Xu Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Metal (jīn) 鎌 Kangxi stroke count: 18 Page 1316, Entry 16 Pronounced lian. According to the Explaining and Analyzing Characters (Shuowen Jiezi), it means to cut or reap. According to Yang Xiong’s Regional Speech (Fangyan), it is a hooked blade for reaping, known as lian from the pass westward. According to the Explanations of Names (Shiming), lian means sharp or thin, as the object is thin and sharp. It is used to reap things little by little. It also refers to something that is sharp-edged. Bao Zhao’s Eastern Martial Chant (Dongwu Yin): With a sickle at the waist, reaping mallows and beans. Han Yu’s Poem Sent to Assistant Professor Zhang Eighteen: Clear clouds like shredded cotton, the new moon like a polished sickle. According to Yang Xiong’s Regional Speech (Fangyan), any arrow head with four sharp edges that are joined together is called a four-fold lian. Some call it a gut-hook. Commentary: Four-fold lian means broad, angled edges. According to Yang Xiong’s Regional Speech (Fangyan), in eastern Qi, counterfeit objects are called ran lian. According to the Collected Rhymes (Jiyun), it is sometimes written in a variant form.