Wei Collection, Upper Volume Radical: Rice (mǐ) Kangxi stroke count: 6 Page 906, Entry 31 Pronounced mǐ (rising tone) Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Single-component Characters and Analyzing Compound Characters): Refers to the fruit of grain. The character shape resembles the appearance of the fruit of grain. Note: Refers to hulled grains. The character includes the component ten, which indicates the husk splitting open to reveal the grain inside; the two eights represent the shape of the grain. Zheng Kangcheng (Zheng Xuan), Commentary on the Book of Odes (Shijing): The grading scale for rice: ten parts for unpolished rice, nine parts for refined rice, eight parts for further refined rice, and seven parts for rice consumed by the monarch. Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Office of the Earth: The official in charge of the expenditures of rice and grain. Note: Among the nine types of grain, six produce rice. Commentary: The so-called nine grains and six rices refers to the fact that among the nine types of grain, millet, broomcorn millet, rice, kaoliang, wild rice (gǔ mǐ), and soybeans are the six that produce rice, while hemp, adzuki beans, and wheat are the three that do not; hence it is said nine grains and six rices. Also refers to a surname. There was a Mi Jiarong during the Tang Dynasty. Also refers to the name of a school. Book of Rites (Liji), Mingtang Wei: The Milin was the school of the Yu dynasty. Also, Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu): Cnidium, another name is snake rice. Guangdong Xinyu: Job's tears, another name is rice, also known as pearl barley. Also, Japanese Customs Record (Nihon Tofuki): In the Japanese twelve earthly branches, the branch Si is referred to as rice. Textual Research: Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Office of the Earth: The official in charge of the expenditures of grain and rice. Carefully corrected according to the original text from grain and rice to rice and grain.