Wei Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Mortar (jiù) Kangxi stroke count: 18 Page 1006, Entry 01 Pronounced jiù. According to the Shuowen Jiezi (Shuowen), it refers to a type of owl; the owl remains in place. Xu Xuan comments that this refers to the strange owl. Also means formerly or past. It is the opposite of new. Book of Odes (Shijing): Its newness is very fine, but what of the old? Zuo Commentary (Zuo Zhuan), 28th Year of Duke Xi: The carriage drivers chanted, the fields are vast and wide, they abandon the old and plan for the new. Gongyang Commentary (Gongyang Zhuan), 29th Year of Duke Zhuang: What is meant by the newly extended stables? It means to repair the old ones. Also means long-lasting. Book of Odes (Shijing): Oh, you young man, I tell you of the long-standing. The commentary explains: Old means long-lasting. Also means formerly or experienced elder. Also a surname. During the Han Dynasty, there was a Governor of Shangdang named Jiu Qiang. Also interchangeable with the character for coffin (jiù). History of Jin (Jin Shi), Biography of Cai Gui: The coffin of the Prince of Yan. Old is the ancient form of the character for coffin, and they are used interchangeably. Pronounced jiù. The meaning is the same. Pronounced xiū. Same as the character for owl (xiū). Also, in rhyme supplementation, pronounced jì. Book of Odes (Shijing): It is not that God is not timely; the Shang did not use the old ways. Here, time is pronounced shì. Book of Odes (Shijing): Thinking of the people of today, they do not value the old. Here, it rhymes with the word for village (lǐ). Also rhymes with jì. Poem by Wei Cheng: The Emperor oversees me, promoting me to the three offices of state. He looks upon my injuries and collapse, conferring titles to restore my old status. Guanzi, Chapter on Herding the People: If one is not respectful toward ancestors and the old, then filial piety and fraternal duty are not fulfilled. According to the Tangyun Zheng (Corrected Tang Dynasty Rhymes), old is pronounced jì, meaning jì is also a standard pronunciation, not merely a rhyming pronunciation. Also rhymes with qiǔ. History of the Former Han (Qianhan Shu), Narrative Commentary: When the three sprouts arise, the original root is already decayed. The withered poplar blooms; how can it return to its former state?