You Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Foot (zú) Character: Ji Kangxi Stroke Count: 21 Page 1235, Entry 02 Pronounced ji. According to the Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), it means to ascend. The Regional Speech (Fangyan) by Yang Xiong states that in the regions between the sea and Mount Tai, this term is used to mean to ascend. In the Book of Odes (Shijing), it is written: The road is obstructed and steep. The Commentary states that ji means to climb. It is also written in the variant form ji. In the Book of Changes (Yijing), within the Zhen Hexagram, it is written: Ascending the nine high mounds. The Explanation of the Text states that for ji, the original version is also written as ji. In the Zuo Commentary (Zuo Zhuan), under the second year of Duke Wen, it is written: Elevating Duke Xi. The Gongyang Commentary asks: What does elevating mean? It means to ascend. The Collected Rhymes (Jiyun) notes it is sometimes written as ji. It is also pronounced ji (falling tone). The meaning is the same.