is interpreted as to guide, to support, to reward, and to encourage, so as to bring a matter to fruition. Du Fu wrote in his poetry: The literary world is vast and desolate; in the past, I was undeservedly recommended and praised. Note: Explaining and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi) lists this character under the Dog radical, meaning to incite a dog and encourage it. The original form of this character is written as a variant. After clerical simplification, it is written as the current form. The Collection of Characters (Zihui) strictly adheres to the interpretation in Explaining and Analyzing Characters regarding inciting a dog, recording the variant form under the Hands-folded radical, and considers the current form a vulgar variant, which is an error in philological research. Zhao Yiguang stated in Long Notes (Changjian) that the original meaning of this character is to incite a dog, and common usage has shifted to meaning to praise, as a term of commendation. Officials use it as a title for the highest grade in evaluations, which is a significant misunderstanding of philology. This view seems overly rigid. Verification: In the Commentary of Zuo (Zuo Zhuan), Year 11 of Duke Xiang, the original text reads: Support the royal house without interfering with these orders. Careful examination: The original text of the Commentary of Zuo uses a different phrasing; the meaning belongs to the subsequent clause and does not belong to the preceding one, making it difficult to cite as a single unit with the phrase to support the royal house. I have carefully modified the citation to read: To share likes and dislikes and to support the royal house.