Yin Collection, Upper Volume
Radical: Child (zǐ)
Li; Kangxi strokes: 14; Page 280, Entry 22
Pronounced li.
Guangyun: Pronounced li. Jiyun and Leipian: Pronounced li.
Yupian: Li-zi, meaning to give birth to twins.
Yangzi: Dialect (Fangyan): In the regions of Chen and Chu, when people or animals give birth to twins, it is called li-zi.
Also Jiyun: Pronounced li. Meaning is the same.
Note: In Dialect (Fangyan), the original text for twins is written as li-luan. Li signifies separation, meaning to be twins but born separately; commonly written as li.
Zhengzitong states: There are two characters for twins: luan. The character for widow is written with the woman radical, while li represents a single child, which is similar in sound and meaning to the character for orphan, which is also a valid interpretation.
Textual research: Yangzi: Dialect (Fangyan): In the regions of Chen and Chu, when people or animals give birth to twins, it is called li-zi. Following the original text of Dialect (Fangyan) and the citations in Jiyun, the character zi has been corrected.