You Collection, Middle Volume
Radical: Shell (bèi)
Trade
Kangxi stroke count: 12
Page 1207, Entry 01
Pronounced mao (falling tone)
Shuowen Jiezi (Shuowen): Means to exchange goods and property. Xu Xuan states: It depicts a state of confusion, implying a mutual exchange.
Wu Jing Wen Zi (Five Classics Text): In classical texts, the clerical script form has been inherited and simplified as mao.
Erya, Shiyan (Explication of Words): Mao means to trade. It also refers to purchasing.
Book of Odes (Shijing), Wei Feng: Carrying cloth to trade for silk.
Book of Rites (Liji), Tangan Gong: There was a starving man who came walking in a daze, covering his face with his sleeves and dragging his shoes. The commentary states: Mao mao describes a state of blurred vision.
Shiwen: Another pronunciation is mou.
Guangya: Mao means to proclaim or disseminate.
It is also a surname. Guangya (Surname Garden) notes it originates from Dongguan.
Also used as a phonetic loan for the character mao. Gongyang Zhuan, First Year of Duke Cheng: Defeated at Mao Rong. Shiwen notes: Another pronunciation is mao. The Zuo Zhuan records this as Mao Rong.