You Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Bean (dòu) Kangxi Strokes: 10 Page 1191, Entry 18 Broad Rhymes (Guangyun) and Collected Rhymes (Jiyun): Pronounced jiang. A type of bean. Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu): Li Shizhen states: The cowpea is a creeping plant. The flowers come in red and white varieties. The pods vary in color, including white, red, purple, scarlet, and variegated patterns. They can grow up to two feet long. When flowering and fruiting, they hang down in pairs. When blooming and fruiting, they hang down in pairs, possessing the symbolism of doubling and overlapping as represented by the Xi Kan hexagram in the Book of Changes (Yijing). The beans are slightly curved and resemble the shape of human kidneys. The saying of the ancients that beans are the grain that nourishes the kidneys likely refers to the cowpea. Also, Dictionary (Zihui): Pronounced gang. The meaning is the same.