Wu Collection, Lower Volume Radical: Spirit (shì) 18 strokes Page 839, Entry 02 Ancient form of the character for ritual. Pronounced li (rising tone). Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Single-component Characters and Analyzing Compound Characters): Ritual is the act of treading or performing. It is used to serve the spirits and obtain blessings. Shiming (Explication of Names): Ritual is the body or essence. It refers to obtaining the proper order of things. Yunhui (Collection of Rhymes): Mencius stated that the essence of ritual is to regulate and adorn, likely established based on the benevolence and righteousness of the human heart to create hierarchical order, ensuring everyone is properly arranged; this is called ritual. Also a surname. Zuo Zhuan (Chronicle of Zuo): The Wei official Li Kong. Xu Xuan remarked: Among the five rituals, none is more important than the sacrificial ritual, which is why it is categorized under the Radical: Spirit. The character for vessel (li) refers to the vessel used for sacrificial offerings.