Xu Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Metal (jīn) Lang Kangxi Stroke Count: 15 Page 1306, Entry 22 Pronounced lang. In the Shuowen Jiezi (Shuowen), it refers to a chain or fetter. In the History of the Former Han (Qian Hanshu) section on the Five Elements, it is written as a variant form. It describes using an iron chain to secure someone by the neck. According to the Six Categories of Writing (Liushu Gu), because a chain is something linked, dragging, and heavy, the people refer to a state of being distressed, burdened, and unable to move as langdang. Furthermore, according to the Guangyun, one theory suggests it refers to the sound of a bell.