Hai Collection, Lower Volume
Radical: Deer (lù)
Kangxi Strokes: 17
Page 1509, Entry 34
Pronounced mei (rising tone).
Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters): A species of deer. It sheds its antlers at the winter solstice.
Shiming (Explanations of Names): A beast of the marshes.
Sima Xiangru, Shanglin Fu (Rhapsody on the Imperial Park): Sinking oxen and elk.
Commentary: The elk resembles a water buffalo.
Erya (Approaching Elegance), Chapter on Explaining Beasts: The male elk is called gou, the female is called chen, the young is called mi, and its tracks are called chan. It is powerful and strong.
Commentary: This explains the categories of elk.
Rites of Zhou (Zhouli), Offices of Heaven, Animal Keeper: In winter, offer wolf; in summer, offer elk.
Commentary: Wolf fat gathers, elk fat disperses. What gathers is warm; what disperses is cool.
Also, Chou Mi refers to an ugly person.
Zuo Si, Wei Capital Rhapsody (Wei Du Fu): Comparing Chou Mi to Zi Du.
Also, the place where water and grass meet is called mi.
Book of Odes (Shijing), Lesser Odes (Xiao Ya): Living at the river’s edge.
Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan), 28th Year of Duke Xi: The Chu leader Ziyu fashioned a jade-adorned cap and jade tassel, though he had not yet worn them. Before the battle, he dreamt that the river god said to him: Give these to me, and I will grant you the elk of Mengzhu.
Commentary: Mi refers to the river bank.
Also a surname. The Shu commander from Donghai named Mi Zhu. See Records of Shu (Shuzhi).
Also the same as eyebrow.
Xunzi, Chapter on Refuting Physiognomy (Feixiang Pian): The appearance of Yi Yin was such that he had no eyebrows or beard.
Also used interchangeably with the mi herb.
Songs of Chu (Chuci), Nine Songs: Autumn orchids and miwu herbs.
Commentary: Miwu is another name for the ligusticum plant.
Textual Research: In the Xunzi, Chapter on Refuting Physiognomy, the text says that Yi Yin had no eyebrows or beard. I have followed the original text by adding the character for face before the character for no.
